Volunteers take weight off staff

  • Published
  • By Capt. Carrie Clear
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq (AFPN) --  Aside from the occasional mortar attack, people at Camp Sather sometimes forget they are in a combat zone. Not everyone serving in Iraq is that lucky.

Of all the units here, the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility gets almost daily reminders of what goes on outside Baghdad International Airport. Some of the injured soldiers in Iraq are brought through the CASF on their way to Germany.

Besides the medical care patients get at the CASF, they also get plenty of attention from the volunteers who visit with them as they wait for their flights.

Along with the group chaplains, there are about 10 airmen who regularly stop in after work to see if they can offer any assistance.

“I go to the CASF every night to help,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Grandstaff of the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron. “Talking with (patients) allows us to see the war through their eyes.”

“It’s the least we can do for them with the sacrifices they make for us,” said Senior Airman Joshua Higby of the 447th ECES. “Everyone thinks they’re bulletproof. When you see people going through here in pieces, it puts you in your place, puts the war in perspective.”

The volunteers spend anywhere from a few hours to an entire night helping CASF people and visiting with patients after putting in a full day performing their regular duties.

“(Before) this experience, I’ve only worked and associated with folks (who) were in full health,” said Chief Master Sgt. Barry Deal of the 447th Expeditionary Communications Squadron. “Volunteering with the CASF folks and patients has helped me overcome my discomfort of working in hospitals. When I return, I know that I’ll be able to volunteer in our local hospital.”

The patients are not the only ones to benefit from the volunteers’ presence. It also takes some of the load off of the CASF staff.

“We do the mundane tasks -- feed them, help upload and download patients, talk and encourage them, listen to their stories,” Chief Deal said.

“I like to call them health-care extenders,” said Lt. Col. David DeLorenzo, CASF commander. “They don’t (appreciate) the full impact of what they do. They allow us to focus on the medical needs. They take care of things like escorting patients to the latrines, but it’s more far-reaching than that. They understand what we do and the patients benefit first and foremost.”