3rd HBCT Medics Hold Free Health Clinic

Villagers of Nahrwan, Iraq, line up to receive free medical care provided by medics of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, 27 June. The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team is a part of Multi-National Division-Center and is conducting operations southeast of Baghdad.

By Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team held an outdoor medical clinic Wednesday at a school in Nahrwan.

Medics set up three treatment stations under a camouflaged net surrounded by concertina wire while the 3rd Battalion, 1st Cavalry Regiment’s loud speaker broadcasted a message to villagers announcing the opportunity to receive free medical care.

During the broadcast, villagers from the area began forming two lines, male and female, waiting to be seen. The separate lines were set to ensure female medics were available to see female patients.

According to Maj. Leonard Mason, emergency medicine officer for Brigade Special Troops Battalion, from Philadelphia, Pa., the medics honor Iraqi customs. Male medics will not touch female patients unless the patients say it is OK in advance.

According to Pfc. Kristina Sutton, from Springfield, Mass., a medic in the 203rd BSB, some patients stood in line for almost four hours.

“We saw a lot of different problems,” said Capt. Se Young Um, from El Paso, Texas, pediatrician and surgeon for the 203rd Brigade Support Battalion.

The medics saw ailments such as back, stomach, head, skin and upper respiratory problems and were able to treat those with medicine bought from a local pharmacist.

The patients were very grateful the Soldiers provided health care to their village, Sutton explained. The citizens of Nahrwan do not regularly have access to the types of medical care provided by coalition forces. She said most of the villagers do not have the means to seek the special medical attention needed for their exceptional conditions.

“A lot of these people didn’t understand what was wrong with them or their children; they just knew they were sick,” said Sgt. 1st Class Corree Dansler, from Chauvin, La., non-commissioned officer in charge of Sgt. Robertson Aid Station at Forward Operating Base Hammer. “What they really needed was medical attention from a specialist at a hospital.”

Dansler said some of her patients knew what their illnesses were but did not have the correct information to properly care for them. She felt the medics made a difference, even if it were merely giving the patients the information they needed.

The mission was not just beneficial to the villagers but also to the medics who attended, Dansler explained. She further explained Soldiers were able to see that most of the people in the area are good people.

“They are parents trying to take care of their children just like us,” Dansler said.

Sutton felt it was a great experience. She was able to see illnesses and conditions she had never seen before. The experience made her realize just what an American citizen might take for granted.

“The smallest things we did for them made such an impact,” she said. “The opportunities are always there for (Americans) and when we give the same opportunities to them, it makes 10 times more of an impact.”

At the completion of the mission, the medics had seen approximately 225 patients with a crowd still formed outside the perimeter wanting to be seen.

“We were there to win the hearts and minds of the people and provide health care,” Mason said. “The impact was huge for what the mission was intended for. Overall the mission was a plus.”