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FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan (February 29, 2007) -
Two combat medics have devoted their time to teaching Afghan police
officers one of the most important soldier skills: first aid.
Every other week, Army Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Wells, Joint
Forces Headquarters, Arizona Army National Guard, and Army Spc.
Richard L. Bacher, 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, New York
Army National Guard, teach a first aid class to about 20 Afghan
National Police officers from Logar province.
The class is reminiscent of first aid classes U.S. soldiers go
through. The topics include stopping bleeding, as well as checking
a casualty's airway, breathing and circulation.
The class also covers checking for wounds, treating shock,
applying field dressings and tourniquets, treating sucking chest
wounds, splinting fractures and treating head wounds.
"Teaching this stuff is challenging, because we have to take the
same curriculum we use and modify it so the ANP understand," Wells
said. "For example, we use the 'ABCs of first aid' to explain
searching for an airway, breathing and circulation. Our guys
understand that, but the ANP have no idea what 'A,' 'B' or 'C'
stands for, so we have to modify things."
One method instructors use to help the Afghan police grasp the
importance of their lessons is to use real-life events as vignettes
in their classes.
"Because these guys have to drive around in the back of their
trucks, a lot of the injuries we see come from when they flip their
truck and fall out," Bacher said. "So whenever we present an injury
scenario, we'll put it in the context of a fellow policeman being
thrown out of the back of his truck."
The high rate of illiteracy among the Afghans comes into play as
well, and since the Afghan police cannot take notes, hands-on
training becomes paramount, Wells said. But, he added, their
inability to read and write has not affected their willingness to
learn.
"These guys are super-attentive, and when we do our hands-on
portion of the class, you can really tell they have paid
attention," Bacher said. "It's not perfect, but they are
progressing well."
One issue Wells and Bacher have noticed is that the Afghan
police tend to rush casualties to the hospital without trying to
administer first aid themselves. The instructors said they hope
these classes will curb that tendency.
Before each class ends, Wells and Bacher review what they have
taught and familiarize the policemen with the first aid equipment
they will receive, as well as equipment their U.S. counterparts
carry.
"We're working on getting these guys the same equipment (U.S.
soldiers) are using, but of course that takes time," Bacher said.
"Until then, we try to teach them how to be improvisational by
using sticks for splints or pieces of their shirt for cravats."
Wells and Bacher have a visibly positive attitude toward their
students, and the same feeling is present in the Afghan police
observers who eventually will take over the class.
"This class is very important, because our police don't have
much experience with first aid, and they need to know how to stop
bleeding, treat fractures and things like that," said 3rd Basic
Officer Jamil Ala Mi, an Afghan police observer who will be taking
over the class. "The students pay very good attention and will be
able to take these lessons back to their districts."
Seeing these Afghan students gives Wells an appreciation for the
policemen's willingness to learn, as well as a new gratitude for
the level of first aid education that is given to U.S. soldiers, he
said.
"When you're trying to teach these guys the things we have been
taught since our first day of basic training, it makes you realize
just how much life-saving knowledge each of our soldiers has,"
Wells said. "The most significant things these ANP can learn is
when they save a life, they are helping to make Afghanistan a
better place."
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