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FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZORMAT, Afghanistan (March 12, 2008) - A
call came in Feb. 26 at approximately 10 p.m. saying at least one
casualty was en-route to the FOB here.
Soldiers began scrambling from the moment the call came in,
readying equipment and making sure all necessary personnel were
aware of the situation.
"I was sleeping and one of the Soldiers came to my door and told
me there were going to be some patients coming," said Army Staff
Sgt. Landon B. Powell, medical noncommissioned officer-in-charge,
Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 73rd Calvary
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. "I only
knew that there had been several people shot so I wasn't sure on
the amount of patients I was going to have."
The information came from a child who had been shot in the
shoulder. Afghan National Police and Soldiers from Troop B were
bringing her to the base for medical attention. "There was a tribal
conflict that resulted in a certain part of the tribe attacking
another family in the tribe," said Army Cpt. James E. Chapman,
commander, Troop B, 4-73rd CAV. "It resulted in the death of four
of the family members and the wounding of the little girl."
The survivors of the event were the girl and her two younger
brothers.
"The girl and her younger brothers had walked three kilometers
to get to the district center and then got here, who knows how
long, after she had been shot," said Army 1st Lt. Phillip J.
Richards, a fire support officer from HHT. "She is definitely a
very strong and courageous girl."
Powell, with assistance from other Soldiers, did a rapid trauma
survey on the little girl when she arrived at FOB Zormat, and he
was surprised when he saw the bullet wound.
"I didn't know before she got here that she had already been
seen by a civilian doctor," said Powell, a 34-year-old Valdosta,
Ga., native. "The civilian doctor, in order to take care of the
wound sewed the bullet inside."
Powell made the decision to call for a medical evacuation
because of the potential danger involved with removing a
bullet.
"In Salerno they have X-ray and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
capabilities, so where I was unable to see where the bullet was,
they could," Powell said. "We were mainly in charge of keeping her
vitals stable, because in that type of situation you can have
internal bleeding and the vitals can drop."
Soldiers talked to the young girl to keep her calm while waiting
for the MEDEVAC helicopter.
"I was telling her that I have a 10-year-old daughter. She kind
of reminded me of her," Powell said. "I guess I'm just kind of
emotional, especially with children." Powell continued to explain
how these experiences become personal when you have a child.
"The way things happen here, I just thought, that could have
been my daughter," Powell admitted. "I haven't seen my daughter in
so long so it's easy to get a little emotionally attached."
But he said emotional attachment is always a second response
when your job is about saving lives.
"Powell is part of a generation of medics whose career has grown
under the stress of combat. He's a competent medic," Chapman said.
"He's learned to keep a cool head under pressure because of the
training and real-life situations he has been through."
The ANP have arrested six individuals so far for the murder of
the four family members, and the local government is working to
make the appropriate decision regarding the welfare of the
children.
Powell said he has visited the district center several times to
check up on the little girl and ensure she is doing OK with her
bandages and medication.
"This is the kind of stuff that keeps me going; being able to
make a difference," Powell said. "I enjoy helping people."
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