Jennifer Mercado leans over to kiss her boyfriend, Sgt. Andrew Peden Thursday as they spend time together with their two-day old daughter Elizabeth Grace Peden at Memorial Hospital North. Peden lost his left leg below the knee in an IED explosion last month in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. He was able to leave Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a short visit to surprise Jennifer and meet his new daughter. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette.
“I couldn’t even believe that it was real,” Mercado said of their sudden and tearful reunion at 2 p.m. Wednesday, in which Peden embraced her “for I don’t know how long” and held his daughter for the first time.
“I was crying, and he was crying, and she was just chilling,” Mercado said, referring to the calmest person in the room at the time: little Elizabeth Grace Peden, born at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.
The 7 pound, 10 ounce newborn has a thick head of dark hair adorned with a light green ribbon that Peden traced with his fingertip Thursday while the couple recounted their story.
Peden, 28, was wounded March 24 while on a patrol in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province, where he deployed in December as a mid-tour replacement in the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s 1st Batallion, 12th Infantry Regiment.
"How bad?" came the reply from the crew of a MedEvac helicopter hovering in the distance.
[Marine Sgt. Jonathan E.] Tompkins had not yet unzipped his protective body armor vest. When he did, blood flowed from the wound.
The bullet had ripped through both lungs and zigzagged through internal organs, venting on Tompkins' right side a few inches above the belt line.
A Navy corpsman in a nearby Humvee heard Tompkins' call for help and rushed his aid.
The medic, known to Tompkins only as "Doc" Ferrer, pulled him from the Humvee. There, in the sands of Iraq, he performed battlefield surgery that saved the wounded soldier's [sic] life.
The bullet had shattered Tompkins' right rib cage, and every time he took a breath, fragments punctured his lung.
Without an anesthetic, Ferrer stuck his hand inside Tompkins' chest and pulled out the fragmented ribs, preventing them from further damaging his lung.
As Tompkins fought for his life, a firefight raged around him. Fellow Marines encircled him with Humvees for protection.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean Harvell, right, of Long Beach, Calif., salutes Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, after receiving two Silver Star medals Thursday. Photo: TED S. WARREN / AP.
In Afghanistan, these airmen played a key role in the initial 2001 invasion that relied heavily on air power to topple the Taliban. They have been in the thick of the fight ever since.
Thursday, standing on a stage in a huge air hangar, [Staff Sgt. Sean] Harvell received two Silver Stars for valor for his actions during a harrowing six-month tour of duty in 2007.
Clad in a blue uniform and scarlet beret, he shared the stage with 10 other Air Force combat controllers who received combat awards, including another Silver Star, five Bronze Stars with Valor, three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said the scope of the joint medal awards was unprecedented in the service's modern history.
This undated photo provided by the Air Force shows Staff Sgt. Sean Harvell while on combat duty in Afghanistan.
During the Afghan and Iraq wars, unlike earlier conflicts, the airmen working on the ground are receiving more of the combat medals than the aviators, he said.
Schwartz said the combat controller's work is part of a broader cultural shift as more and more Air Force personnel work in close coordination with ground forces. Those honored Thursday, Schwartz said, "exemplify the future of our service."
The airmen's collective combat experience also bears witness to the lethal Special Ops counterinsurgency battles that have unfolded in remote parts of Afghanistan, often shrouded in secrecy.
Senior Airman Evan Jones, awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for Valor, is credited with helping his team fight through a gantlet of 20 enemy positions on Sept. 2, 2008. Wounded in the shoulder and hands, Jones was still able to call in airstrikes and is credited with saving the lives of 60 comrades,
Staff Sgt. Christopher Martin, awarded the Bronze Star with Valor directing 22 air attacks, five strafing runs and the release of 8,000 pounds of ordinances during two days of fighting in 2008.
Harvell, a 27-year-old airman from Long Beach, Calif., faced a series of intense battles on a third tour of Afghanistan duty that took him deep into Helmand Province, where a resurgent Taliban was expanding control.
On May 7, 2007, Harvell was caught in what his first Silver Star citation termed a "savage eight-hour firefight." Surrounded by enemy fire, he directed air support at Taliban positions and evacuated the wounded.
He was awarded the medal for his actions on that day and subsequent actions three weeks later, when he was ambushed and wounded
He received his second Silver Star for his actions on July 25, 2007, when he sprinted through close-range fire to where he could toss a grenade to take out a Taliban fighter, then ran a second gantlet as gunfire peppered his feet in order to direct an air attack.
PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, Vermont National Guard and the 203rd Afghan National Army Corps watch as the CH-47 Chinook helicopter that brought them to the village of Mengal Kheyl, Zormat district of Afghanistan’s Paktya province, lands at the completion of an air assault mission, April 22. The mission, which resulted in the capture of the district’s largest weapons cache in three years, was the first combat air assault mission in the history of the Vermont National Guard. U.S. Army photo.
PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – A shocked group of insurgents looked up from the grounds of their supposed “safe house” in Mangal Kheyl village, Zormat district in Afghanistan’s Paktya province, to see a pair of twin-rotor CH-47 Chinook helicopters bearing down on them, April 22.
Working as part of the first combat air assault mission in the history of the Vermont National Guard, Soldiers from C Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, alongside their Afghan partners watched from aboard the descending helicopters as the enemy dropped their weapons and fled.
“The enemy were completely surprised by our air assault,” said C Company spokesman U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Mark Fazio, from Co. C, 3-172nd INF. “As the aircraft landed we could see them drop their weapons and run away as fast as they could.”
The “cordon and search” mission was conducted in response to Soldiers from the 3-172nd INF and the Afghan National Army collecting intelligence centering around an insurgents’ safe-house and logistical staging point, Fazio said.
During the mission Soldiers captured the largest weapons cache in the district in three years, Fazio said. The company was also the first unit in the battalion to capture a foreign fighter.
This past weekend the 10th Anniversary World TEAM Sports Face of America Ride took place, with over 300 riders cycling 110 miles through the countryside from the nation's capitol to Gettysburg. Like all Face of America rides, this is about meeting challenges, a sense of camaraderie, and developing the lasting knowledge that ALL of the participants are integral members of the TEAM.
While this is not my first, and certainly not my last year, I remain humbled by the determination and stamina of our wounded warriors. Many of the warriors ride recumbent bikes, relying on just their upper body strength to power them across the many miles and ruthless hills. Since this is a ride and not a race, everyone works together to make it from one point to the other. Every rider who is able will help out those who are struggling.
It is the final moments of the ride that pull at your heartstrings. All the riders gather together to arrive at the same time. The recumbent bikes lead the way, making their way the final few feet, while crowds cheer them on, as a majestic American flag waves them all in, perched high atop the ladder of a firetruck.
Part 2, Team Semper Fi crosses the finish line followed by the motorcycle escorts.
Team Soldiers' Angels - "Chuck's Team" - at the 2010 Face of America Ride.
Thanks to Kathy, my fellow Angel and rider with Team Soldiers' Angels for the video!
All over Iraq, the dramatic decline in violence since the surge has set the stage for U.S. forces to begin leaving.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SUMMERALL, Iraq — Memorials for fallen U.S. soldiers used to stand amid the sand and trailers of this sprawling base in northern Iraq like signposts.
Their names were written on concrete blast walls. The gym, the dining hall, the recreation center — all were named after someone.
But as troops here and at dozens of other bases across the country close down their posts or turn them over to the Iraqi military amid a summerlong thinning of forces, the memorials are one more thing that has to go. ...
Sgt. Jason Vangundy, who like many others here served with the same unit in eastern Baghdad during the "surge" in 2007 and 2008, said the dramatic decline in violence that has set the stage for the U.S. to begin leaving Iraq was its own reward.
"To know that my friends didn’t die in vain, that’s a satisfying turning point for me," he said. "That’s what we fought for — to get to this bridge and cross it." ...
The last of the U.S. troops headed down to the base’s airstrip, once named after Spc. Morgen Jacobs, a 20-year-old Californian killed by a roadside bomb in October 2004.
U.S. Army Pfc. Timothy D. Prescott returns fire during an attack on Combat Outpost Bari Alai in Kunar province, Afghanistan, April 10, 2010. Prescott, a squad automatic weapon gunner, is assigned to Charlie Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment. International and Afghan forces fought off anti-Afghan attacks throughout the afternoon near Nishigam village. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte.
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan - Service members who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in a combat zone are known as 'Fallen Angels.' Marines with the Personnel Retrieval and Processing detachment, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), process the remains of the Angels and inventory their personal effects before sending them on their journey home. Lance Cpl. Khoa Pelczar.
"I always thought that if it was my child over here that had died, I would want somebody like me to take care of him and send him home to me."
- Chief Warrant Officer Kim T. Adamson, OIC, Mortuary Affairs Collection Point Bastion and Dwyer, PRP, 1st MLG (FWD).
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan — Service members who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in a combat zone are known as Angels. Those troops who lose their lives on the battlefield are brought home so they may be honored and laid to rest.
It is the job of the Marines with the Personnel Retrieval and Processing Detachment, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) to take care of the Angels and return them to their families.
"Our primary job is to recover the remains of fallen troops, bring them back, inventory their gear and send them home," said Cpl. Matthew A. Sarkis, mortuary affairs specialist with PRP, 1st MLG (FWD).
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan - Cpl. Matthew A. Sarkis, mortuary affairs specialist with the Personnel Retrieval and Processing detachment, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward), 26, from Crofton, Md., prepares a national flag to be placed on top of an Angel’s transfer case, April 19. The mortuary affairs specialists’ job is to process the Angel’s remains and inventory their personal effects before sending them on their journey home. Lance Cpl. Khoa Pelczar.
"This is probably one of the most honorable missions a Marine can have in the Marine Corps," said Chief Warrant Officer Kim T. Adamson, officer in charge of the MACP Bastion and Dwyer, PRP, 1st MLG (FWD).
Even though it's difficult to see one of their own make the ultimate sacrifice, for Sarkis, 26, from Crofton, Md., it's an honor to be able to send the Angels back home with honor and dignity, while bringing closure to their families.
The process in which an Angel is taken from a forward operating base to the aircraft flown back to the United States is called a dignified transfer, explained Barnett, 36, from Frederick, Md. As a show of respect to the Angel, service members arrive at the flight line and form up on each side of the ramp leading to the aircraft. Prior to loading the Angel on the plane, the Chaplain gives a final prayer to the Angel. ...
Embodying the phrase "Once a Marine, always a Marine," the Fallen Angels have served honorably, for which their sacrifices will never be forgotten. These mortuary affairs specialists are proud and honored to be able to bring their fallen brothers and sisters home to their final resting place.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Michael Schlitz, a veteran who was burned over 85 percent of his body by an IED, tells a joke to paratroopers stationed at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. Part of Operation Proper Exit, Schlitz often uses humor to broach difficult subjects such as suicide prevention. Photo: Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod.
SFC Schlitz is in Iraq as part of the fifth Operation Proper Exit rotation of Soldiers returning to the battlefield to find emotional healing. In 2007, Schlitz was severely wounded by an IED, sustaining burns over 85 percent of his body and losing both hands.
"If you're going to commit suicide by fire, make sure there're no fire extinguishers or people around to help you, or you're going to end up looking like me," he said with a smile.
Once the audience stopped laughing, Schlitz offered serious advice on suicide prevention.
LANSING, Mich. - A 13-year-old Iraqi boy brought to Michigan a year ago by a National Guardsman so he could get plastic surgery to repair scars from a house fire no longer is shy about pulling off his beloved Detroit Tigers baseball cap.
Black, glossy hair now grows where only scar tissue was before. And Mohammed's left hand and wrist — deformed in the fire when he was 2 — now can adeptly field baseballs.
On Sunday, Mohammed will head back to Iraq with Army National Guard Major David Howell, who brought the shy, slender boy to mid-Michigan last April for the life-changing surgery.
U.S. Air Force airmen unload a patient from a bus for transfer to the Air Force Theater Hospital during an aeromedical evacuation mission on Joint Base Balad, Iraq, April 17, 2010. The unit is expecting the average patient load to increase by about 50 patients per day, following worldwide air travel disruptions caused by ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruptions. The airmen are assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brittany Y. Bateman.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. military has diverted the medical evacuations of about 20 servicemembers wounded in Afghanistan to a hospital in Iraq because of the ash plume preventing usual air travel into Germany.
Typically, wounded Americans and others requiring a medical evacuation are flown from the war zone directly to Landstuhl, Germany, and then on to the United States — often to Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington.
But the volcanic eruption in Iceland has shut down air travel over much of Europe, requiring military flight diversions to more southerly routes. Now troops may end up at Joint Base Balad in Iraq. The hospital is being used as a temporary hub for injured troops until medical evacuations to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany can resume, said Col. Dennis Beatty, the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group deputy commander.
To accommodate the sudden influx of patients, hospital wings that had been shut down — due to the upcoming Iraq withdrawal — were reopened.
“In six hours,” he said, “we were able to double our capacity.”
But the injured troops won’t be staying long. Most will be put back onto flights headed to the U.S. within about 12 hours, Beatty said.
“It really is designed around the medical reality that survival, and taking the best care of our soldiers possible, needs to have an intermediate stop where they are properly stabilized and given care that may not be able to be efficiently given out here,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Kwast, commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, who spoke to Pentagon reporters via satellite. “That intermediate stop saves lives, and it needs to be done.”
A Pentagon spokesman said those evacuated to Balad will later have to stop for a refueling in Naval Station Rota, Spain, on their way to Washington. A statement from Balad public affairs said the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group anticipates “the average patient load to increase by about 50 patients per day.”
He'd gotten blown up. Sustained burns to the face and hands and suffered blast inhalation. Breathing in superheated air is not good for the bronchial tubes and lungs. He’s being mechanically ventilated.
I watch him struggle even when completely sedated, but some patients have a real rough patch before extubation. To make sure a patient can breathe on his own, first the docs need to dial back on the meds.
This is called "waking him up".
Still out of it, he gradually becomes more and more aware of his pain and the discomfort of the breathing tube. He feels like he's choking. Constantly. And he's too out of it to understand why.
His hands are restrained so he can't pull the tube out. But he keeps lifting them, trying. His legs squirm. He lifts and turns his head.
Then the RT (respiratory therapy) guy comes in and tells the patient he’s turning off the ventilator as a test, and if it goes well, the tube can be removed. He now has to breathe on his own, sucking in air through the narrow tube. He must be scared to death wondering why he can hardly breathe.
"You probably feel like you're breathing through a straw, right?"
The patient nods. He looks unconscious but he's tracking everything.
The RT encourages him, "This is all you, man... you're doing great. Keep going!"
After 5 minutes the RT deflates the outside of the tube so the patient can now breathe around it as well as through it, which is better, but as he slowly comes around the agony of the tube becomes unbearable.
He has to breathe like that for 20 minutes.
I keep telling him, "You're in the Army hospital in Germany. You have a tube down your throat... don’t fight the tube… try to relax!" He does... but he’s so dopey that he forgets after like 30 seconds and starts struggling again.
It’s time. A small group of nurses and docs gather outside his door. You hear them say, "Ok, we gonna do this guy now?"
They flow into the room, tell him they're pulling the tube, and that he should try to cough when they say ‘go’.
"Ok, here we go... COUGHCOUGHCOUGHCOUGHCOUGH!!!!"
When it's out they place an oxygen mask over his face and he gags and chokes and gasps for air and coughs up huge globs of junk which they suck out with a suction tube.
He finally lays back, exhausted. People slowly leave. But his nurse stays - as always - hovering, watching his vitals, carefully checking all of his many lines and the machines connected to them.
I move back to his side and he tries to say something, but his throat's raw and he can't talk. I lean in, apologizing because I can't understand.
"How much... how much... longer?"
I know these guys. He wants to know how much longer he has to stay here before he can go back downrange.
Exchanging glances with his nurse, and deliberately misunderstanding, I tell him he'll be out of the Intensive Care Unit in a couple of days. Even in his sedated state he knows exactly what I've done and gives me the dirtiest look imaginable.
Then, "fffff.... mmmm fffff.... "
He's saying, "Friends... my friends... "
I tell him everybody from the truck's ok. He did good, everybody's ok.
His face screws up like a child's as he breaks down and cries with relief.
I watch the tears roll down over the ointment covering his face, over the seared redness of his skin, over the blisters on his nose and lips.
* * *
It's hard for people on the outside to understand. They always seem to focus only on the "terrible things" that we see. But we also have the honor to see something else: The true heart of the American Soldier.
Produced by ABC Australia in February of this year, this is an extraordinary documentary about the 8th Forward Surgical Team and the DUSTOFF crews in the Logar Province of Afghanistan. Full screen viewing recommended.
I thought about the kids in Yusufiyah who were so happy last year to get school supplies from the Mike Stokely Foundation, and the student at Georgia Military College who was the first recipient of the Mike Stokely Memorial Scholarship endowed by funds raised in the "Ride to Remember...." two years ago, and the one for this coming year.
I thought about young children in need who got a book a month this past year to help them get a boost in life with reading skills, and wondered about a group of children whose socio-economic situation was pretty grim and were elated to get a book from the Mike Stokely Foundation for a birthday present (some the only present they got that day).
I thought about several hundred inner-city kids who come to an annual Christmas Party called Flight to the North Pole and their gift bags contain a book from the Mike Stokely Foundation. I thought back to 1983 when I first got involved with the Flight to the North Pole and the many times Mike came to help with that annual party, even after he was grown.
I thought about the MilBlog community and friends I have come to know through Mike's death. I thought about all my Soldier's Angels including head Angel, Patti Bader.
I thought about all of Mike's former unit, E 108 CAV 48th Brigade GAARNG, many who now continue to serve and are deployed to Afghanistan and a good number of those are with Bravo 2 / 121 INF 48th Brigade GAARNG in Afghanistan.
I thought about the opportunity I was given to serve as Co-Chair of Bravo 2 / 121 Family Readiness Group.
I thought about how this came about because of Mike.
And there are so many other things that Mike's sacrifice has brought my way.
Hughes, Ark., native, Staff Sgt. James Robinson, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, hands out school materials donated by the Mike Stokely Foundation at a school in Mullah Fayad, March 27. (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback)
In honor of Mike and all of the fallen, I would like to ask you on this day his birthday to make a donation to the Mike Stokely Foundation, Inc.
Founded on the Stokely Family home in Sharpsburg GA in the first few hours after his family learned of his death. The Foundation was formed to allow those who wished to show their appreciation for Mike's sacrifice and support for his family through donating to help kids in need have books and kids to go to college. Since then the Foundation goals have expanded through the various programs, including the Yusufiyah Project to help the poor kids where Mike served and was killed to have school supplies and partnered with Atlanta based Chick-fil-A to raise money to assist the family of seriously wounded soldier in Afghanistan, SFC Mark Allen who had served in 2005 with Mike in Iraq. Your donation makes these projects possible and you can be assured that your money goes for the purpose you select, not for operational and administrative expenses as the Stokely Family pays those expenses.
More about Mike, and the Mike Stokely Foundation at The Thunder Run.
Happy Birthday, Mike. We will love and remember you always.
It's a long flight for both the patients and the caregivers. But if I've learned anything over the past several years, it's that the United States Air Force delivers.
BY Stephanie Gaskell DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Sunday, April 18th 2010, 1:31 PM
The Icelandic volcano eruption is diverting U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan from their usual stop at an air base in Europe.
Instead of flying the troops to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, they'll be airlifted directly to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., or to the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Md.
U.S. military officials said medical care for the wounded troops would not be impacted.
"We're just readjusting our processes and our procedures and, most importantly and most obviously, the routes," said Navy Capt. Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for U.S. Transportation Command.
The planes are refueling mid-air or at a U.S. base in Italy during the transatlantic flights.
The UK Ministry of Defence is considering flying their troops wounded in Afghanistan to coalition partner countries such as Germany (should the air space here reopen) or even to the U.S. for treatment if British airspace remains closed.
Normally, wounded troops would be flown home and treated at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.
But one report suggested wounded troops might be flown as far as America for treatment.
Most of the badly injured could be evacuated alongside wounded US soldiers via an ash-free southern Europe route to Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington DC.
"We have made alternative arrangements with coalition partners to bring back wounded troops if necessary," said a spokesman.
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- Air Mobility Command operations in and around Europe have been adjusted as a large cloud of volcanic ash continues to impact flight operations across much of the continent, according to AMC officials. ...
"Under normal circumstances, the majority of military and civilian patients aeromedically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan move to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for care, then move to the U.S. within a few days," said Mr. Steve Dugger, deputy chief of the 618th TACC's Aeromedical Evacuation Division. "In light of the volcanic ash, our AE missions will fly directly from the CENCTOM AOR to the U.S without the stop in Germany. This effort will require up to two air-to-air refuelings per mission, but it's worth it to get these patients to the care they need."
In addition to adjusting AE flight routing, AMC's AE crews and Critical Care Air Transportability Teams, which normally stage at Ramstein Air Base, have been temporarily sent to forward staging locations in CENTCOM. This posturing ensures AMC has the right medical personnel in-place to care for our wounded warriors while being aeromedically evacuated to further medical care.
AMC officials continue to monitor the situation to determine what other measures may be required to ensure success of the mission and the safety of crews and aircraft. The 618th TACC's Global Weather Operations Directorate also has weather forecasters on-duty 24/7 to provide up-to-date weather information to AMC aircrews operating worldwide.
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. military has diverted the medical evacuations of about 20 servicemembers wounded in Afghanistan to a hospital in Iraq because of the ash plume preventing usual air travel into Germany.
Typically, wounded Americans and others requiring a medical evacuation are flown from the war zone directly to Landstuhl, Germany, and then on to the United States — often to Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington.
But the volcanic eruption in Iceland has shut down air travel over much of Europe, requiring military flight diversions to more southerly routes. Now troops may end up at Joint Base Balad in Iraq. The hospital is being used as a temporary hub for injured troops until medical evacuations to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany can resume, said Col. Dennis Beatty, the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group deputy commander.
To accommodate the sudden influx of patients, hospital wings that had been shut down — due to the upcoming Iraq withdrawal — were reopened.
“In six hours,” he said, “we were able to double our capacity.”
But the injured troops won’t be staying long. Most will be put back onto flights headed to the U.S. within about 12 hours, Beatty said.
“It really is designed around the medical reality that survival, and taking the best care of our soldiers possible, needs to have an intermediate stop where they are properly stabilized and given care that may not be able to be efficiently given out here,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Kwast, commander of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, who spoke to Pentagon reporters via satellite. “That intermediate stop saves lives, and it needs to be done.”
A Pentagon spokesman said those evacuated to Balad will later have to stop for a refueling in Naval Station Rota, Spain, on their way to Washington. A statement from Balad public affairs said the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group anticipates “the average patient load to increase by about 50 patients per day.”
Recently SSG Matthew Kinney was named Flight Medic of the Year at the DUSTOFF Association and AMEC Conference for his actions on Oct. 16, 2008, and for which he was also awarded the Silver Star.
He sent a link to a video of the award ceremony, knowing full well I'd embarrass him by posting it here. Many thanks to Greyhawk for cleaning up the audio so we can better understand Matthew's moving acceptance speech.
* * *
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Matthew S. Kinney, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with the 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, attached to 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, on 16 October 2008, during a daring Medevac hoist rescue in the forbidding Korengal Valley of Afghanistan.
NARRATIVE: Staff Sergeant Matthew S. Kinney, United States Army, distinguished himself through exceptionally heroic conduct on 16 October 2008, during a daring Medevac hoist rescue in the forbidding Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. His actions not only reflect the highest credit upon himself and his unit, but saved the lives of eight critically wounded U.S. and Afghan Soldiers and an entire Medevac crew.
Departing in response to an urgent Medevac request emanating from the Korengal Valley, Staff Sergeant Kinney configured himself and his aircraft for hoist operations while en route. He then advised both Dustoff crews to hoist down their medics simultaneously in order to expedite the packaging and loading of the reported four casualties. Upon arriving, the pilots of both Medevac aircraft heeded Staff Sergeant Kinney's advice, lowering both flight medics into the small mountain village.
On the ground, Staff Sergeant Kinney quickly took charge of a chaotic situation. Staff Sergeant Kinney discovered six urgent casualties crammed into a small mud and rock building in which several other Soldiers were taking cover. He immediately ordered all non-wounded Soldiers to pull security outside and began assessing the critically wounded. He directed the other flight medic to assist him in stabilizing the most critical patient and simultaneously directed a ground Soldier to pull the Skedco litter from its bag and prepare it for the casualty. After the patient was packaged, Staff Sergeant Kinney directed the Soldier to drag that patient outside to make more room in the small stone confinement. As he began stabilizing and packaging the second critical casualty, Staff Sergeant Kinney ordered the other flight medic to prepare to hoist up the first patient.
During the second hoist iteration, the aircraft and the small building came under heavy effective machine gun fire. Despite rounds cracking overhead and impacting in the terrain around him, Staff Sergeant Kinney helped his fellow medic complete the hoist, while attempting to locate the origin of the enemy ambush. Staff Sergeant Kinney discovered that the fire was coming from a ridgeline immediately to the north of his location, opposite of where the Apache aircraft were engaging.
He contacted the Apache gunships over his MBITR radio and began redirecting rocket and 30-mm. gun runs onto the heavy machine gun location, effectively suppressing the fire. The hovering Medevac aircraft had already taken two direct hits while inside the ambush kill zone. If not for Staff Sergeant Kinney's instinctive action the entire crew and two patients onboard would have undoubtedly been lost.
As the Apache aircraft continued to suppress, Staff Sergeant Kinney finished packaging his third critical patient and began to assess and treat the remaining three patients, who suffered from multiple shrapnel and gunshot wounds. As his fellow medic departed up the hoist, Staff Sergeant Kinney immediately began preparing the third Skedco Extraction Litter.
Staff Sergeant Kinney discovered that several of the required hoist straps were missing. Without hesitation, he procured a rope and began using it to prepare a harness that would secure the patient's Skedco to the hoist hook. Staff Sergeant Kinney now moved his three remaining patients to cover as he radioed his Medevac aircraft, requesting extraction.
As the firefight continued around him, the pinned down squad took an additional casualty. Staff Sergeant Kinney quickly triaged this Soldier and placed him with the other three casualties awaiting hoist extraction. While waiting for his aircraft, Staff Sergeant Kinney maneuvered under fire to an adjacent building in effort to locate the enemy fighting positions and possibly relay them to the Apaches, but the fire ceased as soon as he repositioned.
The Medevac aircraft hovered into position and Staff Sergeant Kinney took the first ambulatory patient into the open and secured him to the Jungle Penetrator (JP). The enemy began taking pot shots at Staff Sergeant Kinney and his patient. As soon as the patient was off the ground, Staff Sergeant Kinney scrambled back to cover and retrieved a second ambulatory casualty. As he exposed himself once again, the bullets began cracking by and impacting the wall behind him. Regardless, he secured the patient and waited until the JP was off the ground until retreating to cover.
Once more, he repositioned to an overlooking building for a better vantage point, but was unable to get a fix on the sniper's location. Returning for the final litter casualty, Staff Sergeant Kinney directed two Soldiers to help him drag the Skedco litter into the clearing.
Staff Sergeant Kinney began connecting his makeshift Skedco rigging to the hoist's rescue hook. With the sporadic enemy fire still kicking up dirt all around him, Staff Sergeant Kinney dutifully held the tagline for several minutes while his patient hoisted up, ensuring the litter did not spin out of control. When the cable was fully retracted Staff Sergeant Kinney realized that his makeshift harness ropes were too long and the litter still hung several feet below the aircraft.
He calmly instructed the crew chief to lower the Sked and instructed the pilots to “do a lap” in order to limit their exposure to enemy fire while he sat in the open and shortened the ropes.
At this time, an eighth Soldier was wounded in the leg by the sustained enemy fire.
When the aircraft returned and the cable sent back down, Staff Sergeant Kinney sent the latest ambulatory casualty up on the JP after controlling his bleeding.
Lastly, Staff Sergeant Kinney began his second attempt at hoisting up the makeshift Skedco, this time doing so successfully. With all five of his casualties onboard, Staff Sergeant Kinney quickly secured his gear, and checked for any additional wounded. He then rode the JP up to his aircraft.
En route to the Forward Surgical Team (FST), Staff Sergeant Kinney single handedly treated five critical patients, controlling bleeding, administering pain control, dressing wounds, and starting IVs. The multi-systemic wounds Staff Sergeant Kinney treated alone in the back of his cramped aircraft included partial amputations, femoral bleeding, and multiple gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
Upon landing at the Medical Treatment Facility, Staff Sergeant Kinney assisted in unloading his patients and preparing them for surgery once in the FST.
Staff Sergeant Kinney's heroic actions on this day exceeded the call of duty and speak volumes to his selfless dedication to the welfare of his fellow Soldiers. On countless occasions, he demonstrated a willingness to lay down his own life for those he is sworn to protect. By calling Apache fire onto the location of an enemy heavy machine gun during an ambush, he saved the lives of countless Soldiers on the ground, as well as the lives of an entire Medevac crew who had assumed a stationary hover over the kill zone.
Staff Sergeant Kinney's selfless actions under fire, his level head during a deteriorating situation, and improvisations when all was otherwise lost, reflect the highest credit upon himself, the Medevac, Task Force Out Front, and the United States Army.
SSG Matthew Kinney, Flight Medic of the Year: "Just doing my job."
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains how a 14.5 mm high explosive incendiary round was removed from the scalp of an Afghan National Army soldier March 18, 2010, at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The injury was sustained during an improvised explosive device attack.
"This is something that I train and teach," added Major Bini, who is the course director for the Air Force Emergency Warfare Course at Wilford Hall. "It is; however, an extremely rare event."
Rare, indeed.
In March of 2006 PFC Channing Moss was impaled by an RPG while serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. MAJ John Oh, a surgeon at the 759th Forward Surgical Team at Orgun-E, Sgt. John Collier, CW3 Jorge Correa, SFC Daniel Brown, and many others all risked their lives to fly PFC Moss to the FST, surgically remove, and then dispose of the ordnance.
When asked why he volunteered to extend his enlistment and stay in Iraq, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham responded: "I want to make sure everyone makes it home alive. I want to be sure you go home to your wife alive."
Later, on on 14 April 2004, "aware of the imminent danger and without hesitation, Corporal Dunham covered the grenade with his helmet and body, bearing the brunt of the explosion and shielding his Marines from the blast. In an ultimate and selfless act of bravery in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of at least two fellow Marines. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Corporal Dunham gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."
A former member of the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center staff, Army Staff Sergeant Jason Russo, died April 2, 2010 while on his way home from work as a corrections officer in Orlando, Florida.
Before moving back to the U.S. to be closer to his family, SSG Russo served for two years at LRMC as an LNO for the 316th and 3d ESCs. In his capacity as a Liaison, he tracked nearly 2000 Wounded Warriors - meeting them upon arrival at Landstuhl, guiding them through their stay, making sure they had everything they needed, talking with them, providing a flow of information to both their Rear Detachments back home and their COs downrange, and, when necessary, assisting their family members flown to Germany.
He touched many thousands of lives, smoothing the way during a time of extreme stress and uncertainty.
"The Army has lost a very dedicated, loyal and honorable NCO", said former LRMC colleague 1LT Chris Kolbosky.
During his military career SSG Russo received many decorations including a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq prior to being stationed at Landstuhl. He was also a first responder to the Pentagon on 9/11, helping to identify the victims.
Godspeed Jason, you will be missed. Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with your family.
Tamala Marbut of Burleson embraces blankets and pillows she handmakes and sends with love and appreciation to wounded soldiers overseas who are recoving in hospitals after receiving injuries on duty serving the country.
When a soldier steps off American soil and onto the sand of a foreign country there is constant danger until they are home again.
Our country's heroes serve proudly to protect people they may never meet. And it can be a thankless task, but some special individuals here in the states take it upon themselves to let the brave men and women serving over seas know how much they are appreciated.
“Every time I go anywhere if I see someone in uniform I stop whatever I am doing and walk right up to them,” Tamala Marbut of Burleson said. “I always shake their hand and tell them thank you. Because you don’t know if anybody has done that and I don’t want the chance to go by and me not have said thank you to them.”
Marbut is a “Soldiers' Angel”, and though yes – to meet her many would agree she is angelic and patriotic – the term is from an organization who’s motto “May No Soldier Go Unloved,” has been an personal mission of Marbut’s for sometime.
A mother of two sons who have been deployed more than once to those far off countries of war, Marbut found out first hand the concerns and needs of soldiers and their families.
“I would send my son care packages to share with his unit,” she said. “And that’s when I found out how many soldiers were going without. I knew I had to do something. Then I found Soldiers' Angels and everything clicked.”
Marbut, who’s office at Keller Williams in Burleson is decorated with American flags, and photos of soldiers she has never met but loves like they were her own, has been sending prayers and encouragement with care packages to adopted soldiers for three years.
“I also send blankets and pillows to the Wounded Soldiers project directly to a hospital in Germany,” she said.
On every blanket she carefully sews an American flag, wraps a card of appreciation inside the folds, hand-ties with a ribbon and then kisses the sealed boxes before sending them on their way.
“I always kiss every box,” she said.
Together with other caring individuals she has meet through the program she has made, collected and mailed out 175 blankets in six months. Sometimes lasting bonds are formed with soldiers who begin corresponding with Marbut.
Soldier Douglas Brunsvold wrote a touching letter to Marbut.... “I would just like to thank you for the gift of the blanket that I received at the Medical Transient Detachment here at Landstuhl Germany. The blanket that I have is a red blanket with a blue thread boarder and three flag symbols in one corner. I wanted to describe it to you because you may remember it and I wanted you to know that I really appreciate it,” Brusvold said.
On another occasion Marbut learned of soldier Rosevelt McCoy Jr. when he was hospitalized with injuries and started emailing her after receiving one her blankets as he recovered. He got well and returned to his unit in Iraq. Marbut adopted his entire unit after that emailing back and forth with everyone.
“We just keep it light,” she said. “I always ask if there is anything I can do for them on this side of things. I send them jokes and prayers and keep it light hearted – I don’t ask them questions.”
Marbut says she just wants to be a friendly face whenever they need one and help lift them up.
United States Army Capt. Ryan Kenny, of Billings, Mont., left, with the 82nd Airborne Division, holds a light over the text for Chaplain William Kneemiller, center, as he reads while Staff Sgt. Richard Webb, of Donna, Texas prepares to light the Easter candle during the Lighting of the Easter Vigil fire service of light, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2010 at a forward operating base in the Arghandab Valley of Kandahar province in Afghanistan. AP Photo.
Todd's wife Crystal has started a Caring Bridge page where you can follow his progress.
Todd's mom Julie and her husband Mike at Bethesda (that's me on the left).
I was in DC for the 2010 MilBlog Conference over the weekend and was able to stop by Bethesda, meet Todd's family, and deliver his Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT laptop with voice activation. I understand he's already online and reading some of the comments at the Caring Bridge page, so be sure to visit the page and say hey!
Two non-profit military support organizations were featured at the Milblog conference: Soldiers' Angels and Homes for Our Troops. The groups received donations from the conference's "Jail and Bail" event, an auction put together by You Served, and one of the conference sponsors, USAA.
I mention this because not only were we able to provide Todd with a laptop while in DC, but I also had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Homes for Our Troops, John Gonsalves. He's been put in touch with Todd's family and is ready to start making plans with Todd and Crystal for their new adaptive home.
We cannot thank our donors enough for their generous support of Todd and all of our wounded warriors, and we certainly can never thank Todd and his family enough for their sacrifice.
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This tough United States Marine could use your prayers after being severely wounded last week in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo.
This page is for the friends of Todd Nicely to have a place to keep up to date on his condition. Todd's convoy was hit by a roadside bomb. He has lost both legs, a hand, and could possibly lose the other arm. I will let everyone know more info when I get it. I am also working on a benefit for the near future, so please keep posted to this page.
Todd came through Landstuhl hospital and is currently at Bethesda Naval Medical Center where he is surrounded by family and friends.
Please keep Todd and his family in your prayers, and leave a message of support at the Facebook page.
