OMLT Patrol

U.S. Army Maj. Jim Hickman and Latvian Army Maj. Juris Abolins, patrol alongside members of the Afghan National Army through the village of Nishagam, Konar province, Afghanistan, March 18, 2009. Hickman is assigned to the Observer, Mentor, Liaison Team in Regional Command - East. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller.

Medical Airlift Warriors

MOSUL, Iraq - Staff Sgt. Edna Buckelew, 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight medical technician, gives a thumbs-up after checking on a patient Feb. 27. Airmen in the 332nd EAEF transport servicemembers wounded, injured or sick from remote locations to a higher level of medical care. Buckelew is deployed here from Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is a native of Avon, Ind. U.S. Air Force photo: Senior Airman Elizabeth Rissmiller.

Read about the Airmen of the 332nd EAEF who, together with those of the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, fly throughout Iraq to pick up patients requiring a higher level of treatment than can be provided at their location.

The plane takes off again. [Maj. David] Rodberg and his team work through the flight in the confines of the shaking aircraft due to turbulence from the leading edge of rough weather. Through rain and even a sandstorm the same rusty color of Mars, they care for the sick and injured. When dust from the storm begins to come into the cargo area, they move to give those in their care face masks.
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After several stops, and hours later, the C-130 lands back at JBB [Joint Base Balad]. A small army of medical personnel from the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility and volunteers are waiting with stretchers and buses. Through an orchestrated and rehearsed process, the wounded warriors are removed from the aircraft and put on the buses and driven off to the AFTH.

"I love this mission," said Rodberg. "It's about these guys and getting them to more definitive care and back to their loved ones."

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Members of the 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron's Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight; Airmen from the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility; and volunteers wait with stretchers and buses to off-load patients here after an aeromedical evacuation mission Feb. 27. The 332nd EAEF transports servicemembers wounded, injured or sick from remote locations to a higher level of medical care. U.S. Air Force photo: Senior Airman Elizabeth Rissmiller.

Four more 173rd Paratroopers receive awards for actions during the battle of Wanat

Sgt. Michael T. Denton is awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during a ceremony held at the Airborne Walk on Eubanks Field Monday morning. Others receiving awards were Capt. Matthew R. Myer, third from right who was also awarded the Silver Star and Sgt. 1st Class David L. Dwzik, far right, who was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device. Photo: Shannon Szwarc.

Myer, Denton and Dwzik were members of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team during the battle of Wanat on 13 July 2008.

"It's for my men. They fought very hard that day. They fought for each other and I'm just glad to be here to represent them," SFC Dwzik said.


SPC Aaron Davis is honored with a Silver Star for his actions near Wanat, Afghanistan on 13 July 2008. Photo: KLTV.

In a separate ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, Spc Aaron Davis was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in the same battle. View the short video here.

"To me, everybody in my unit was extraordinary soldiers, and we survived extraordinary combat situations, and we just went out and took care of business," said Davis. It was last July, in northeast Afghanistan, Davis' unit was ambushed in what turned out to be savage close quarter combat.

"We were surrounded by 200 something militant fighters," said Davis. "We took nine casualties, 27 wounded," said Davis. Davis saved the lives of three fellow soldiers, then while wounded himself, kept firing.

"I decided right there either I was walking off that battlefield, or they were putting me in a body bag," said Davis. "I couldn't leave my guys. I couldn't leave my boys." It earned him the purple heart, and the silver star. Davis says his bravery was inspired by his fellow soldiers.

"The people around me were made of stone," said Davis. "They weren't going to break." Davis was wounded twice in Afghanistan, suffering damage to his right eye. He's scheduled to be promoted to sergeant and will be stationed at fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

For Gallantry in Action

"It was some of the bravest stuff I’ve ever seen in my life, and I will never see it again because those guys... well, normal humans wouldn’t do that. You’re not supposed to do that — getting up and firing back when everything around you is popping and whizzing and trees, branches coming down and sandbags exploding and RPGs coming in over your head... "

- SPC Tyler Stafford



Yesterday, the family of Cpl Jon Ayers was presented his posthumous award of the Silver Star for his actions near Wanat, Afghanistan on 13 July 2008.

Bruce McQuain attended.

The auditorium was packed. The Patriot Guard lined the room. Old members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (from my era) were on hand. So were Cpl Ayer’s comrades. His mother had decreed (in a motherly way) that this ceremony not be a memorial service but, instead, a celebration of his life. And that’s precisely what it was. Speaker after speaker talked about Jonathan, his life prior to the Army, the fact that he was the commander of the JROTC unit at Shiloh High School and that the military seemed always to be in his future.

His former company commander, who will receive the Silver Star in a ceremony at Ft. Benning tomorrow, talked about the fact that had it not been for Jon Ayers, he wouldn’t have the honor of standing on that stage addressing Ayer’s family. His mother, Susan, talked about the son she’d lost but was so proud of the man he’d become. And his father brought the house down with a poignant yet humorous remembrance of his son. After the presentation of the Silver Star to the family, the family was the first to leave and then other relatives. When the soldiers who had served with Jon rose to walk out, the entire auditorium stood and applauded them.

16 Sky Soldiers from Chosen Company of the 1st of the 503 Airborne Infantry battalion lost their lives during their tour in Afghanistan. Over 60 of them were awarded Purple Hearts. 14 Silver Stars. One Distinguished Service Cross was awarded to a member of the company [SSG Erich Phillips]and one is pending. And one soldier from the company has been nominated for the Medal of Honor.

Update: Bruce's follow up story at Blackfive.

The strongest tribe

Robert Kaplan (author of Imperial Grunts and Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts, among many others) writes this line in a dispatch about Afghanistan in the Atlantic:

"The side that wins here will be the one that emerges in the eyes of the rural inhabitants as the strongest tribe... "

Sound familiar?

Also, straight reporting and analysis of the administration's newly-announced strategy for Afghanistan at The Long War Journal.

Amputee Pilot Completes Third Deployment

Maj. Alan Brown, 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, is a amputee C-130 pilot deployed from the 187th Air Lift Squadron, Wyoming Air National Guard, Cheyenne, Wyo. Major Brown had lost his leg in a hunting accident 10 years ago, before the accident had been flying for five years. It took Major Brown seven years to regain his flying qualifications but before he could get back into the cockpit, he had to do a testimonial flight to make sure he was not a liability. He is finishing up his third deployment since the accident. Photo by Senior Airman Erik Cardenas.

Before the hunting accident Major Brown had been flying for almost five years. It took another seven to get back in the saddle with the military.

"In my mind I need to be deployed with my buddies. We've been training and flying together for years. It's not an option to stay home while they're here taking on the mission," the major said. "Flying is in my blood. It's what I do. And besides, I believe in what we're doing in Afghanistan."

He admits flying is different with a prosthetic.

"As a pilot, using your feet is second nature," he said. "I just had to learn how to operate in a different way after the accident."
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The one thing the major is reluctant to talk about is how he's helped others in his situation. He takes every opportunity to encourage other amputees there is life after a lost limb.

"This isn't about me and what I've accomplished. I made a big mistake. There's no one to blame for this but me and I don't want to stand out," Major Brown said. "Being comfortable with my situation gives me a chance to answer questions other amputees may have on what they'll face."

On a recent trip to Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., he visited many veterans facing the future without a limb.

"I just wanted to answer any questions they had," he said. "Coming home and not knowing what the future holds can be overwhelming."

He emphasized how impressive it is that the military has taken a wider approach with amputees in light of the recent increase in those losing limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Leap into the great unknown

Six years ago the paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade dropped into Bashur, Iraq, opening a northern front in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Here's a video about that jump, beginning with almost 1000 Sky Soldiers lining up with their C-17s on the runway in Aviano, Italy.

The weather was bad at takeoff and the drop zone muddy after weeks of heavy storms.

And while the jump was good, the aircraft "jumped long", spreading the brigade out. As the sun rose, it revealed LGOPPs - "little groups of pissed-off paratroopers" - strung out along the impossibly muddy and almost 10,000-yard-long drop zone. LGOPPs form when paratroopers link up with whomever is near them, regardless of unit, and move as a group to the assembly points.

This well-known photo shows how they looked after the jump.

Eventually, over 2000 troops and equipment, including 5 M1A1 tanks, 5 Bradley fighting vehicles, 15 armored personnel carriers and 41 Humvees were airlifted to the field.

Last year I met a guy from the 173rd at Landstuhl here for a non combat-related medical condition. When he told me he was at the end of his second OEF deployment and had also done the drop into northern Iraq I was like, "OMFG! Let me give you a hug!!"

Greyhawk has much more on this stunning and historic moment with lots of photos and another video: Part 1, and Part 2.

Operation Enhanced Mobility

Capt. Jesse Stewart, commander of Troop C, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, carries a disabled Iraqi girl, March 23, in the Rusafa District of eastern Baghdad. The girl’s mother carried her daughter for two miles before almost collapsing near the wheelchair distribution site.

What a great story.

Iraqi Kids Receive New Wheelchairs: Iraqi National Police, U.S. Paratroopers Team Up for Delivery in Rusafa

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Eighty-two Iraqi kids found a new reason to smile, thanks to efforts from Iraqi national police officers and U.S. Paratroopers in the Rusafa district of Baghdad, March 23.

Dubbed Operation Enhanced Mobility, officers from 2nd NP Division and Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, presented the new wheelchairs to disabled children during a humanitarian effort in the northeast section of the city.

The wheelchairs, donated by Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, are adjustable and designed for growing children. Officials said that unlike low quality wheelchairs, which often do not fit a person correctly, these wheelchairs will adjust with the child’s growth thus allowing the chairs to be used for several years.

Brad Blauser, founder of Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, said individuals and organizations in the U.S. donated the funding that made the delivery of pediatric wheelchairs possible.

More than half of the wheelchairs donated during the day were funded by 10-year-old Ben Werdegar, of Woodside, Calif. Ben heard about the program online in February 2008 and decided he wanted to help the children of Iraq.

“Ben decided he would play his guitar and raise money for the Iraqi children on the streets of San Francisco,” said Blauser. “Since that time, Ben has played most weekends for more than 52 weeks, raising over $13,000 to help the children of Iraq. He deserves a huge amount of recognition for his commitment and dedication in helping disabled Iraqi kids.”

Blauser founded the organization in 2005 at the request of military officials in the city of Mosul after Soldiers observed children dragging themselves on the ground due to birth defects such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida and has since given away over 800 wheelchairs all over Iraq.

The wheelchairs, designed by ROC Wheels in Bozeman, Mont., are designed for rough terrain. Each wheelchair is valued at $3,500 and funded entirely through donations. The U.S. government ships the wheelchairs to Blauser overseas for free.

“This was an excellent opportunity to show the population how the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces are working together to provide for the people they represent and protect,” said Capt. Jesse Stewart, the commander for Troop C, 5th Battalion, 73rd Cavalry Regiment.

Blauser hopes he can start to manufacture the wheelchairs in Iraq in order to help more disabled children and help the local economy. Blauser said that making the chairs locally is important; shipping them from the U.S and getting them on the ground in Iraq can take around four to six months.

“I can only distribute a few hundred wheelchairs per year because of limited manufacturing capacity,” said the Dallas native. “This is why it's so important to get manufacturing going locally if I'm really going to make significant progress in Iraq in helping disabled kids get the wheelchairs they need.”

Blauser added his goal is to produce 50,000 wheelchairs over the next five years to give to needy children in the Baghdad area. The long-term goal is to have every disabled child in Iraq provided with a free pediatric wheelchair, regardless of their ability to pay.

The combined forces plan to donate additional wheelchairs to needy children in the weeks to come.

Compare this with the disgraceful lies and propaganda served up by the likes of CODEPINK.

Innovative brain therapies offer hope to injured troops

Some very encouraging news, seen in today's Dawn Patrol at the Mudville Gazette.

Innovative brain therapies offer hope to injured troops

by Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

3/24/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Innovative therapies that have assisted previously comatose patients regain consciousness may be incorporated on a greater scale to treat troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries, a brain injury expert said here March 23.

Dr. Philip A. DeFina, chief executive and scientific officer at the not-for-profit International Brain Research Foundation Inc., in Edison, N.J., said that, over the past four years, electronic brain stimulation, oxygen-induction, drugs and other therapies were used to bring 43 people, including five injured Soldiers, out of minimally-conscious or vegetative states.

Dr. DeFina, an Army veteran, is also the chief consultant for the brain injury program at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, a for-profit hospital in West Orange, N.J. He was one of several civilian and military guest speakers who attended the Reserve Officers Association-sponsored seminar here on mental health care.
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The prognosis for recovery for the five injured Soldiers was "close to zero," Dr. DeFina said, before they underwent the treatments at the Kessler institute.

"The brain heals," Dr. DeFina said, noting there are "different levels of improvement" among patients who'd formerly been minimally conscious and/or unresponsive.

After treatment, some people "wake up and some people can communicate," Dr. DeFina said. Other people, he said, may be able to perform simple tasks or return to work.

"So, we have different levels of the ability to recover," he said.

And, applying such innovative therapies to patients with mild to moderate forms of traumatic brain injury, he said, produces "dramatic results."

Congress has set aside about $6.4 million in Fiscal 2009 appropriations funding, Dr. DeFina said, so that the foundation can conduct continued research and development of the new therapies in cooperation with military health care organizations.

"We're in the process of accessing those funds," he said.

The foundation has developed close relationships with several Defense Department healthcare components, Dr. DeFina said, including the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, headed by Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree K. Sutton.

"Within the last year, we've had probably about 30 military doctors from the Army and Marines come visit Kessler to look at the program, including General Sutton," Dr. DeFina said. "We've briefed them, we've given them formal presentations on all the science, and then showed them the patients that are there.

We've previously reported on hyperbaric oxygen treatments being offered to vets with TBI and PTSD by Dr. Paul Harch, an LSU Health Sciences Center emergency medicine professor. See here for more information about the pilot study.

Many more resources and information about oxygen therapy can be found at my cyber friend Carlo Lingiardi's blog as well. Carlo suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident and has been collecting information on innovative treatments ever since.

Germans, Americans compare notes on PTSD programs

Reinhold Robbe, ombudsman of the German Parliament for the German army, right, talks with Capt. Monica Offenbacher-Looney, commander of the Medical Transient Detachment, during a recent visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Robbe was touring the hospital to see how U.S. doctors handle post-traumatic stress cases. The German military has seen a significant rise in PTSD cases in recent years. Photo and story: Marcus Klöckner/S&S

German Army PTSD cases on rise

The number of German army soldiers being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder has tripled in the past two years, echoing a rise in such cases among the ranks of U.S. soldiers.

While their numbers still pale in comparison to reported cases of PTSD in the U.S. military, 245 German soldiers were treated for the disorder last year, up from 83 soldiers in 2006, according to statistics recently released by the German Defense Ministry. Nearly 14,000 U.S. soldiers were treated for PTSD in 2007, the most recent figures available.

There are about 3,400 German army troops in Afghanistan, where most German PTSD cases originate, the Deutsche Welle news service reported on its Web site. About 62,000 Germans have been stationed in war zones in the past three years, but the German army, in general, has not gone through as many combat situations as the U.S. military. That is one of the reasons why there is such an increase of PTSD cases in the German army.

In light of the increase in cases among German soldiers, Reinhold Robbe — the ombudsman of the German parliament for the German army — toured Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to see how U.S. doctors are dealing with the disorder.

Robbe said he came away deeply impressed after his five-hour visit.

The U.S. military has more experience in treating soldiers with PTSD because America has been involved in several wars over the past decades, he said.

"The U.S. government provides financial aid to the soldiers the German army can only dream of," Robbe said. "But, we also have to consider that the U.S. society does have a different relation to the military and the soldiers than we in Germany because of our World War II history."

Robbe also has a personal connection to the disorder, he said.

His father suffered from PTSD when he returned home from World War II. He died because of the problems the disorder caused, he said.

"I have to confess that there are certainly emotions involved, and this is one of the reasons why I want to help the soldiers who are confronted with PTSD."

A German Soldier shared his experience, which began in Kosovo in 2004.

"I worked a 60-hour shift, and at the end, I was burned out completely," he said in a telephone interview. "I went to a M.A.S.H. unit to visit an Italian soldier who got hurt.

"I saw all these wounded policemen, soldiers, civilians, young children, women and men," he said. "Then I saw this old woman, I think she was 90 or so. Her face was covered with blood and you saw someone must have beaten her brutally. Our eyes met and there was this look in her eyes asking me: ‘Why have you not done anything (to help me)?’ "

It took about a month for the effect of that day to hit him, [former German Army Captain Andreas] Eckert said.

"I had loss of hearing within a very short period of time," he said. "The doctor asked me if I had gone through a trauma, and I told him about it. He sent me to psychiatry and PTSD was diagnosed."

That was in early 2005. That incident changed his life, he said. He suffered panic attacks and had trouble sleeping. Basically, his life was turned upside down, he said.

In addition to fighting the problems associated with the disorder, he also was faced with the fact that some people close to him didn’t understand what he was going through, he said.

"My wife supported me greatly. She informed herself about PTSD," Eckert said. "But my father, also a former soldier, thought I was pushing it too far.

"Often he’d say something like: ‘When will you get back to work again? Do you not think that it is enough?’ "

Today, more than three years later, Eckert said he feels a lot better. Nevertheless, the battle is still not won.