Thursday, May 01, 2008

Unsung Heroes In A Forgotten War

More than 90 percent of the MEDEVAC missions at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan are to help Afghanis -- both national army soldiers and civilians.

Casualties typically are flown in from surrounding areas to Bagram's full-service hospital, which can handle everything from gravely wounded soldiers to critically ill children.

Writes Phil Peterson in the intro to a photo slide show at Long War Journal:
"The medics are as efficient as they are compassionate. Despite tight quarters, the medics attend to their patients' medical needs while making their patients as comfortable as possible. When patients are stable, the medics are able to provide comforting measures, like a stuffed toy for an ailing child or a pat on the hand for a wounded soldier. Even after the mission is over, the flight crews frequently check on the status of their patients."
Unsung heroes indeed.

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