Violence in Iraq is down - just ask EMEDS

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman
  • 321st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq --  U.S. military commanders in Iraq are saying that violence in the country is at its lowest level since 2003. Airmen with the 321st Expeditionary Medical Squadron here echo that sentiment, saying they are more likely to see a patient for seasonal allergies than severed limbs.

The 321st EMEDS in Kirkuk is the primary surgical hospital for American forces in northern Iraq, which means the facility is equipped to handle severe trauma like gunshot wounds and mangled extremities from improvised explosive devices. Lately though, the staff is dealing with more routine care.

Tech. Sgt. Pricilla McLemore, 321st Expeditionary Medical Squadron emergency room non-commissioned officer in charge, has been at Kirkuk for nearly five months and said this deployment has been much slower than her last one. The Seguin, Texas, native said it's nice not to see as many injuries as she did when she was at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

"There we had local nationals, enemy combatants and mass (casualties) almost every day," said Sergeant McLemore, who is deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "The pace here is more routine, with things like sick call and immunizations. We get mass (casualties), but not nearly as often."

Senior Airman Stephen Leysath, 321st EMEDS aeromedical technician, is one of the first Airmen patients see when they arrive at the clinic. He's responsible for taking vital signs and gathering the specific details of why patients are there. Airman Leysath, also deployed from Eglin AFB, said the EMEDS clinic sees more civilians than he expected, and there hasn't been a single combat-related fatality since he arrived five months ago.

"We've had multiple mortar attacks, but as far as injuries go, we've been really lucky. In April there was a mortar attack, but only two people got hurt," said Airman Leysath, who is originally from Neptune, N.J.

321st EMEDS is well prepared for just about any injury its personnel may have to treat. There is a helicopter pad just outside to expedite the arrival of patients. The emergency room has four beds to handle trauma patients for several days, if needed.

Army medics and technicians work alongside Airmen as part of the 23-person staff here. There is an emergency room doctor, an anesthesiologist, an orthopedic surgeon and a general surgeon. The senior doctor on staff is an internal medicine specialist, and there is a flight doctor who accompanies patients if they need to be airlifted to a higher echelon of care.

Col. Nabil Habib, 321st EMEDS general surgeon, recently arrived in Iraq for his fourth deployment. Both he and his family feel it is a privilege for him to serve, no matter where the Air Force may send him. The Tampa, Fla., native said providing the best possible care for troops in the field holds the highest priority.

"The patients we see are getting the best care available, with all the specialties in the same spot. This is something you don't have back in the States," said Colonel Habib, who is deployed from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. "Another thing I like about deployments is you cut through all the red tape. You can admit a patient, do the lab work and go to surgery within 30 minutes. That would never happen in the States."

Like just about every other U.S. military organization in Iraq, the 321st EMEDS is preparing for changes in the coming months as the military postures for the scheduled transition at the end of the year.

Staff Sgt. Natasha Carter, 321st EMEDS medical logistics technician, is deployed from Ramstein AB, Germany. She said her main focus is ensuring the organization has the provisions it needs to operate at full capacity. However, she also focuses on identifying surplus medical supplies which won't be needed after transition of forces.

"As we've been preparing, I've been identifying a lot of stuff that needs to be disposed of," said Sergeant Carter, who is originally from Gordo, Ala. Those items include excess surgical supplies, expired medicine and more. Sergeant Carter said she plans to ship most of the supplies to other locations, but expired medicines are destroyed.

As with any deployment, most of the 321st EMEDS staff agreed that being away from their family is the hardest part. However, the staff has grown close to each other while serving in Iraq, especially when all of them carry a pager that can - and does - call them into work on a moment's notice.

"You build a lot of really close, personal friendships here," said Airman Leysath. "We're like one big family."