Troops treat villagers near Iraqi post

Troops treat villagers near Iraqi post

By Capt. Catherine Wilkinson

Army Spc. Elizabeth Jarry, a dental hygienist at Balad Air Base, Iraq, shows villagers of all ages how to brush their teeth during a recent Medical Civic Action Project at a small village in Balad.

Staff Sergeant David Gillespie

BALAD, Iraq (Army News Service, May 13, 2004) – Civil affairs and medical personnel from Logistics Support Area Anaconda provided medical assistance to more than 130 residents of a nearby village May 12.

Soldiers and airmen combined forces to provide basic medical care for Bakra Village residents during a Medical Civil Action Project mission. A wide variety of medical professionals including doctors, optometrists, dentists, physical therapists and physician’s assistants treated patients during the MEDCAP mission.

Residents began lining up for medical care as soon as the military convoy entered the village. Medics led them into a waiting area to be triaged and directed to the appropriate care provider.

The doctors provided basic medical care, evaluated individual health problems and distributed over-the-counter medicines to assist the villagers. Interpreters played a vital role during the mission, translating patient issues and the doctors’ advice into both Arabic and English.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” said Tech. Sgt. Paula Edwards, a medical technician with the Air Force’s Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, about the growing crowd that showed up to be seen by the doctors. “They just keep coming.”

Most of the patients Edwards assisted needed routine medical care for ailments ranging from high blood pressure to arthritis and ear infections.

“I am surprised at how welcomed we are,” said Air Force Maj. Kristina Miller, an administrator with the CASF. “The children really seem to love us and the patients are very gracious.”

Spc. Elizabeth Jarry, a dental technician from the 118th Area Support Medical Battalion, taught more than 100 people proper oral hygiene techniques. “Preventative measures are very important. It’s never too late to start,” she said. Most of the patients Jarry saw were children under 10.

“I wish I could understand them so I could speak back to them,” she added. Jarry relied on hand gestures and demonstrations to teach people how to properly floss and brush their teeth. Her station was so popular that she ran out of the toothbrushes she was handing out.

While patients were being assisted inside the building, soldiers from the 13th Corps Support Command, the 29th Signal Battalion and the 81st Brigade Combat Team provided site security outside. Young children asking them questions in broken English soon swarmed these soldiers. “What is your name” and “give me chocolate” were heard frequently as the soldiers interacted with the children outside.

“Every chance I get I try to volunteer for security. I take a different group of soldiers with me every time so we can get out and see what’s really going on around here,” said Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Bilon, a platoon sergeant with Company C, 29th Signal Battalion.

“It’s nice to get out and help the community and see that these people are friendly to us.”

“It’s interesting to interact with the people and see how attitudes change and the good that’s done,” said Col. Nicholas Zoeller, the 13th Corps Support Command Assistant Chief of Staff (G5), describing the good will created by civil affairs MEDCAP missions.

This MEDCAP mission is one way that the Coalition Forces are improving the quality of life for the Iraqi people so that when the coalition leaves Iraq, the citizens will have a higher standard of living, Zoeller said.

“We are making steady uphill progress in improving quality of life in Iraq,” he added. To further that progress, Zoeller said he and his 13th COSCOM G5 staff plan to conduct more MEDCAP missions in the future.

“I’d love to come here every week,” Jarry said. “I feel like I’m actually doing something to help the country.”

(Editor’s note: Capt. Catherine Wilkinson is with the 28th Public Affairs Detachment.)

Balad, Iraq – Civil affairs and medical personnel from Logistics Support Area Anaconda provided medical assistance to more than 130 residents of a nearby village May 12.

It’s a little overwhelming,” said Tech. Sgt. Paula Edwards, a medical technician with the Air Force’s Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, about the growing crowd that showed up to be seen by the doctors. “They just keep coming.”

“I am surprised at how welcomed we are,” said Air Force Maj. Kristina Miller, an administrator with the CASF. “The children really seem to love us and the patients are very gracious.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Y ~~~~

View High-Resolution

Air Force Col. John Cinco, 332nd Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility flight surgeon at Balad Air Base, Iraq, checks an infant Iraqi girl's breathing during a recent Medical Civic Action Project, or MEDCAP

478th Civil Affairs Battalion Targets Oral Health
By Spc. Jan Critchfield, 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The 478th Civil Affairs Battalion, a reserve unit from Miami, provided oral hygiene products 25 students of Al-Uruba kindergarten in Baghdad's Karkh district and taught them the correct way to brush their teeth May 10.

While performing routine missions in Karkh, Sgt. Jose Villafana noticed some local children clearly did not have access to even the most basic oral care.

Feeling something could be done, Villafana coordinated for supplies to be sent from the United States and made contact with a local school headmistress, who was very interested in the project.

"We provided them with toothbrushes and toothpaste, and a program that we're going to implement in the school where they brush their teeth after school with the teacher's help to try and start them on the right hygiene now," said Capt. Matt Pedersen, leader of Team A of the 478th CA.

"I am happy and the kids are happy," said Nadira Tawfilq, headmistress of Al-Uruba kindergarten and candidate for the Women's League of Iraq. "First, [The Coalition] is helping us and providing us with many things. Second, you are also protecting us right now."

"Anything [the Coalition] can supply me or instruct to help the kids would be good," she added. "We consider [the Coalition] our friends because you are protecting this area and since the fall of Saddam you have been working to make Iraq better."

The toothbrushes and toothpaste will be stored at the school, and after snack time the teachers will help the students brush their teeth, similar to a program at the kindergarten that one of Pedersen's children attends in Orlando, Fla.

"I have a kindergarten-age child [who does] the exact same thing," Pedersen said.

Stating the importance of the project, Pedersen said, "It's building a foundation of trust; it's establishing credibility between the Coalition and the Iraqi people. Instead of bearing empty promises, we show up, we offer them something, and we follow through with it.

"Plus, it's reaching out to the younger generation of children, children who weren't exposed to the Saddam media machine, which was very anti-American," Pedersen added. "We're laying down a good, friendly foundation with these children [that] will hopefully stay with them for the rest of their lives."

With only a small fraction of children attending schools, the 478th CA is only skimming the top of a very deep project.

"The children who don't go to school will be a harder project for us," Pedersen said. "We're going to try and help the school children first, and then as we identify areas where we can find concentrations of children, we'll do similar programs there. Our whole function here is simply to help people."

http://www.cjtf7.com/media-information/May%202004/040513l.htm

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.