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| During a medical assistance mission, doctors noted the boy's condition and contacted a combat support hospital to determine if they could help. |
| By U.S. Army Sgt. Stephanie L. Carl 17th Public Affairs Detachment |
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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 14, 2005 Three-year-old Khan Mohammad clung to his uncle, Jan Mohammad, as he entered Bagram Airfield, overwhelmed by the unfamiliar people around him.
The two had just finished a six-hour drive from Ghazni province in central Afghanistan to the airfield, where Khan would undergo surgery. Khan was born with a severe cleft palate. With his lip and gums split in the middle up to his nostrils and teeth protruding from the gums, it was difficult for the boy to eat and breathe. Coalition doctors were hoping to change that. "We first met Khan during a (cooperative medical assistance)," said Lt. Col. John Loose, a member of the Task Force Victory Surgeon Cell. Noting Khan's discomfort and severe disfiguration, Loose contacted the 325th Combat Support Hospital at Bagram to see if they could help. In a matter of days, the surgery was scheduled. The first part of the surgery was preparation. Capt. Don Schondelmaier, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, administered a general anesthetic to help reduce his anxiety. While Schondelmaier and his assistants inserted a breathing tube into the boy's throat, the surgeons, Drs. (Cols.) Dallas Homas and John Caufield, prepared for surgery. Soon, they |
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were closely inspecting Khan's face, determining which parts of the lip would be cut and sutured, ensuring the folds of skin would match up to form the lip. "This part here is the line between the inner and outer lip," said Caufield as Homas marked an incision point. Working methodically, the two spent several hours in the operating room, ensuring Khan's lips would look as much like any other 3-year-old's. For the attending surgeons and assistants, this surgery reflected their favorite part of working in Operation Enduring Freedom - helping others. "To perform this surgery is very gratifying," said Caufield.
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