Medical heroics save lives in Mosul attackMosul, Iraq -- Many Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Marez here will forever remember Dec. 21 as the day an explosion ripped through the chow hall, interrupting their noon meal with a shower of shrapnel and thousands of tiny metal ball bearings. The American people will remember watching on television the most deadly attack on Multi-National Forces in Iraq since the war began. But the medical personnel at the 67th Combat Support Hospital here will remember the scene at the hospital as huge numbers of casualties arrived and the harrowing hours they spent tending to their injured comrades.Although the attack tragically took the lives of many Soldiers and civilians, the extent of the destruction could have been much worse. Were it not for the quick response of the Soldiers and medical professionals who began treatment immediately after the explosion, many more lives could have been lost.Immediately after the dust cleared from the explosion, Soldiers began to bandage and move the injured to the hospital. Using tables as stretchers and shirts as bandages, the Soldiers on scene instinctively performed the medical aid that every Soldier is trained to do in order to stabilize a casualty until medical personnel arrive. The attack was reported by radio to the Soldiers at the 67th CSH, who immediately began preparing for the arrival of the injured. An announcement went out over a speaker in the medical personnel living area, alerting those Soldiers on call. As they arrived at the hospital, the staff reported to their assigned areas, ready to put their skills to use.“I walked through the door and saw patients everywhere; some were bleeding, some gasping for air,” said Medic Spc. Victoria Castillo. It was a scene they had rehearsed many times before. They have trained constantly to handle a mass casualty scenario, and in the past 11 months, they have responded to several incidents requiring treatment of multiple injuries. Although the hospital has many well-trained specialists, the first moments after a tragedy like this are filled with everyone pitching in to help with basic life-saving procedures, such as stopping bleeding and patching wounds. Even the support personnel were active participants, as the unit’s mechanics, cooks and engineers carried litters and copied down vital information.“During a mass casualty situation, everyone drops their individual skills and becomes a medic, focusing on basic skills like making sure bleeding and breathing are controlled,” said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel White, assistant chief ward master.As the patients arrived by the dozens, medical personnel assessed and sorted the more serious injuries from the lesser ones. Then they began to stabilize and treat the injured. Nearly 90 patients consisting of Multi-National and Iraqi Forces were brought to the hospital for treatment.“When the patients arrived, they were evaluated by priority and sorted by how serious their injuries were. Surgical patients were identified and the worst were brought to the operating room,” said Maj. Simon Telian, a general surgeon at the 67th CSH.In a perfect example of organized chaos, the hospital came alive. X-ray technicians with portable equipment examined those with broken bones. A radiology specialist gave CT scans to those with abdominal and head wounds. The lab and pharmacy kept the patients supplied with blood and painkillers. Within the first eight hours, the medical staff had performed eight major surgeries and many more minor surgeries. The injured were stabilized and some were evacuated by helicopter to larger hospitals in Balad and Baghdad. Several would eventually continue on to a military hospital in Germany. During the evacuation and treatment of the injured, a barrage of mortar rounds hit the hospital. Even under those dangerous circumstances, the medical staff bravely moved the wounded to shelter and continued treatment. The hustle and bustle of the trauma center required the help of every staff member. For hours, the medical professionals hovered around the makeshift beds, stabilizing and comforting the injured Soldiers. “You just keep going non-stop without looking back,” Castillo said.Although some of the injured were civilians, the majority of the casualties were U.S. Soldiers. Treating fellow Soldiers can take an emotional toll on medical professionals.“It is more difficult to work with American Soldiers because you feel closer to them,” said 1st Lt. Sarah Kuehl, a registered nurse at the 67th CSH.For the medical Soldiers who deal with life and death situations, instinct takes over as they work. Their extensive training automatically kicks in, and they are focused completely on the person whose life is in danger. “Situations like that are overwhelming. You have no time to think, you just have to do your job,” Castillo said.Extensive training occurs to plan for various emergencies; however, there is always the unknown. Though Soldiers use common scenarios when they train, there are always factors that change when a real emergency arises. The more than 90 casualties treated by the 67th CSH is the largest number of casualties any hospital in theater has seen at one time during the Iraq war.“If someone had told me we would be faced with this kind of situation, I would have told you that it’s not possible,” White said. “But we worked hard, and we worked as a team to pull it off.”After every patient was treated and stabilized, the reality of the situation set in. Twenty-two people were dead and 40 were evacuated to larger hospitals. The scene in the hospital was the worst any of the medical personnel had seen in the last 11 months. “At the end, we got together as a group after we took a last look at the patients to make sure everyone was stable. Only then were we able to relax and talk about the experience,” Telian said.Thanks to the dedication and determination of the medical staff, many Soldiers’ lives were saved that day. The Army’s highly skilled medical professionals perform heroics every day and are essential to the success of the Multi-National Forces’ mission in Iraq.Release #0412024k