‘Wounded Warrior' Facility Helps Injured Marines Get Back to the Fight
(August 5, 2010) |
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| CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan
(MCN - 8/1/2010) — Lance Cpl.
Frank Martin had only been in Afghanistan a few days when a
60-pound improvised explosive device detonated while he and
his squad were on their first foot patrol in northern Marjah,
hurling him into the air.
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“It actually picked me up off my feet and I did a
one-eighty,” said Martin, infantryman with 2nd Battalion,
6th Marine Regiment, attached to the 1st Marine Division.
“When I hit the ground the first thing I thought was, ‘oh
crap, someone got hit.'
After the dust settled, Martin quickly realized he had been
hit – pieces of shrapnel were lodged in his legs, forearm
and neck. The two Marines behind him were more badly injured
by the blast, and they had to be flown back to the United
States for a higher level of medical treatment.Martin,
24, from Avon Lake, Ohio, considers himself lucky.
His shrapnel injuries were far less severe – only
flesh wounds – so he was stitched up at the military
hospital on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, and sent to
the newly-established “Wounded Warrior” facility
that aims to help service members with minor war |
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Lance Cpl. Frank Martin (right), 24, from Avon Lake, Ohio, has his stitches checked by corpsmen at the Combined Aid Station aboard Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, July 12,
2010. Martin, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on a foot patrol in northern Marjah. He received shrapnel wounds to his legs, forearm and neck. Since his anticipated recovery time was short, Martin was stitched up and sent to the newly-established Wounded Warrior facility at Camp Leatherneck to allow his wounds time to heal so he could return to his deployed unit within a couple weeks. |
| wounds heal and get
back to their deployed units. |
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Injured troops are only allowed to stay at the hospital on
Camp Bastion for a few days, due to limited bed space,
before they have to be flown elsewhere for long-term care,
such as Kandahar, Germany or the United States. But with the
new addition of the Wounded Warrior facility they can stay
at Leatherneck to receive additional outpatient care.
The Wounded Warrior facility here, which opened in April, is
run by corpsmen with 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward)
whose sole purpose is to monitor the injured service members
and ensure they get regular check-ups at the medical clinic
right down the road – a short 50-foot walk from their tents.
Adjacent to the medical clinic is the Combat Stress Center,
should troops need to see a counselor.
The facilities can accommodate up to 54 service members and
are made up of several large berthing tents and a lounge
area, complete with couches, books, games, snacks and a
large TV. The facility is similar to, but not affiliated
with, the two Wounded Warrior Battalions located at Camp
Pendleton, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., which assist
injured Marines and sailors throughout their phases of
recovery.
Of the nearly 250 injured service members who have passed
through Wounded Warrior, more than 80 percent of them have
returned to their units, according to Petty Officer 2nd
Class James Jenkins, a corpsman with 1st MLG (FWD) who helps
run the Wounded Warrior facility.
“I make sure they're getting better, getting everything they
need, and getting them back to their units so they can do
what they do best,” said Jenkins, 28, from Lees Summit,
Miss.
Time to heal
At 9 a.m. every morning, the injured Marines make their way
from their tents to the lounge where Jenkins does roll call
and confirms medical appointments.
“You have your appointment this Thursday, correct, sir?”
Jenkins asks a Marine lieutenant whose left foot was grazed
by gunfire. Jenkins takes note of his appointment in his log
book.
The corpsmen serve as liaisons between the Marines and their
care providers, tracking their appointments and treatment
progress. The most common injuries they see are concussions
from IED blasts and gunshot wounds, but they also house
Marines with non-combat related injuries like appendicitis
or ankle sprains. If a Marine's injuries are too severe,
however, they are sent to a higher level of care outside of
Camp Leatherneck.
After morning roll call, the Marines go about their day,
taking it easy, watching TV and attending medical
appointments as needed.
Martin makes the short walk from the Wounded Warrior lounge
to the Combined Aid Station (CAS) every three days to have
his stitches looked at. One by one, he peels away the
bandages that cover each of his six stitches; he winces in
pain and half-jokingly says, ‘It's worse pulling off the
Band-aids than when I got hit.'
The doc takes a look at his wounds and determines they are
healing nicely, but advises him to keep them clean and hands
him a pack of fresh bandages meant to last until his next
visit. After the 15-minute appointment, Martin makes the
short walk back to the Wounded Warrior lounge and plops down
on the couch next to the others.
Temporarily removed from their units and the mission, the
facility offers the service members a chance to heal in a
relaxed setting while being surrounded by other wounded
Marines from other forward operating bases in Helmand
province.
“At least when you're over here you still feel like you're a
part of something,” said Martin. “You're with other guys and
you can talk about what happened.”
Martin will be with Wounded Warrior until his stitches are
removed and he's given the green light to return to full
duty. He looks forward to getting back out on more patrols
with his Marines in 2/6.
“We got out here not too long ago, so I'm excited to get
back to them,” he said.
‘Hope they never return'
Depending on the severity of their injuries, service members
can stay anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
“My favorite part is getting to know a lot of the guys down
here,” said Jenkins. “Spending a lot of time with them every
single day, you do make a lot of good friends.”
About two weeks after his arrival, Martin's stitches were
removed and the docs gave him the OK to return to full duty.
He packed up his few belongings and returned to 2/6 in
Marjah, July 28.
For the corpsmen, watching their new friends leave Wounded
Warrior is bittersweet.
“It's hard to see them go,” said Jenkins, “but it's actually
good because some guys get better treatment, and a lot of
guys go back to their unit. But you just hope they never
return.” |
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B-roll of Petty Officer 2nd
Class James Jenkins, a corpsman who helps run the
Wounded Warrior facility on Camp Leatherneck,
Afghanistan helping monitor and track outpatient
care for wounded Marines.
The facility and its corpsmen help injured Marines
with minor war wounds heal and get back to duty.
Scenes include Jenkins tracking appointments for the
Marines, wounded Marines watching television in the
lounge and Jenkins accompanying a wounded Marine to
a medical appointment.
Of the more than 250 injured Marines who have passed
through Wounded Warrior, 80 percent of them have
returned to their units. |
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Article, photo, and video by SSgt. Jennifer
Brofer
1st Marine Logistics Group (FWD)
Copyright 2010
Reprinted from
Marine
Corps News
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