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| VMOP team enters village - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
CPT T has provided us with an incredible view "outside the wire" with these photos from a Village Medical Operation (VMOP). VMOPs are performed throughout Afghanistan by many (if not all) of the brigade combat teams as well as the provincial reconstruction teams and civil affairs teams.
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| Villagers meet VMOP team - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
When I first arrived in Afghanistan, I was a bit dissapointed to find out that I would not be allowed to go out and provide medical care for the civilian populace. I questioned if we were
truly "engaged" with the people of Afghanistan as it related to helping them wherever and whenever we could. Since that post I have learned just how much we do help. It simply wasn't part of my mission (the Army frowns on putting their surgeons at greater risk than necessary). So, I stayed on the FOB for my nearly 6 months in Afghanistan... and then left in one piece :).
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| VMOP team entering village - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
But, in fact, we are engaged. CPT T and others have provided countless numbers of Afghanistan civilians with basic medical care on numerous occasions at personal risk to themselves. VMOPs can be dangerous missions.
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| Greetings by villagers - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
VMOPs require intense planning just like any other military operation. The command meets with the village leaders. They establish a relationship. They come to an agreement on timing of the medical operation. The command coordinates with other teams such as the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police as well as any other entities involved. Supplies, medical personal, security, helicopters, etc. all need to be put together in a package to be delivered on time, safely.
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| Preparing for medical clinic - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
This particular VMOP was in a village that was a bit more sophisticated, with more resources, than most villages that CPT T has visited. You can see electrical (or communication) wiring in the photo above. This is a sign of a village that is a bit more modern than most. The villagers were very friendly and provided a warm welcome to the team. The children wanted to get their pictures taken with the soldiers. Like any child, they marveled at seeing their image on the back screen of CPT T's digital camera.
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| Security watch - Logar Province, Afghanstan |
Despite the warm, friendly welcome of the village, security is still paramount. You just don't know if bad guys from the outside are planning to crash the party. I know of at least 2 separate occasions where the soldiers on VMOPs came under small arms fire (no injuries were sustained).
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| Village - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
But on this day, the view was beautiful and the operation went on unmolested. Like America of old, Afghanistan is an immensely rural nation. Despite the otherwise inhospitable desert and mountainous terrain, farming is accomplished by bringing water in through underground ancient irrigation systems called a
karez.
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| Medical Relief Supplies - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
Remember, all the medical supplies come in on the backs of soldiers and they need to bring enough to ensure that they don't run out.
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| Interpreter with village woman - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
Another aspect of seeing patients is that you need to be able to communicate with them. The team has at least one interpreter with them on the mission.
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| VMOP team members seeing women patients - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
Another key aspect of these missions is that you need female medics and doctors. I think its well known that the women of a village cannot be seen by a male physician. The women simply will go without care if there is not a female medical person to see them.
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| Village boy - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
The children, both male and female, stay with the mothers. They typically suffer from simple illnesses, such as colds and other viral infections. They also commonly have diarrhea from intestinal worm disease.
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| Village mother and child - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
The mothers are young. This is common. They will have anywhere from 5 to 8 children or more. Again, this would be common in any developing nation. And like most mothers, they love to dress their children up in anything cute.
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| Village mother and child - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
Eyeliner on young children (usually less than 3 years old) was another common practice. I was told this was to ward off evil spirits. I've also been told that it has some medicinal properties, in that it somehow provides some antimicrobial action. Maybe the eyeliner contains iodine. If so, it would provide some action against bacterial infection. I never got a definitive answer on this subject.
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| VMOP team leaving village - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
At some point, the operation must end. The team will see anywhere from 50 to 150 patients during these missions. They administer simple treatments, such as Tylenol, Aspirin, antidiarrheals and antibiotics. But that's a lot for a village that has no physician and no access to medicines.
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| VMOP team member with village friends, awaiting helicopter pickup - Logar Province, Afghanistan |
As the day winds down, the team moves out to the designated helicopter landing zone (HLZ). They set up security and wait for the helicopters to arrive. This was a particularly good mission. The villagers were genuinely thankful for the medical care that the team provided. A constant drumbeat of missions such as these is the only way our message of peace will ever be heard. And its all thanks to the hard work and personal sacrifice made by our troops.
