Medical Company peacekeeping, tells stories - Training - Kosovo operations - Brief Article

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo--Chasing terrorists was not what Spc. George Maradakis expected, when deployed for peacekeeping duties in Kosovo.

A medic with his Reserve unit and an ambulance attendant as a civilian, Maradakis found himself patrolling with three other soldiers from the 437th Medical Company along with active-duty troops after a terrorist grenade-throwing incident in a local town.

"We went on a raid through three houses," Maradakis said. "We didn't find the guys but we found a bayonet and the car that was used. The next day, U.S. soldiers and UN police captured the terrorists in a town called Vlasticka."

It was an exciting, unpredictable seven months for 22 members of the 437th, based in Moreno Valley, Calif. Whether patrolling, treating and transporting injured civilians, or helping mugged soldiers, all agreed it was an unforgettable experience that made them greatly appreciate the United States.

All volunteered for duty that lasted from September 2000 through April 2001. Five went to Camp Able Sentry in Macedonia and 17 deployed to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.

Staff Sgt. Kenneth Donovan, the NCO in charge, explained their predominant mission was helping out soldiers and civilians.

"It anyone was injured, we'd go out and get them," Donovan said. "Our rule was 'help them out with life, limb and eyesight'--yes, if someone had an eye injury we took them in" and haul them in ambulances to civilian or military hospitals.

In both areas the soldiers transferred more than 500 patients and traveled more than 28,000 miles.

Spc. Rolando Bayaca recalled his initial impression of Kosovo.

"When we first got there at Camp Bondsteel, a bunch of things happened in one day," he said. "In the local area there were three motor vehicle accidents, one gunshot wound, and one person who had passed out. We had to drive to the front gate. The car accident victims were just thrown in the back of the (local) ambulances.

"Another was just thrown in the back of a police car," he continued. "We had to give treatment for spinal injuries, head injuries and control the bleeding. For the spinal injuries we had to put on a C-collar and spinal board (holding them immobile)."

Bayaca noted that additional complications included the language barrier and that all the patients had to be searched.

A high point came when a bus bombing took place. It happened when a busload of Serbian mourners were headed to a gravesite in Kosovo. The bus passed by bomb that someone detonated remotely. Forty people were injured and eight killed, unit members said.

"The 313th Medical Unit called a 'mass-cal' (mass casualties are coming in)," recalled Donovan. "Helicopters were bringing them in. We offloaded them and triaged (sorted) them, and brought them into the emergency room."

Some did more. Spc. Jason Valles was on the trauma team and recalled cutting off the clothing of those who had shrapnel injuries. "I inserted a chest tube (to relieve pressure on the lungs) in one patient," he said.

The 437th soldiers who went to Macedonia worked in a troop medical clinic, treating U.S. soldiers who sometimes had mishaps out in the local economy.

It was not always safe out there for unwary soldiers, Spc. Jose Hernandez said. "There were incidents of soldiers going out and getting jumped. They'd need several stitches. One guy got hit with a pipe and had a broken eye socket. We would sometimes get a knock on the door of our barracks and they'd say 'We've got a patient for you.' I remember that one guy was on the track running and collapsed with chest pains. Once we ruled out a heart problem, we took him to Skopje to get an X-ray."

The Reservists worked with both active-duty soldiers and soldiers from other nations. Some patrolled with the 487th Combat Engineers, which was based out of Germany and deployed at Camp Monteith, Kosovo.

"We drove through towns with them (combat engineers) in vehicles and later on foot," recalled Spc. Cassandra Milligan. "We were involved in night patrols in Pasjane, Kosovo. We were trying to keep the peace."

Spc. Michael Wu noted that at first the active duty soldiers were skeptical.

"Their attitude was, "Oh, they're just Reservists.' But we earned their respect. We were relaxed, because we volunteered for this duty."

Valles said he sometimes taught medical skills to active-duty soldiers. "I taught them things like using an IV or a 'sked' (stretcher device to immobilize a patient)." he said.

The soldiers mixed with soldiers and civilians of many nationalities-- among them French, German, United Arab Emirates, Ukrainian, Russian, Norwegian, Greek and Italians.

"I recall that the Albanians and Serbians didn't trust the French,": said Valles. "But when we got there we just heard cheers."

Bayaca and Spc. Cassandra Milligan taught a platoon of 35 Polish soldiers how to use a sked and a "nine line"--a device for medical evacuation by helicopter.

"Language was a problem," Milligan said. "We'd talk to a doctor and he would translate."

Overall, the 437th soldiers valued their experiences greatly.

"I feel much more appreciative of what the U.S. has to offer," Maradakis said.

Spc. Andres Cisneros noted, "We went there to treat people. We successfully treated them and we helped them."

"And we saved lives," Bayaca said.

(Mr. Wagner is with the 63rd Regional Support Command Public Affairs Office, Los Alamitos, Calif.)

COPYRIGHT 2001 U.S. Army Reserve
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group