Step by Step, Soldiers Make a Difference

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Soldier’s hand delicately cradled the child’s leg as the other skilfully cleaned the red swollen blisters that covered her tiny feet. His brow furrowed at each cry, yet his hands steadily continued their delicate work. 

        The Soldier, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dominic Ayer, of Barre, Vt., is a medic with Company A, 3^rd Battalion, 172^nd Infantry Regiment. Ayer and the medical team at Combat Outpost Hererra were part of the team treating a child whose feet were badly burned after stepping on hot coals. 

Her father brought her in from a village outside the outpost.

 “When she first came to us, she didn’t even have bandages on her feet,” Ayer said “The wounds were just open to the air. She had third degree burns on one foot and second degree burns on the other. It could have resulted in the loss of her feet.”  

Since the Soldiers began treating the one-year-old girl two weeks ago, they have seen vast improvements in her condition which would not have been possible without the medical attention they provided.  

Before coming to the gate of COP Hererra, her father had taken her to three different clinics, but she was denied treatment because they did not have any money and because the clinics were ill equipped, the man told Ayer.  

The man knew the Soldiers were the only hope for his daughter’s recovery. 

 “In the U.S. this girl would have had skin grafts. But obviously here we don’t have the technology to do that,” said Ayer referring to that fact that they are at a remote Combat Outpost. 

 However, with their expertise and the supplies they do have, the Soldiers have still been able to provide successful treatment. 

They have been cleaning, bandaging, and applying burn cream to the wounds to help them heal. Although this treatment is slower, it is still effective and they expect her to make a full recovery, Ayer said. 

 “We’ve seen a dramatic change in her injuries. We’ve been taking our time and she has been doing very well,” said U.S. Army Capt. Norman Dupuis of Morrisville, Vt., the Physician’s Assistant at the clinic. “It’s pretty safe to say that she is probably over the hump. She is so young that she will be able to regenerate all that skin.”  

They have treated her about five times since her injury, but unfortunately, her father is only able to bring her periodically because he fears retaliation from insurgents, he said through a translator.  

“We know that the village they are from has a lot of insurgents from Pakistan,” said Ayer. “It is definitely frustrating because we’ve started care and we need to continue it,” he added.  

Her father, like many other residents in the local villages was extremely wary of asking the Soldiers for help.  

“Several people say that they heard we are infidels. But then (after being treated at the clinic) they say that their family wouldn’t even help them as much as we did,” said Dupuis.  

During their time at Hererra, the Soldiers have treated nine major trauma cases, of which they were able to save all but three patients’ lives. In addition, they also see “their regulars,” like the girl with burned feet, and some with less serious injuries who they continue to treat. 

“We’ve had some decent victories. Once they come here they see that we’re not infidels. We’re good people and we’re here to do whatever we can to help,” Dupuis. 

The father of the little girl was a first hand witness to this as he saw the diligence and compassion with which the Soldiers treated his daughter. 

As the Soldiers worked, the girl’s father watched them intently as he held her in a gentle embrace, kissing her forehead as she whimpered at the more painful parts of the treatment. When the Soldiers were done, he spoke to them through a translator thanking them profusely for their help and promised to return the next day for treatment. 

        “We’re here to do our job and support our Soldiers, but it is nice to know that we’ve made an impact here,” said Dupuis.