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Sergeants earn Soldiers Medals after Baghdad UN Bldg bombed
 October 14, 2004
Two Soldiers assigned to V Corps' 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion, received the Soldier’s Medal in a ceremony at KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq, Oct. 5.
Staff Sgt. Eric Hartman and Sgt. Douglas Holm received the medals for their actions Aug. 19, 2003, when they helped evacuate victims of the bombing of the United Nations building in Baghdad.
“If anyone epitomizes what Soldiers are supposed to be like, it’s these two NCOs right here,” said Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, V Corps deputy commanding general, during the ceremony at the Flyers Theater.
Both Soldiers readied their crews and arrived on the scene within minutes. Upon arrival, both began treating casualties and readying victims for transport and then were told of a victim trapped within the rubble inside the building.
“Noise, confusion, fear, terror and the smell of chaos is an environment no normal human being would go into, and we had two who led the way going into that building while it was falling apart,” Wojdakowski said during the ceremony.
“Somebody said there was a person trapped in rubble, and I spent the next three-and-a-half hours working on that,” said Hartman during an interview last September.
Both Hartman and Holm spent hours inside the collapsing building. With debris and concrete falling on and around them, the two continued digging to reach trapped victims.
“The sad thing is that it didn’t matter what we did. We couldn’t get to them,” said Holm.
The two later found out one of the victims they extracted was Sergio Vieira de Mello, the chief of the U.N. mission in Iraq. Although they were able to pull him out alive, he was later pronounced dead following his arrival to Landstuhl (Germany) Regional Medical Center.
“We would have done the same for anybody,” said Holm.
Soldier spends 20 months helping restore Iraqi services
October 6, 2004
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 Master Sgt. Bill McGuckin stands outside an Iraqi government building in Al Kut. McGuckin traveled to the city near Baghdad in September to assist repair damages caused by terrorist attacks.
Sgt. Fred Minnick |
Master Sgt. Bill McGuckin of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion leaves Mosul this month after working since March 2003 to restore Iraqi medical services, electric power and water services.
McGuckin’s qualifications as a medic led him to be deployed at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Little Rock, Ark. After 10 months in Iraq, he volunteered to extend his time in country to work with the 416th, the unit that replaced the 431st in Mosul.
After crossing into Iraq, McGuckin first worked with the Public Health Team to assess the region’s healthcare equipment and facilities. The unit stayed a month in Baghdad before continuing their journey to Mosul, the third largest city in Iraq.
McGuckin arrived in Mosul to find the city in disrepair, damaged from years of neglect and recent fighting to liberate the country. He was put in charge of the Public Works Team and faced the daunting task of restoring water and power to a city of almost 2 million people.
“Our main focus at the beginning was to immediately get the water and power back on and to get the people back to work,” he said.
McGuckin tackled a project to repair the Mosul Dam, a vital source of electricity for the local people. This project was the first of many projects McGuckin was involved with to assist the people of Ninevah Province.
Earlier this year, McGuckin was made the Detachment Sergeant for the 416th’s General Support Detachment. He worked behind the scenes to organize missions for the civil affairs Soldiers and process project proposals that would bring aid to the people of Ninevah.
“You can tell that he really cares about his Soldiers,” said Spc. Jeff Nantze, a Soldier with the General Support Detachment.
(Information provided by Spc. Blair Larson.)
PSYOP Soldier doubles as physical therapist
September 30, 2004
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 Capt. Brett Parish, 345th Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment, Dallas, Texas, checks a patients foot Sept. 12 in Iraq. Parish, a physical therapist in his civilian life, volunteers his time to help 10th Mountain Soldiers.
Pfc. Matthew McLaughlin |
When not creating better relations between multinational forces and the Iraqi community, Capt. Brett Parish of the Dallas-based 345th Tactical Psychological Operations Company volunteers his time and skills as a physical therapist for the 210th Forward Support Battalion in Baghdad.
Parish is a physical therapist in his civilian life. He is currently serving in Baghdad while his unit is attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Commandos), 10th Mountain Division.
Parish said he set aside his personal time to help the FSB because he wanted to work with Soldiers.
“I saw there was a need,” Parish said. “We have Soldiers working in extreme conditions who need a physical therapist. It also gives me a way to keep my skills up.”
“The longer Soldiers are on patrol, the more aches and pains they get,” he said. “Most people come in with back pain. The knees, ankles and shoulders are a close tie for second. I give them stretches end exercises. They usually hold the stretches for one minute, and I also give them exercises with rubber band resistance.”
Spc. Mariana Abrew, from the 210th FSB, said Parish’s advice has been beneficial to her and other Soldiers.
“I wish he was with us from the beginning,” Parish said. “He gave me exercises to do to make me stronger.”
(Editor’s note: Information provided by Pfc. Matthew McLaughlin of the 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs and the USASOC News Service.)
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