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Civil Affairs Medic teaches Lifesaving Skills to Iraqi Police

By Major Bruce D. Hutchison

On a day in late November, Charlie Company's medic leaned over a prostrate Iraqi Policeman, applying direct pressure and a bandage to an Iraqi Policeman's abdomen. A moment later, the medic was at the side of another Iraqi, quickly and carefully wrapping a tourniquet around the man's leg. A third policeman received a tourniquet on his arm and a bandage to his head. On this day, Staff Sgt. Jason Chang applied more than 20 tourniquets and bandages to six Iraqi Policemen, without the loss of a single drop of blood.

Bloodless, because Chang, medic and health care specialist for Company C, 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion, was teaching the first of several special life saving courses to a half dozen Iraqi Police serving in Kirkuk. The courses, organized by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Kirkuk, are in addition to Chang's everyday work as medic with his Civil Affairs unit.

Working on this day with an Iraqi interpreter, Chang quickly established a personal rapport with his students. Their eagerness to learn "let me come out of my shell, and start joking around with them," The shared humor, he added, "provided a relaxed atmosphere conducive to learning and understanding."

"I was providing them with the type of training they would need in an emergency situation," Chang said. After watching several demonstrations, Charlie Company's medic passed out tourniquets and bandages and let the policemen learn by doing. "They seemed eager to learn, and went above and beyond my expectations." Since tourniquets and bandages aren't always available in an emergency, SSG Chang demonstrated how to use whatever tools are at hand, such as a simple belt for a tourniquet.

As the session progressed, Chang watched his six students apply tourniquets and bandages to each other. Pleased with their success, Chang said Iraqi Police forces could one day save the lives of Coalition Force soldiers: "I figure since we'll be working hand in hand with them, (Coalition Forces) have a better chance of survival if (the Iraqi Police) are trained to the same level as we are."

Chang is an Army Reserve Non-commissioned Officer who manages a supermarket in Coral Springs, Fla. in his civilian career.