(ABC News) Exclusive: Wounded U.S. Soldiers Refused to Leave Taliban Fight

Source: ABC News

Afghan Attacks: Darkness, Smoke Forced Medevac Doctors to Work by Touch
By KAREN RUSSO


KAMDESH, Afghanistan Oct. 5, 2009—

ABC News' Karen Russo was the only reporter to get to the scene of this weekend's bloody firefight between U.S. troops and hundreds of Taliban insurgents when she went in on a MEDEVAC helicopter. Here is her report:

Flying into the besieged Afghan base during a nighttime firefight this weekend is a harrowing mix of overwhelming noise, stomach dropping maneuvers and shadows hurrying through the gloom.

When the chopper lifted off moments later with three wounded soldiers, it left behind others who were wounded but refused to be MEDEVACED out of the combat zone so they could return to fight with their buddies.

As fighting at two U.S. outposts raged on the ground this weekend, the MEDEVAC team at a nearby base waited - with both patience and frustration.

...

One of the pilots said that even though he had night vision goggles and ordinarily he can see in that sort of situation, because the fighting was intense there was so much smoke it was actually fogged over and it was difficult for him to see. Fortunately he could make out the landing zone, but it was touch and go.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wounded-us-soldiers-refused-leave-taliban-fight/story?id=8754347

sounds like a death wish.

"Apache helicopter gunships escorted us as we neared the combat zone to ensure our safety as we hovered at 10,000 feet awaiting word to descend. When word came, we plummeted in a corkscrew manner, making the descent in a matter of seconds, landing in a valley at the bottom of steep mountains. It felt very vulnerable to attack."

We almost always traveled at treetop level. If we were to rise above a hundred feet we would become a target. The higher we got the more of a target we became. We never ever ever got to ten thousand feet or we would have been shot out of the air quicker than we could close our doors from the cold..

I know of several who were wounded and demanded to remain "in the fight"

This one soldier, a medic at that, got ripped up with shrapnel and kept treating her fellow soldiers (refused to be treated or moved out). She couldn't understand where all the blood was coming from and she couldn't understand why everywhere she moved the blood followed her...and she helped several soldiers...until she passed out. Adrenaline...she didn't grasp the seriousness of her injuries.

She's alive...still has shrapnel in her body.

It's a lost cause.

:eyes:

...the idea that you left the area where a buddy is killed? Don't hold your breath. I'd rather take the risk to assist my squad then leave via airevac.

who won't abandon their fellows. It's a useless war, but that doesn't taint the individual bravery of those fighting it.

particularly when they are under fire.

It is called gallantry in combat. It is common among grunts in any army in any war.

Tommies, Jerries, Yanks, Romans, Greeks and Trojans. It's as old as the human race.

are losing their lives for nothing.

We owe these troops to provide them with the reinforcements and resources to carry out their mission, OR we must take them out of harm's way.