A U.S. Air Force Security Forces member takes a knee to observe what is happening during an attack on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Insurgents attacked Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan with small arms fire, grenades, and rocket propelled grenades on May 19.

Military officials provided more details May 21 on the May 19 attack here that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded several service members.

Sixteen insurgents were killed and five were detained after an estimated 30 to 40 militants launched an attack on the airfield’s outer perimeter during the early morning hours. During the attack, coalition forces and Afghan police responded immediately, maintaining security on the airfield and blocking the insurgents’ ability to completely breach the base’s perimeter, officials said.

Meanwhile, Army helicopters providing aerial security during the attack engaged multiple insurgents outside the airfield.

Coalition forces killed four intended suicide bombers dressed in U.S. military-style uniforms before they could detonate themselves. An enemy mortar pit set up outside the perimeter was destroyed.

Following the attack, Afghan police and coalition forces detained five suspected militants after performing a presence-and-security patrol in a nearby village.

Three of the wounded service members were returned to duty, officials said, while all others were in stable condition. The name of the contractor killed in the attack is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

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Air Force Master Sgt. Jan Fink holds a young avalanche survivor who was medically evacuated to Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 9, 2010. Dozens of Afghans were taken to Bagram Airfield after avalanches struck a mountain pass in Parwan province. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross)

Coalition forces, volunteers and Afghan doctors are working to render medical care and assistance in the wake of a series of avalanches that struck a high pass in Afghanistan’s Parwan province Feb. 8 and 9.

The avalanches reportedly killed or injured hundreds of Afghan travelers and have cut off a major route between Kabul and northern Afghanistan.

Afghan doctors and coalition members of Task Force Medical East, 82nd Airborne, 30th Medical Command and the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group, along with volunteers from here, are aiding the survivors.

The initial call was received by the Task Force Medical East Tactical Operations Center at 3:28 a.m., notifying staff members of the avalanche. At the time, about 150 people were trapped with helicopter evacuation as the only means of exit, said Army 1st Sgt. Brian Fassler, from the task force.

By 12:50 p.m., 60 to 70 patients were inbound to the airfield here.

The hospital staff began to prepare for a possible mass casualty situation. Within 45 minutes, Craig Joint Theater Hospital here went from a 41-bed facility to a more than 100-bed facility, equipped and ready to receive patients.

Hospital staff members prepared for surge operations that required a quick reaction force to implement proper security measures for the hospital and to prepare additional assistance areas for a mass influx of patients, said Air Force Capt. James McDaniel, medical readiness officer for the 455th Expeditionary Medical Group and Task Force Medical.

Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne and 30th Medical Command set up a triage unit at the airfield’s passenger terminal to assess care needs and to ensure the hospital wasn’t flooded with a large number of minimal-care patients.

Once initial assessments were made, those needing hospital care were loaded onto busses and transported to the hospital, Fassler said. Remaining patients were transported to an area where they received further assistance from coalition staff members.

With a battlefield injury, the patient normally comes directly from the field to the medical facility, Fassler said.

“We perform various battle drills that prepare us for these types of situations,” he said. “This is unique because we are receiving patients from an event that happened seven hours ago and they will be clinically cold and some have varying phases of hypothermia and frostbite so this is a complete non-battlefield-related injury situation.”

The highly trained staff at the medical facility is prepared to receive as many patients as are sent, Fassler said, but the real challenge is transporting the patients from a remote location with avalanche-covered roads and no clear places to land helicopters.

In addition to the Craig Hospital staff, medical and nonmedical volunteers flooded the area to assist with patient care, litter carry, security and a host of other duties.

A group of Afghan medical professionals also were vital in assisting the injured, McDaniel noted.

Local Afghan doctors with varying backgrounds, from internal medicine to an orthopedic surgeon, had been participating in a trauma mentorship program at the hospital and stepped in to provide care to many of the patients.

“This experience is important so they can see how we prepare for medical emergencies of this magnitude,” McDaniel said.

The Afghan medical professionals also were valuable as interpreters and cultural liaisons to the patients, he noted.

“For some of the patients coming from remote areas of Afghanistan, this may be their first and only interaction with coalition forces,” the captain said. “The importance lies in the fact that we are professional and sensitive to their cultural needs. The assistance we receive from the Afghans helps to convey the respect and professionalism these people need and deserve.”

The response truly was a team effort, Fassler said.

“We have had doctors and medics from all over the post coming to assist, and that is important because this was a Bagram Airfield-wide emergency, not just a Craig Joint Hospital issue,” he said.

Army Lt. Col. Joe Marsiglia, tactical operations director for Task Force Medical East, said he was impressed with the response.

“I was amazed with the amount of assistance received from all of the units here, not just the medical personnel assigned to the hospital,” he said. “When the call went out, we had volunteers from everywhere and were having to redirect assistance.”

No matter how much preparation goes into a training scenario, Marsiglia said, nothing prepares peoples for such large-scale situations. The response and support from all coalition agencies was top notch, he said.

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By Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard Williams
Special to American Forces Press Service

Cpl. Murray Kinnell, New Zealand Army, holds up “#1″ as Minnesota Viking cheerleaders Amanda and Sarah cheer him on. Kinnell competed, and was unanimously voted best, in a “touchdown dance” competition during the Viking cheerleaders’ tour at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 19. (U.S. Army photo/Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace)

Minnesota Viking cheerleader Bailey performs a dance routine during the Viking cheerleaders’ tour at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, May 19. Bailey and four other cheerleaders visited BAF with a promise to give their all and to help pump up the spirits of deployed service members. (U.S. Army photo/Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace)

Cheers Hit Heart of Bagram

Historically speaking, what do Vikings and Afghanistan have in common?

Not much … but all that changed today, when five weapon-bearing Vikings landed their ‘long ship’ here. They did not bear the 8th century axes and swords that one would imagine. Instead, they clutched pom-poms, microphones and enough spirit to pump up the standing-room-only crowd of service members who came to bare witness.

The event started with songs, dancing and cheers; efforts to vitalize the troops spirits, said Viking cheerleader Ms. Payton.

“We are all very glad to be here and we are going to put on a great show,” said Payton, as she warmed up prior to the event. “This is our last show in Afghanistan and we want to make this a night the troops will remember.”

With a promise to give the night their all, the cheerleaders went backstage and the event coordinators began letting in the men and women who were anxiously waiting outside.

First through the door was Senior Airman Oscar Bruck, 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron phase crew chief.

“I’ve been waiting here since 6:20 (p.m.),” said Bruck, a Marlett, Mich., native deployed from Royal Air Force Lakenheith, England.

The event did not start until 8 p.m., but waiting nearly two hours didn’t bother Bruck, who said, “I wanted a front-row seat to make sure I got good photos.”

Good photos were not all Bruck received. He also got picked to come onstage and meet the Minnesota Viking cheerleaders and challenge 19 other service members to a push-up contest.

Bruck did not win the contest as his skills were no match for rival Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Gilbert Corpuz, who knocked out 103 regulation push-ups in a minute. For his victory, Corpuz was rewarded with a Vikings calendar, autographed by all the cheerleaders.

After the pushup contest was finished, the cheerleaders performed another routine, then they picked 10 service members to join them on stage for a game of ‘Cheerleader Says,’ modelled after the classic children’s game Simon Says.

Once again, the stage was speckled with an array of U.S. uniforms. As a colorful addition, one Polish soldier also joined the ranks.

The Polish and two U.S. Soldiers were eliminated in the first round. Two Airmen and two more Soldiers fell in the second round.

Four rounds later, a tie was called as Sergeant 1st Class Timothy Winger, 70th Engineer Company, and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Billy Grant refused to be outsmarted.

A fair mix of rivalry and camaraderie added to the evening’s excitement, said one Coalition NCO.

“I like American Football – it is tough, yet fun. This is like the feeling of the people here – keyed up and still having fun,” said Sgt. Domera Phelippon, French Army.

Though football is not his favorite sport, Phelippon does like to watch it, he said.

“I know the Minnesota Vikings because I saw them on T.V.,” explained Phelippon. “Still, I didn’t imagine the cheerleaders would be this pretty. I am glad I came.”

What Phelippon may or may not have known was that the cheerleaders were equally as pleased to meet him and the other men and women in attendance.

“My favorite part of the tour is meeting so many people from so many places and hearing all their different stories,” said Payton, whose brother currently serves as a hull technician aboard the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Other cheerleaders also had military ties.

One fellow cheerleader, Amanda, said her father retired from the Air Force.

The team’s captain, Sarah, said she did not have immediate family in the military but she has spent a great deal of time with service members lately.

Sarah volunteered for a similar tour in Iraq in February, during the Super Sunday Tour. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to travel to military bases through the Vikings, she said.

With the devotion the cheerleaders expressed for the attending service members, it was no wonder a line of men and women stretched around the Morale, Welfare and Recreation clamshell after the performance was completed and the cheerleaders volunteered to stick around, take one-on-one photos and sign autographs.

One Soldier was fortunate to be in front of the line, which only compounded the morale boost he got from the event, he said.

“I had a blast here,” explained Pfc. Ryan Clement, a route-clearance Soldier and Earlham, Iowa native. “Not only did I get to see a fine performance, I got to come up on stage and embarrass myself in the ‘Cheerleader Says’ competition.”

Clement only made it to the third round, but that did not abate his mood at all.

“I’ve been out at the (forward operating bases) and on patrols outside the wire since I came here,” said Clement. “To see this event and the energy these ladies put in on our behalf, helps out a lot – it really boosts our morale.”

After their visit to BAF, their final visit on the tour, the Vikings boarded their ‘long ship’ and again set sail – destined for home, and leaving memories and a boost of morale for those left behind.

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By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace

A U.S servicemember walks down the runway during a fashion show dressed in a colorful traditional Afghan dress. The fashion show was a part of the celebration for International Women’s Day on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

I posted this because of the very cool pic.

Read the story here: CJTF-82
Written by By Spc. Melissa M. Escobar 22nd MPAD

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Army Sgt. Heather Slater, deployed from the 367th Military Police Company, Horsham, Pa., helps an Afghan boy Feb. 25 at the Egyptian Hospital here. Slater and several other servicemembers from the 724th MP Battalion visit patients at the hospital every Sunday. Slater, who’s been deployed to Afghanistan for eight months, is a student at Castleton State College in Vermont. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Bolinger)

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