Changing attitudes: Medics getting more respect in Afghan National Army| | 
Master Cpl. Matt Macaulay, a medic with the OMLT at a forward operating base in the Panjwaii district in this July 17, 2010 photo. With Canada's pullout from Afghanistan looming, Canadian mentors are now training Afghan medics to teach their soldiers about |
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
PANJWAII, Afghanistan - With their military mission to Afghanistan ending in a year, Canadian mentors are training Afghan medics to teach their soldiers about combat first aid. Afghanistan has traditionally put warriors on a pedestal while the position of healer hasn't been high on the wish list of soldiers in the Afghan National Army. In Afghan society, being able to pick up a weapon and fight is a matter of honour. It wasn't long ago that ANA commanders would only grudgingly appoint members of their units as medics. Those pushed into the role of medic had been generally considered unfit or unable to take part in combat. Medics would often be burdened with other more mundane duties around the camp. But somewhere along the way, the old attitude has finally started to change. The countless injuries and deaths on the battlefield may have been a catalyst. Canadian mentors are working to help the ANA stand on its own, and that includes providing medical care. Master Cpl. Matt Macaulay, a member of the Canadian Operational Mentoring Liaison Team, has been working with Ibrahim, an ANA medic, at a forward operating base in the north Panjwaii district. Macaulay has been teaching Ibrahim how to teach basic combat first aid to groups of Afghan soldiers. "When we first got here, one of his jobs would be serving tea and cleaning things up," said Macaulay, a native of Dartmouth, N.S. "His demeanour _ his self confidence, even the way he's carrying himself because he has more responsibility _ has changed. And I think he's looked at differently now too." The ANA now has about 119,000 troops. NATO has set a target of bringing its strength up to 171,000 by 2014. With more soldiers, there is a growing need for more medics. "Some of them still do get roped into it, but it is starting to be a little more prestigious than it was initially, culturally," said Macaulay. "One of the requirements to go into their medical course is to be literate, so right there you're narrowing down your candidates significantly." "Usually, your literate soldiers will become medics, signallers, command post operators, or they will be funnelled toward officer training _ based on their education," he said. "Now that they're starting to see their medics using these tools and doing more, they're starting to respect them more and there's starting to be a lot more interest in it." Even so, it may still be quite some time before an ANA medic would be the first choice for medical attention for injured Afghan soldiers. Macaulay said the medic has been giving first-aid courses to two groups of ANA soldiers at the base. "I hope it's significant to not have it go through an interpreter, because things are lost in the translation ... I also hope it helps with the respect issue with their medics." Macaulay said the medics are trained to the Tactical Combat Casualty Care level that many Canadian soldiers have attained. The role of Canadian mentors have changed over the past year too. Instead of basically holding the hands of ANA members, the goal now is to get them ready for the day when they are going to have to go it alone _ sooner rather than later. The OMLT's sergeant-major said he is impressed by how eager the Afghan soldiers have been to learn the basics of first aid. "I think the Afghan soldiers now see the importance of the medic, how he's going to save lives with the tourniquet and treating severe injuries that you experience in a land riddled with IEDs," said Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Carleton from Ottawa. "The training we've run for medical issues has been very well-received," Carleton said. "They pick it up quickly because it's part of everyday life and death here. They grasp it and embrace it."
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