U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lynn Redman of San Antonio, Texas, examines a small child during a women's MEDCAP with the assistance of a U.S. linguist and U.S. Army Sgt. Heather A. Eberly of Altoona, Iowa, in a small, remote, village in Kunar Province
By U.S. Army Sgt. Tessa Poppe, 734th Agribusiness Development Team
Special Operations Task Force-East united with Female Engagement Team members from the 734th Agribusiness Development Team and Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team to provide medical assistance to women of a remote village in Kunar Province on Feb. 16.
This was the first time we had been asked by a village leader to see the women of a village, so this mission was especially exciting to us. The medical team consisted of PRT’s nurse practitioner, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Deborah L. Redman and 734th ADT’s combat medic, U.S. Army Sgt. Heather A. Eberly. The rest of the FET members were part of the security team for the event and were there to interact with the women and find out what their needs were. It didn’t take long and you could see the women coming down from the hillsides towards the home where Redman and Eberly were doing the examinations. The house was soon full of the young and old waiting to be seen by our medical personnel. The main issues seemed to be common cold symptoms caused by severe upper respiratory infections and many had hernias.
The language barrier was a particularly tough obstacle on this mission as most of the women didn’t even speak Pashtun, the main language in Kunar, and we only had one female interpreter to assist Redman and Eberly. However, even with that hindrance, the women and children waiting outside to be seen were happy to laugh and learn our names and attempt to teach some of us how to bake their style of bread.
Redman and Eberly saw over 40 women and children and handed out most of the antibiotics and cold medicine. I left feeling that we had gone out and done something for these women that many do not even see.
Overall, the mission was a success. It did however make me realize how much work there is yet to be done for the women of Kunar and moreover, Afghanistan. The mission made it clear there is a vast need and we were only touching the edge of it. Lt. Cmdr. Redman put it well when she said, “There’s no easy solution.” Most Afghan women don’t reach age forty and consistent medical care is almost unheard of in the more remote areas such as the village we were in. It seemed to me, that the main thing these women need is more Afghan, female doctors and cooperation with the villages to let their women be seen.
The mission was a small step, but it was certainly in the right direction.
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