U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Israel Rosa, a 26-year-old native
of Stanton, Texas, is currently serving as a corpsman and medical
advisor with the Regimental Combat Team 5 embedded training team.
Recently, Rosa and his team facilitated a five-week combat medic
course, which graduated 21 ANA soldiers as certified combat
medics.Photo by USMC Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez, Jan. 11, 2012 |
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CAMP GARMSIR, Helmand province, Afghanistan (01/11/2012) – Marines
and sailors with Regimental Combat Team 5 are gradually shifting to
an advisory role, vital to the success of Afghan National Security
Forces, and the overall mission of coalition forces supporting
Operation Enduring Freedom.
One service member playing a
critical role in the partnering mission in southern Helmand is U.S.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Israel Rosa, a corpsman and medical
advisor with the RCT-5 embedded training team.
Since joining
the Navy in 2006, Rosa has deployed on multiple tours, training
military medics in Iraq, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. He joined RCT-5's
current deployment as a late addition, bringing his valuable
experience to the team.
One of Rosa's current roles is
advising the Afghan National Army, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps surgeon.
“The brigade surgeon is responsible for the command,
control, and administration of all the doctors and medics within the
kandaks (battalions) that fall under brigade,” explains Rosa, a
26-year-old native of Stanton, Texas.
“My job as an advisor
is to teach him the different tools he can use to manage their
medical operations, logistics, training, manpower, clinical
procedures, and medical evacuation operations,” Rosa said. |
By the end of his deployment, Rosa hopes to have taught
the surgeon everything he needs to operate independently.
“Everything I am doing with the brigade surgeon is
geared towards the goal of him operating without the help of
coalition forces,” Rosa explained.
Recently, Rosa and
his team facilitated a five-week combat medic course, which
graduated 21 ANA soldiers as certified combat medics. The
establishment of the course will help the ANA forces become
more independent, when it comes to taking care of the
medical needs of their soldiers.
“His expertise,
patience and valued insight greatly impacted each medic's
progression through the course,” said Chief Petty Officer
Michael Donadio, the RCT-5 lead chief petty officer.
“He has given these newly trained medics a solid foundation
for the overall success of the ANA medic program,” added
Donadio, a 30-year-old native of Sylva, N.C.
Rosa's
job as a corpsman doesn't stop with his advisor role. He is
also one of the few corpsmen on the ETT, responsible for
providing medical support during operations and caring for
the 19 Marines on the team.
“I remember after coming
back from Iraq in '08 a couple of my Marines went off to
Vegas for the weekend while I stayed behind (in Camp
Pendleton)” recalls Rosa. “I got a call at 3:00 in the
morning from a nurse that worked at one of the emergency
rooms in Vegas.”
“The nurse then started telling me
about how one of my Marines was brought to the ER,” said
Rosa “Once he awoke he started getting aggressive and asking
for his corpsman refusing to receive treatment and ripping
out his IV until he could talk to his Doc.”
“That's
when the nurse got his phone and looked up my name to call
me,” continued Rosa. “I talked to him and calmed him down...I
let him know he was in a safe place and told him to quit
acting like an idiot.”
Rosa can recall many stories
about dealing with his Marines and their problems, but the
camaraderie that accompanied these various ailments and
hardships is what makes him love his job.
“He has a
genuine concern for the wellbeing and success of each of his
sailors, Marines and his ANA counterpart,” Donadio said.
“There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them and I know
they got my back when I need it,” said Rosa. “They have had
it on more than one occasion...that's what I like best about
being, not just a corpsman, but a Doc.”
In the coming
months, Rosa will continue his work providing medical advice
to ANA medics, while still caring for his Marines. His job
will bring long hours and often arduous conditions, but Rosa
knows what needs to be done to accomplish his mission.
“A corpsman's job is 24/7,” Rosa said. “Whether you're
on deployment or back in the States.”
By USMC Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez
Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine
Division
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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