More than 1500 Cambodians received medical treatment from U.S. military medical personnel during a Blast Resuscitation and Victim Assistance mission, known as BRAVA 2004. Here, U.S. Army Capt. (Dr.) Rick Martell and U.S. Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. (Dr.) Gerald E. Tanner assess the needs of patients in a hospital compound in Kep, Cambodia.

“Although you stay here for 16 hours a day, the work is tiring, but it makes you realize why you became a doctor.”

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jim Walter
U.S. Air Force Air National Guard

A Cambodian mother and child wait as U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Diep N. Duong checks patient information.

More than 1500 Cambodians received medical treatment from U.S. military medical personnel during a Blast Resuscitation and Victim Assistance mission, known as BRAVA 2004. The 20-member BRAVA team also conducted 122 major surgeries and 48 minor surgeries in a small hospital complex in Kep, Cambodia. BRAVA is a U.S. Pacific Command-sponsored humanitarian assistance program that promotes relations with regional countries by conducting medical education, training, and patient care in the surgical management of injuries. This May 2004 mission was the fourth such humanitarian mission in Cambodia. U.S. military medics have also provided similar medical assistance in Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Surgeries

“Ten hours after the mission started, the surgery schedule was fully booked,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Diep N. Duong, the BRAVA team leader. “We’re seeing about 150 patients a day and we’re doing about nine surgeries a day,” Lt. Col. Duong said. The majority of patients the BRAVA team saw were Cambodians with burn injuries, thyroid problems, and hernias. “The majority of surgeries are procedures to restore functions in limbs or to relieve pain,” she said. Surgeons also fixed cleft palates and lips to help children eat and swallow normally.

One woman the team treated was suffering from a propane gas explosion that burned over 40 percent of her body. U.S. Air Force Reserve Capt. (Dr.) Jason Rosenberg, a reconstructive plastic surgeon, said the burned woman will have scarring and some loss of function with her hands, but he was sure she would survive. “If we weren’t here she would’ve died,” said U.S. Air Force Air National Guard Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jim Walter, an emergency medicine physician. “There was nothing available for her. She has no money and she can’t travel.” He noted, “Although you stay here for 16 hours a day, the work is tiring, but it makes you realize why you became a doctor.”

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MSgt. Adam Johnston, USAF, is assigned to the 18th Wing Public Affairs, Kadena Air Base, Japan.