Medics
– Italian Nibbio Task Force on Dangerous Mission
By Maj. William
Mott, 11th Public Affairs Detachment
BAGRAM, Afghanistan
— The Italian Nibbio Task Force has deployed into the Afghan
mountains surrounding Forward Operating Base Salerno in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom to execute the dangerous mission
of search and seizure for the War on Terror.
Supporting
the Italian Nibbio Task Force is a formidable medical team of
eight doctors, six nurses and 12 medics.
Nibbio is
equipped to support itself medically and augment the Task Force-44
Combat Support Hospital if the coalition was to sustain mass casualties.
Managing the
medical team is Dr. Lt. Col. Luigi De Meo, chief of medicine,
from Turin, Italy and Dr. Maj. Alfonso Zizza, director of Sanitary
Service, from Messina, Sicily. Their specialties are respectively,
urology and neurology. FOB Salerno has three doctors who specialize
in cardiology, preventative medicine, internal medicine and one
general practitioner.
“Our
medical team is well supplied with a mobile pharmacy, ambulatory
dental lab, and five ambulances,” said De Meo. Two ambulances
are in Salerno.
The first
aid station in Bagram can hold 12 patients and operates as a Level
1 plus stabilization clinic until the patient can be moved to
the TF-44 CSH for more critical care. The aid station is divided
into triage, recovery and quarantine areas to manage injuries,
ailments and infectious diseases.
“Having
our own resources allows us to operate independently and offer
assistance to TF-44 if needed rather than request it. This makes
the Nibbio Task a true ally in the War on Terror,” said
Zizza.
Physical injuries
are not the only battle losses that armies face in battle. Fatigue,
stress, shock and malaise, or the loss of will, account for a
high loss of troop strength. Because of this the medical team
has a resident psychiatrist in Salerno to provide care for troops
who may show symptoms of depression or stress.
This is the
first combat deployment for the Italian army since WWII and has
a contingent of more than 950 soldiers comprised of troops from
six Italian brigades that have successfully participated in more
than 15 international operations other than war over two decades.
“By
supporting ourselves, we support the success of OEF,” said
Zizza.