Page 134 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2016

An Ongoing Series

From the Trails of Afghanistan to the Streets of America:
COL (Ret) Andy Pennardt on Frontline Medical Care

Interviewed by COL Dan Godbee, MC, FS, DMO, FL-ARNG

Tell us about the operation in Kandahar in 2001? casualties and those minimally injured who did not evacu-
Briefly what happened and how did it happen? ate from Afghanistan would go to the second C-130, which
US Special Forces personnel and their Afghan coalition had nursing personnel aboard. We then established a ca-
partners were fighting Taliban forces near Kandahar. On sualty collection point where I performed triage to iden-
5 December, a US Air Force B-52 tify those casualties requiring urgent surgical intervention.
providing air support inadvertently Ultimately, we loaded the seven most serious casualties
dropped a 2,000-lb [joint direct at- aboard the SOF C-130 and took off to fly back to Oman.
tack munition] on our troops’ posi- All medical personnel worked as teams and were actively
tion, resulting in the deaths of three involved in the resuscitation, airway management, surgi-
US and five Afghan fighters, as well as cal stabilization, and postoperative care throughout the
dozens of injuries. Upon notification almost 6-hour flight. I additionally worked with a J1 repre-
of the incident, a Special Operations sentative to prepare a casualty list with an accurate list of
medical team responded by C-130 injuries for transmission to the chain of command.
COL (Ret) Andy Pennardt
from Oman, elements of the 274th
Forward Surgical Team responded Other involved medical personnel
by C-130 from Kazakhstan, and a ro- included the following SOF person-
tary wing Combat search and rescue nel: an emergency physician, two
team responded with an embed- “Obtaining experience in medics, a general surgeon, a CRNA
ded US Army SOF [Special Opera- law enforcement will increase [certified registered nurse anesthe-
tions Forces] physician and Special both one’s credibility and tist], and a physician assistant; and
Forces medical sergeant from Paki- ability to provide support for the following personnel from the
stan. The CSAR [combat search and 274th FST [Forward Surgical Team]:
rescue] element proceeded to the tactical operations.” a medic, a general surgeon, an or-
bombing scene and transported ca- thopedic surgeon, and a CRNA.
sualties to FOB [Forward Operating
Base] Rhino, where the C-130s had landed and a Navy What were the casualties? What were their injuries?
Shock Trauma Platoon (NSTP) was available. Multiple extremity trauma including a near-complete am-
putation of the right forearm, subclavian artery laceration,
What was your role? What other medical personnel and hemothorax. Severe traumatic brain injury with exten-
were involved, and what were their roles? sive scalp laceration. Penetrating chest trauma with left
En route to Afghanistan, our team set up resuscitation pneumothorax. Multiple victims with various blast injuries
and surgical stations in the C-130 to be prepared for re- including pulmonary injuries, TBI [traumatic brain injury],
ceiving casualties immediately upon landing. As soon as and penetrating fragment wounds. All of these were also
we were on the ground, I met with the 274th FST CDR uniformly experiencing nausea and vomiting.
(Dr Burlingame) and the NSTP leader at the ramp of our
C-130. They both agreed that I would serve as the senior What treatment was provided on scene, en route,
medical officer in charge of the overall incident. The plan and at the MTF [military treatment facility]?
was quickly developed to divide the casualties. All Afghan How well did the treatments performed in the
casualties would go to the NSTP. Urgent and priority US field (by medics) work?
patients would go to our aircraft, which had both surgi- Treatments provided on scene included extremity tourni-
cal teams and a resuscitative team aboard. Routine US quets to control bleeding, NPAs [nasopharyngeal airways],

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