by Staff Sgt. Terri Paden
15th Wing Public Affairs
7/3/2013 - JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Heroes
are typically thought to be super human beings with extraordinary
strength capable of leaping over tall buildings in a single bound,
shooting fire out of their eyes and in some cases even flying; however,
for two very fortunate women, their hero recently came in the form of a
super senior airman deployed from the 15th Wing.
It was a typical day for Senior Airman Rainier Jeffrey as he rode to the
Upolu Hospital in Samoa. As a medical technician deployed with the Navy
out to sea in support of the humanitarian operation Pacific Partnership
13, it was Jeffrey's job to share medical knowledge with the auxiliary
nurses at the village hospitals in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and
Canada, as well as provide medical assistance to the villagers. Acting
in a dental technician capacity for this deployment, it was Jeffrey's
job to in-process patients, check their vital signs and document
pertinent medical information in their charts.
This particular day, the rain had deterred many of the locals from
making the trek to the clinic so Jeffrey decided to busy himself
training the local dental staff on proper patient care and documentation
procedures.
He was eating his lunch when the day took an unexpected turn as he was
summoned into the treatment room by one of the local auxiliary nurses to
assist with an elderly patient in distress.
Her pulse was irregular, her breathing was shallow and her extremities
were getting cold and clammy. Jeffrey sprang into action initiating
manual chest compressions, instructing his counterpart on how to
administer proper rescue breaths and inserting an intravenous fluids
bag. The resuscitation was a success, and the patient became stable.
With the absence of hot water to warm fluids, Jeffrey improvised by
using an MRE heating packet to warm the IV, and covered the patient with
blankets to keep her warm as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
Believing the hard part was over, Jeffrey went to update the patient's family on her condition.
Moments later, he was approached by one of the auxiliary nurses with
more shocking news. A patient had gone into labor and, without her
midwife present or the help of a physician, he would have to deliver the
baby by himself. A few big pushes later and Jeffrey had successfully
made it through his first delivery. The midwife arrived just in time to
finish afterbirth care and, surprisingly enough, help deliver the
woman's second baby. It turned out the patient was pregnant with twins!
But nevertheless, Jeffrey's work was done. He'd managed to deliver the
first baby and keep the patient stable until trained help arrived.
"I feel like any armed forces medic in my position would have done the
same thing," he said reflecting back on the day. "Springing into action
is what we are all trained to do in a tactical setting regardless of
rank or specialty. I enjoy being a medic and I definitely got an
opportunity to do something that day that truly made me proud to be an
Air Force medical technician."
Jeffrey, who has been in the Air Force for three years, said though he
realizes he probably helped save lives that day, he doesn't consider
himself a hero for doing what he was trained to do.
"My first thought was just to respond," he said. "At first I was drawing
a blank because I was over thinking things, but as my hands started
moving my training came back to me and I started remembering the right
steps and proper medical procedures. Though I was in no way completely
comfortable, the adrenaline kicked in and the knowledge started
resurfacing as I needed it, and it became second nature in a matter of
seconds."
Maj. Wanda Edwards, Jeffrey's supervisor, said she was not surprised by
Jeffrey's actions when she'd heard about the day's events.
"He is not one to sit by and let others take care of things," she said
of Jeffrey. "His compassion and dedication were evident by his swift
actions and immediate response at the clinic."
The major said she knows all too well the fear, excitement and sense of
responsibility that comes with having a critical patient, but Jeffrey
conducted himself exactly as she would have in the same situation.
"Out of my three deployments, he is by far the best medical technician
that I have had the pleasure to be deployed with," she said. "I am so
proud of him, and his professionalism and leadership shines through
every day. As medical responders, we never know what we will face and to
know that I can trust our Airmen to not only respond appropriately, but
exceed the expectations and respond as I would have."
Two saved lives and one baby later, Jeffrey recalls how what started out as a normal day ended up becoming anything but.
"After the shock of the event wears off, you realize that everything you
did resulted in keeping someone alive," he said. "The sheer thought
brings an overwhelming sense of happiness, elation and a sigh of relief
gets sprinkled in there somewhere. It's a mass of mixed emotions and
truly an indescribable feeling."
Monday, July 08, 2013
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