2008 Woodie Awards
Alumnus returns from serving as medic in Iraq
Chelsea Eakin
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: News & Features
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Having never spent more than three years in one location, it is no surprise that Patrick was inspired to become an 8408 Hospital Corpsman, a job which keeps him moving from place to place. Since joining the Navy, the Jamaican native has spent time in Japan and California, currently residing in Rhode Island seven months until his return on Aug. 24.
Patrick is a Hospital Corpsman and although he has been in the Navy for five years, he has never set foot on a ship. He is trained to be in the field as a medic for the United States Marines, a force that does not have its own medical team.
To become a Hospital Corpsman Patrick went through fourteen weeks of training at a school in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he went through seven weeks of field medical training, which qualified him to go into the battlefield alongside the Marines. As part of his field training, Patrick took a week-long course working with live pigs, which have an anatomy similar to that of humans. "The vet would inflict certain traumatic wounds on the animals-for example, a ruptured artery or a gunshot wound. These pigs are alive and we would be working on live tissue. The ultimate goal is to save the pig, and in Iraq the ultimate goal is to save whatever Marine goes down." Prior to departing for Iraq, Patrick went through four months of yet additional training. "Weapons training and familiarization, how to tell how far somebody is from you," he said.
While in the field, Patrick dressed as a Marine. "When you're out there with the Marines your main job is to save them so we have the same uniform as they do and we don't try to separate ourselves from the Marines when we are on patrol." If the Iraqis were able to distinguish between the Marines and the medical team they would intentionally target the medics first, Patrick said.
The battalion which he accompanied was based in the destroyed palace of one of Saddam Hussein's sons. Patrick worked on a schedule of 24-hour rotations and during his time off would try to get some sleep, wash his uniform, and go to the gym located in the base. Daily tasks while on-duty included patrolling, maintaining health records, and tending to Sick Hall in the mornings. Patrick was also personally in charge of procuring and maintaining medical supplies for the battalion of 1,300 people. The base had telephone and internet access, though information you could provide loved ones was limited. Patrick said he always felt in danger. "A phrase we use a lot is 'complacency kills.' You always have to be on constant alert because if you fall into a routine that is when you get killed."
Patrick said that they were not allowed to send home any videos. "The Iraqis would test us. They would put certain things in the road just to see how we would react and learn from that so that they could modify their ways of attacking us. If we sent any videos over the internet someone may be able to find a way to access it," he said. "All of the quote unquote 'stupid Iraqis' are dead already. The ones left are the smart ones, to say the least."
Regarding the war Patrick said "I can definitely understand the reason why we are over there, although I might not agree. Coming back from Iraq I feel like I want to finish school even more just to go out and better myself. You appreciate things more; you appreciate where you are coming from after seeing how the Iraqis live."
Patrick is currently living in Rhode Island studying to get his Registered Nursing degree. "I do sometimes wish to return back to Colby and finish my bachelors," he said, although he thinks it unlikely. While at the College Patrick studied Anthropology and was a member of SOBHU, the Bridge and the French Club.
In August, Patrick will find out whether he will be deployed once again to Iraq. "Hopefully the war will be over by then. Hopefully the Democrats will be able to pull enough strings to pull back some of the troops," he said.
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