Members of the public gathered to welcome back military medics from Afghanistan as they paraded through York on Saturday. Military personnel of the UK Medical Group 20 – including 34 Field Hospital – returned from Afghanistan last month after closing down the field hospital in Camp Bastion. More than 200 medics from 65 units in all three Armed Forces attended a Thanksgiving Service in York Minster. The contingent included Lieutenant Colonel Eric Newland, Officer in Charge of 31st Combined Support Hospital who represented the 55 US military personnel. Following the service, the military medics paraded on Duncombe Place where they and hundreds of onlookers were addressed by both Lieutenant Colonel Mahan and the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Ian Gillies. “To have been part of it has been both hugely rewarding and challenging for those involved in it,” said Lieutenant Colonel Mahan who commanded both the UK Medical Group and 34 Field Hospital. “Rewarding and challenging for the same reasons because it involves people and some people’s lives have been changed forever by their injuries and experiences. Afghanistan has seen incredibly humbling feats of courage by those injured, paralleled only by the unfaltering determination of the medical staff committed to saving them - constantly pushing the boundaries and not taking ‘No’ for an answer.” The medics were inspected by the Lord Mayor Director General of the Army Medical Services, Major General Jeremy Rowan OBE QHS and 80 Operational Service medals were presented. Camp Bastion’s Role 3 hospital provided care for injured personnel that was so advanced that over the eight years it was in operation it became one of the world’s leading trauma care facilities. Its 300 doctors, nurses and support staff saw 14,000 patients during those eight years, evacuating a total of 6,500 cases to Camp Bastion by the Chinook helicopter’s medical Emergency Response Team and 450 personnel to the UK by the Critical Care Air Support Team. Lieutenant Colonel Mahan said: “Today has been a real honour and a privilege to march through the city of York. We have had an incredibly warm reception and we have been touched by the emotion expressed to us by the people of York.”
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 14:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015