173rd Doc in Kirkuk

Captain 'Doc' Robert Heath in Iraq

Captain Robert Heath, Battalion Medical Officer for the 1-508th "Red Devils", 173rd Airborne Brigade, was conducting Civil Military Operations in Northern Iraq. These operations include working closely with the local Iraqi medical community in order to assess, repair, and reconstruct the infrastructure and facilities that were destroyed during years of neglect by Saddam Hussein. There are 48 towns and villages and approximately 85,000 people in our Area of Operations. Many of the facilities are currently understaffed, under funded, and in dire need of basic supplies. Shown here are some examples of his conditions, interaction and work with the Iraqi people.

SFC Rucker and 1LT Pres interact with students at the Bushayriyah Elementary School during the joint MEDCAP visit. SFC Rucker would systematically draw pictures on the chalk board while the students copied them. He drew the pictures in such a way that you could not guess what it was until it was almost complete. Then the students drew pictures on the blackboard for the U.S. soldiers and translators.