Rachel, a true heroine for our fighting troops

A HEROIC RAF paramedic has won a major award after leading her team through enemy fire to save 24 wounded soldiers in Afghanistan.

Sergeant Rachel McDonald, 25,  has been awarded the prestigious 'Paramedic of the Year award 2007' by the Ambulance Service(corr) Institute for her courage last spring(2006).

The ASI award is for "outstanding achievements in saving people's lives and going beyond the call of duty".

She and her four-man team treated 24 French, American and Afghan troops wounded in a firefight with the Taliban and supervised their evacuation - all the time under enemy fire.

Within hours of getting the men back to the safety of the field hostile at the British Army's Camp Bastion in wartorn Helmand province, she and her team were back in the front-line treating wounded.

Rachel, who is single and from Swansea and based at  RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, is also a veteran of the RAF's mercy mission in 2005 to victims of the Pakistan earthquake.

After the dreadful news and astonishing antics of some of of our personnel over the last few days, a story like this of a very brave young lady saving lives in the front line restores one's faith in our servicemen and women

Major Charles Heyman

She is currently back in Afghanistan saving lives on another nerve-wracking tour of duty.

Details of her bravery emerged only when the ASI announced that next month she is to be presented with the Paramedic of the Year awardat a House of Commons ceremony.

Her citation praises her "calm and assured professional response to this mass casualty evacuation and the actions performed in the face of hostile fire".

Rachel, a paramedic team leader, was based at Camp Bastion in May last year(2006) when reports came in of coalition forces meeting "fierce resistance"  in the Taliban heartland of north Helmand.

The only information as she and her team climbed aboard a Chinook was that there had been "numerous casualties" in the desert.

Accompanied by armed soldiers Rachel and her team went into action in body armour, a Kevlar helmet and, as allowed under the Geneva Convention, a personal weapon for self and patient protection.

The citation says: "On arrival at the location the helicopter deposited the medical personnel with the force protection unit to give them cover.

"Under hostile fire, Sgt McDonald led the medical personnel, on foot, to a small holding area where they were presented with 24  Afghan Army, French and American casualties.

"Due to the high threat levels, the helicopter could not remain on the ground and Sgt McDonald was advised that it would return in 10 minutes to retrieve the team and the casualties."

It wheeled away in a cloud of dust and, while   British, French, American and Afghan troops secured the holding area, Rachel found the wounded had been given "basic treatment" by American medics.

But the fighting was so intense that these battlefield medics were suffering from "battle shock" and unable to give her a clear picture of the state of  the casualties.

She designated one casualty as priority one, five as priority two and the rest as priority three.

The most seriously wounded soldier, a 22-year-old Afghan,  had suffered gunshot wounds to the left lower chest and left flank.

Three others had gunshot wounds to the legs and one in both arms.

Others were suffering from minor injuries but all were in a state of shock.

Rachel supervised the evacuation with the wounded loaded onto various vehicles while she accompanied the most seriously wounded on the terrifying three minute drive to helicopter landing zone.

The citation  said: "The casualties were transferred to the helicopter, again under fire, with Sgt McDonald remaining on the ground to ensure rapid but safe transfer of each casualty and finally retrieving the medical equipment from each vehicle.

"Throughout the short journey Sgt McDonald recorded details of her quick assessments of each casualty."

On the 12 minute flight to Camp Bastion Rachel supervised further treatment, overcoming language difficulties, and concentrating on the most seriously wounded soldier and while airborne told the hospital what to prepare for.

The young Afghan was treated successfully before being airlifted to a more advanced hospital.

With the patients in safe hands, Rachel "directed her team to replenish the medical kit ready to re-deploy to another incident", said the citation.

"Within a matter of hours Sgt McDonald was leading her team on another mission to retrieve injured service personnel from a similar hostile environment." 

Major Charles Heyman, Editor of the Armed Forces of the UK, said that Sgt McDonald's selfless heroism was a welcome contrast to the sight of some of the released Iranian hostages selling their stories.

Major Heyman said: "After the dreadful news and astonishing antics of some of of our personnel over the last few days, a story like this of a very brave young lady saving lives in the front line restores one's faith in our servicemen and women."

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