Defender turned medic saves lives while deployed

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  For 459th Air Refueling Wing Airmen, basic life support and limb-saving skills are taught almost every Reserve training weekend. This type of training is called Self-Aid-And-Buddy-Care and many of the Airmen who receive this extensive combination of computer-based and hands-on training will take the knowledge into the battlefield.

For one 459th Security Forces Squadron member, the training provided at Joint Base Andrews, Md., during Unit Training Assemblies helped save countless lives on a six-month deployment to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

It was the day before the anniversary of Sept. 11 in 2011 when Staff Sgt. Samuel Lerman, a Bethesda, Md., native, assumed his post for a typical 14-hour shift.

On that day, the BAF Defender was assigned to a Quick Reaction Force. Being on a QRF meant detecting, deterring and neutralizing threats to the airfield.

"Most of the time there's not much going on," said Lerman. "It's 90 percent boredom, nine percent really interesting and one percent everything goes wrong."

That one percent happened late into the evening hours.

While on break in a nearby building, Lerman heard rockets scream past overhead followed by several explosions. The explosions knocked out electricity to his sector and transformed his post into smoky, pitch-black chaos. Without hesitating, he leapt for his gear, slid a bullet into the chamber of his M-4 Carbine and ran toward the threat.

Once outside he noticed a checkpoint facility in his search area was severely damaged. As a result of the rocket attack, two Afghan contractors were killed and many others were badly wounded. The contractors had been working alongside U.S. military forces, assisting the servicemembers with providing security detail at BAF.

Lerman and his fellow Security Forces Airmen assisted three of the contractors at their location who were suffering from shrapnel wounds and screaming for their lives.

The Defender and his QRF team immediately placed the victims on the ground and began assessing their injuries. Within minutes, they formed a battlefield triage, placing emphasis on the most critically wounded individuals. Simultaneously shifting between the casualties, Lerman applied his SABC training to control bleeding and keep the Afghan contractors alive until they could be transported to the base hospital.

With his issued Individual First Aid Kit or IFAK in hand, Lerman turned his attention to a particular Afghan contractor who had numerous wounds, including stomach and abdominal wounds. He was losing a critical amount of blood and was slipping in and out of consciousness. Lerman applied a dressing from his IFAK and did what he could to stop additional bleeding.

"Safiullah was becoming less responsive with every second and his pulse was difficult to feel," he said. "We had to move him to the hospital soon."

Since ambulances and medical personnel had already arrived to pick up other casualties from the attack, Lerman had no option but to recruit additional Airmen and find a truck to transport Safiullah to the hospital themselves.

Speeding across the base, Lerman, a U.S. Department of Defense contractor and a fellow Security Forces Airmen made their way to the hospital with Safiullah. Sergeant Lerman worked desperately to keep him conscious while in the bed of truck, but with each passing minute his efforts were met with difficulty.

"At one point Safiullah stopped moving. I quickly realized that he wasn't breathing any longer and his pulse was gone," said Lerman. "His chest was rock hard from being compressed with blood. We all thought he was going to die."

The Security Forces Airman said Safiullah miraculously regained consciousness after their attempts to resuscitate him. Lerman then took the opportunity to keep him alert by asking what his name was and whether he was married. He did anything to keep Safiullah awake and alive.

The group finally arrived at the hospital. Lerman explained to the surgeons about the injuries Safiullah sustained and the type of medical treatment provided.

After transporting the casualty to the hospital, he was placed as a lookout in a tower where he carried out the rest of his duties as a BAF Defender and U.S. Air Force Reserve Airman.

"Every Defender is expected to do this type of work, whether you're deployed or at home station," said Lerman. "As a Security Forces member, it's your job to be the first ones there when things go wrong. I just happened to be there when something went wrong."

Following the night's incident, the Defender checked in at the base hospital to find out what had happened to the three Afghan contractors who were admitted, including Safiullah. He discovered all three of the contractors survived. Safiullah had gone through several surgeries and was later sent home.

Master Sgt. James Reynolds, 103rd Security Forces Squadron, 103rd Airlift Wing, Hartford, Conn., recalled serving with Lerman as the sector security forces non-commissioned officer in charge during his deployment. Reynolds was alongside Sergeant Lerman the night the rocket attacks injured Safiullah and other base personnel.

"It was my pleasure to work alongside Staff Sgt. Lerman," said Reynolds. "If it had not been for the proper combat life saving techniques and rapid transport, his (Safiullah's) survival would have most certainly been in question."

Lerman later visited the search area where the deadly rocket attack occurred to check on his battlefield patients just before returning home. Much to his surprise, he noticed that Safiullah was on his feet and working.

As a token of his appreciation, Safiullah gave Lerman a locally-made Afghan scarf the day he returned to the area.

"He thanked me over and over again," said Lerman. "Safiullah remembered looking up at me from the back of the pickup truck and me screaming at him over and over again to stay awake."

Since the Defender has returned at duty at the 459 SFS, he has been passing along his experience to the unit's junior Airmen and stressing the importance of paying close attention to the SABC training they receive. The extensive knowledge passed along to Reserve servicemembers like Lerman during their training weekends can help save lives on the battlefield and at home.