ON THE USNS COMFORT IN THE NORTHERN ARABIAN GULF, 2 April 2003 — The USNS Comfort is a state-of-the-art medical and surgical care floating hospital presently situated offshore from where war is being waged. Ironically, its hospital facilities are currently caring for more Iraqis, including POWs (Prisoners of War), than Americans. The Geneva Convention stipulates that journalists may not have direct contact with POWs. However, Arab News was able to speak with the doctors and nurses caring for the injured POWs and Iraqi civilians who came on board shortly after the war began.
Yesterday, after being flown in on a CH-46 helicopter from the USS Boxer, Arab News was allowed to observe the injured Iraqis.
The POWs reside in one ward, not far from where the “detainees/civilians” are located. There are approximately 20 patients in each ward. Both rooms have been stripped of anything that could be used as a potential weapon. They are given 24-hour medical attention, and significantly, neither group is handcuffed or restrained in any way. Several unarmed security personnel are present in both wards.
Chief Petty Officer Caesar Salicrup, leading chief for the POW wards, told Arab News that the POWs have not been restrained because they are cooperative. “Some are already asking if they can smoke and want to know when they can go home. I’m sure we’ll soon be able to take them out for a cigarette, but they can’t smoke here because of the oxygen tanks.”
Salicrup said the men don’t speak English, but have started to learn words like “thank you”, “ok”, “USA” and, of course, “cigarette.”
“I think most of them are happy to be here and we’ve heard that they want Saddam Hussein gone. They don’t want to fight.
“It’s got to be incredibly scary for them. Some have broken down and cried, but when that happens we immediately call for the translator who is able to reassure them.”
Cmdr. Tommy Stewart, the senior nurse director, said as soon as the POWs are well enough to travel, the medical regulators will contact the military authorities and determine where the POWs should be sent. “This is the first time anyone has dealt with POWs on board. We’re nurses, we’re not interested in someone’s politics or religion. These are injured people who need care.”
Asked how he felt about reports that some Iraqis had executed Americans, Stewart said: “We’re professionals and we all took a medical oath to do no harm. Wars are brought about by politicians; as soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, we are here simply to do the job we’re told to do.”
Regarding security on board, Stewart said there had yet been no reason to put armed policemen inside the wards. “A weapon creates a security breach, and weapons can also be used against you.”
Security personnel throughout the ship can be easily notified, if needed, he said. Some security measures have been taken. Nurses and staff working with the POWs cover their names and ranks with tape because, Stewart said, the POWs have “no need to know who we are.”
Numbers, not names, are used to identify the POWs. “This way we can readily identify them, and who knows, they may tell us a name that is not necessarily theirs.”
Noting that some of the POWs appear quite young, Stewart said children have long been used in war. “It’s unfortunate for a child to be put in that position. But children are easily programmed and brainwashed, and it’s easy to shape and mold them as combatants.”
Asked about those who may view the treatment of Iraqi POWs as a propaganda ploy, Stewart said he couldn’t change the way a person thinks. “All I can do is attempt to reassure them that our interest is to care for all the sick and injured to the best of our ability.”
Some people aboard clearly do have ambivalent feelings about treating the POWs, which may have been why the commanding officer, Dr. Charles Blankenship, spoke to both his officers and crew yesterday evening. “These people are enemy prisoners of war. Threat them with dignity, but always remember they are the enemy. They should not get any special privileges,” he told the officers.
He said he expects that the POWs will be taken to facilities ashore within the next 7 to 10 days. In anticipation of more POWs coming to the ship, he said 24 MPs (military police) would soon be on board to provide extra security.
“As for the civilians, their cases will be reviewed and we will try to determine a place for them to go. If they want to go back to Iraq, we will try to bring them back to their homes.”
Several of the officers expressed concern over the fate of a young Iraqi child on board. “There is a young girl in the ICU (intensive care unit). We have decided not to send her anywhere until we find her mother, and find out where she came from. We will try to get her back to her mother,” he said. One doctor sought advice saying he had an POW who had refused to have his dressing changed and pulled the IV (intravenous needle) from his arm.
Dr. Blankenship said POWs can refuse treatment, but will have to be moved to “another facility.”
Others on the ship expressed fear that some of the POWs may be Fedayeen fighters. “They are healing fast and are starting to make demands. Some seem to be very disciplined, strong-willed individuals. The security situation is worrisome to me because a hospital ward is not a good location for POWs,” said one nurse.
Dr. Blankenship reminded his staff and crew to hang tough: “We’re all doing the job we were sent here to do. Treat everyone as humanely as possible, and continue to do so. This has been a roller coaster ride for us all, and we are trying to keep everybody safe.”
“There are certain people on board who want more security, but these are not my staff, not the people working directly with the POWs,” said Stewart. “I have staff members who are frightened and concerned. All we hear is the bad stuff on TV. But we are fighting a war, and we do need to be careful. These are the bad guys.”
Dr. Pete Sorensen, from Bethesda Naval Hospital, has treated the POWs and Iraqi civilians. He said they have typical wartime injuries, mostly extremity injuries either from trauma or gunshot wounds. “The reason for this is quite simply because injuries to the head, neck, chest and abdomen are usually lethal,” he said.
The Iraqis have endured very difficult circumstances, because they have serious injuries and don’t speak English. “It’s an extremely stressful situation.”
Regarding the use of “soft restraints” on unruly POWs, Dr. Sorensen said: “It doesn’t bother me. Some POWs are more unruly than others. I think it’s a necessary precaution for our protection, and theirs.” This is a surreal situation because it’s unique to almost everybody involved, he said. “But as far as providing medical care, it’s what I love to do.”
He shrugged off the idea that he may be saving the life of an enemy: “I interned in a major inner city hospital, we called it the ‘knife and gun club.’ We treated a lot of criminals there, but it didn’t influence the care we gave them.”
“We try to compartmentalize our feelings,” he added. “I want our troops, and their families to know that we are here taking good care of their boys. And if that means we have to lend a hand to the other side in this conflict, I have no problem with that.”
Lt. Kathleen Hinz is a nurse in the Operating Room and also works with the Iraqis on board. She said her colleagues chose to come out on the Comfort because they thought they would be helping their men on the front line. “We’ve had some American injuries, but the majority have been POWs. We give them the same level of quality that we give our coalition forces. But it’s a different mindset when you remember that these guys were killing our men.”
Nurse Sue Mahoney has worked with the women and the children in the POW/civilian ward from the day they boarded the ship. “I’ve worked every day with them and I know the patients very well, and when you deal with women and children it’s difficult not to be compassionate, despite the language barrier.”
Mahoney said she doesn’t hesitate to hug the children and touch the women. “I’m a pediatric nurse, that’s my specialty.”
Asked about possible negative feelings amongst some nurses regarding the POWs, Mahoney frowned.
“My team views them as people, and I can’t see any of the teams giving anything but their best. They’re human and professional and can’t do otherwise. “We’re trying to do our job and also comply with security requirements — it’s tough. We’ve been averaging three hours sleep a night, but no one is resentful about caring for the POWs.”
Mahoney said her group has never felt the need to handcuff the POWs. “We’re there 24 hours a day, and if we felt extra security was necessary, we would ask for it. It is easy for someone who is not working with them to think they might need more security, but we don’t think so.”
She said the main questions her “patients” ask her is about their future. “I tell them they are getting the best care possible and that they are in the best place for the time being. We’re trying to get them back home, but also worry they won’t get the proper care they need there.”
Cmdr. Agnes Bradley-Wright is a nurse on the POW ward. She said she never imagined she would end up nursing POWs.
“Most of us had a lot of mixed feelings about this. The health professional side of us knew we need to take care of them, but then the personal side of us saw what they had done to our Marines. “But when they arrived the professional side of us kicked in.”
She said they all saw fear in most of their faces, but some were smiling. “We felt they were smiling because this atmosphere was an improvement from where they had been.”
When asked if she was afraid around the POWs, Bradley-Wright said no. “We have the protection we need inside and we have a buddy system. We never do anything without a buddy at the bedside with us, and the security presence does help keep them calm.
“I’ve heard some of the injured Marines say they saw Iraqi people being cared for next to them in the battlefield. Some were very surprised by that, and the fact that they are now here being treated with them on the ship.”
