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Capt. (Dr.) Mitchell Moffitt, Charlie Company, examines a five-year old Iraqi child who suffered an abdominal gunshot wound. Photo courtesy of 299th Forward Support Battalion

LOGISTICAL SUPPORT AREA ANACONDA, BALAD, Iraq — Capt. Mitchell J. Moffitt, an active duty pediatrician stationed at the U.S. Army Medical Department Activity in Wurzburg, Germany, recently became the newest Professional Filler System physician assigned to Charlie Company of the 299th Forward Support Battalion.

Fresh out of the delivery room and pediatric clinic where he was accustomed to resuscitating and caring for children from the newborn period until their late teen years, Moffitt has been doing a quick revival of his skills in caring for adults since arriving in Iraq on Nov. 5, 2004.

After spending a short two-day orientation at the Task Force 299th Battalion Aid Station at Logistical Support Area Anaconda, he found himself on a convoy to Patrol Base Razor by way of Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora near Samarra, Iraq. He admits to feeling a bit nervous about that first trip, and soon became acquainted with the hazards of convoys as they were forced to box up and dismount while awaiting the arrival of an explosive ordnance disposal team to detonate an improvised explosive device noticed a short distance ahead of their convoy.

A few hours later, while gathering for a convoy briefing at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, a mortar round landed only a few hundred yards away, creating a giant fireball out of a parked five-ton truck loaded with ammunition. He was happy to finally reach the relative security of his small aid station on Patrol Base Razor later that evening.

Moffitt’s pediatric medical training soon proved valuable as his first seriously injured patient turned out to be a five year-old Iraqi boy who had stumbled into a firefight and sustained a gunshot wound through the abdomen. He credits the time spent working with Capt. Jacob Collen and 1st Lt. Joe Whelchel for helping him to feel more comfortable with the various emergency medical procedures necessary in the treatment of serious trauma and in response to mass casualty situations.

For the next few weeks Moffitt will be staffing the Task Force Battalion Aid Station here at Logistical Support Area Anaconda before returning to Samarra upon the return of the other medical providers. He looks forward to working with the soldiers of the 299th Forward Support Battalion over the remaining months of their deployment.


© 2004 Defend America. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

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