What it’s like to be a medic in Afghanistan

By Jake Meeus-Jones via SWNS

Meet the man who served as a combat medic in Afghanistan and saved "countless" soldiers and civilians performing surgery - while dodging bullets and RPGs.

Today (August 30) marks the second anniversary of the end of the Afghanistan war and James Smith, 39, said he fears his life-changing trauma is simply seen as "an occupational hazard."

He joined the Army in 2004 and completed three tours during his time as a medic, one in Iraq and two in Afghanistan.

The latter is where he saw and heard things that "keep him up at night," often blinking and transporting him back to the battlefield.

James, a dad-of-one, was responsible for maintaining the general health of soldiers, but while out on an operation he became "the most important bloke on the battlefield."

While he helped to save many lives he encountered many "harrowing" moments too.

A large group of injured women and children were brought to his aid post and he was handed the corpse of an infant with a hole in its head the size of a two-pence piece - something he says he'll "never forget."

James, like many former veterans, has been diagnosed with PTSD, and says he is "barely living."

Now working as a carpenter and living in Hastings, UK, James said: "My very first realization that I wasn't on Hastings beach anymore was when a sandbag by my head popped as a bullet meant for me hit it.

"I think Hollywood has painted an incorrect picture of the image of the hero sprinting from casualty to casualty with ease dodging lead wasps.

"It's not glorious, it's awful."

"It took a little while for the psychological impact to really take hold and I'd say I didn't really start suffering until I left."

"The contrast in almost everything is harrowing at times. People don't seem to care anymore and I feel as if people think we're being dramatic.

"I played a part in the assisted saving of countless other soldiers and local nationals.

"We all played our part but I couldn't take the credit for everything.

"Would more be dead if it wasn't for some of my interactions? Yes, I suppose so."

James had been acting as a battery medic for the 29 Commando Royal Artillery who were there to support 45 Royal Marine Commandos on their ground operations.

He then joined the Royal Marines on foot patrols and operations after the Marine medic was injured.

He said: "One of my first duties on the ground was to accompany a relief party for a section of paratroopers.

"There were around 12 Brits and 12 Afghan National Army there and we patrolled the ground daily in an attempt to provoke an attack and then smash them with artillery.

"I quickly realized this was real.

"I had an RPG fired at me whilst moving over a gap on an overwatch mission that very nearly got me if it wasn't for the angle of the ground and the bootneck that had a hold of my collar."

The living conditions weren't much better, with James saying they were averaging just four hours of sleep a night.

He added: "It was hard living and we were eating rations for weeks, washing out of bowls and being shot at on a regular basis."

"Not to mention the heat as a ginger!"

James played a big part in saving many lives, both soldiers and civilians, but one particular mission sticks out for him - when he saved the life of Andy Grant, who lost his leg in an explosion.

He said: "After an explosion, I remember being pushed to the floor then mud and sand and possibly bits of Andy came raining down on top of me.

"Everything went quiet, almost slow motion, then all I could hear was screaming and 'MEDIC!'

"It was Andy lying there in front of me groaning in pain, looking like a giant had used him as a piece of sweetcorn.

"The area was cleared and me, Andy and Sergeant Major at the time stayed with him.

"While we were waiting for the evacuation, I was constantly re-checking and re-doing his obs as taught and it was then I noticed he'd lost his radial pulse and started to go into shut down.

"I got another bag of fluids in him quickly - another interaction that if went unnoticed it would have been bad news."

"You've been trained and trained well and you're repeating the drills you've done a thousand times, except this time if you balls it up, someone dies."

But James couldn't save everyone, and played a part in the process of keeping someone alive so their parents could see them one last time.

He said: "Marine Mick Laski was shot in the head in open ground during a firefight and I was called to assist.

"Me and the doctor attempted to save him whilst under fire.

"Because he'd been shot in the head his mouth was full of blood so we went for a Cricothyrotomy procedure where you cut and insert an air adjunct into the throat.

"We did this whilst bullets were flying over our heads.

"We managed to keep his heart pumping long enough to eventually get him home for his parents to switch the machine off.

"Not a success in my book but we did our very best in the circumstances."

The veteran also saw things on the battlefield that he'll "never ever forget," including dead children.

James, who left the forces in 2016, said: "I remember a local man riding a small trike came up to us with a trailer attached just full of bloody and wailing women and children.

"Some still and blue, some bleeding and screaming.

"The man dismounted his trike and handed me a small bundle with a look on his face I'll never forget, inside was the corpse of an infant with a hole in its head the size of a two pence piece, possibly his son.

"We got them all in and triaged them as best we could and I can never ever forget the wails.

"Women and children of all ages dying in front of me.

"We all worked as hard as we could but another young boy died who looked like he'd had the worst case of chicken pox, he was peppered with shrapnel.

"That's the one I wish I could turn off the most."

"It's harrowing when there's innocent people being killed there whilst we were there as the invader - it all sits and stays with you."

Since returning to normal life, James has been suffering from PTSD and at times struggles to put food on the table.

He said: "Nobody wanted us to go there anyway, so when we came back all battle hardened and damaged it's kind of seen as an occupational hazard as opposed to a sacrifice that's altered your life forever.

"I wish I could say that I don't sometimes I don't shoot upright in the middle of the night hearing screaming, or that I'm a normal well-balanced member of society, so in that respect, no, I and I'll hazard a guess that a lot of other veterans feel hugely undervalued and downtrodden.

"We literally put it all on the line and I sometimes go hungry because I can't afford enough fuel or food for a full week."

"The politicians who sent us are earning millions from each other and from the suffering of others and we pay the price.

"I've got nothing, absolutely nothing.

"All the glory and the medals they give you it's all meaningless."

"Money's the lubricant that moves these things along and what I've noticed is there's a lot of organizations making noise but I haven't actually seen any action.

"People can talk but where's the actual appointments? And while these talks are going on more veterans are taking their lives.

"I did my 12 years and gave it my best.

"For me to reach those highs and now to be here barely living, less than a citizen."