Q&A with a former US Army medic on Reddit
Reddit’s “IAmA” forum has another fascinating Q&A with a military member up. A former US Army medic who served in Afghanistan and Iraq answered dozens of questions earlier today.
In addition to the medic himself, other servicemembers pitched in with answers from their own experiences.
A sample of some interesting questions and answers:
Q: Are the Afghans generally friendly with you?
A: About 75% I encountered were. The rest just mostly didn’t pay any mind but there were a handful (not the ones shooting at us) that would get really aggitated when we were around. Most were just content to live and let live though. We made it our business to not start fights
In response, an Afghan person offered this comment:
I’m an Afghan myself and there are several reasons they get agitated around you.
- They know you’re here to help but propoganda hasn’t helped much. They think the army is also there to occupy Afghanistan and take it over. They are afraid you will back lash against them.
- They are afraid of terrorists, and while you are not a terrorist (they know that), they also know that terrorists will be near american soldiers. Terrorists usually try to bomb soldiers so the Afghans around you might feel scared in that they, being near you, are also at a danger of dying. I was personally heading to the bazaar one day and some woman was jogging away from it telling us not to go that way. When I asked why she said there were american soldiers. My cousin commented that terrorists always try to get near soldiers. They don’t fear you, they fear their lives because they think the terrorists are out to get you.
As an Afghan, thank you.
…
Q: What was the most intense situation you encountered?
A: August 19, 2011 I was involved in the bombing and firefight at the British Council in Kabul, Afghanistan. I was the only medical asset on scene and as such was moving all over the battle space. I treated 7 people that day for serious injuries, 6 Afghan police/soldiers and 1 New Zealand soldier. the 6 Afghans made it but the New Zealander did not unfortunately. Link to story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14585563
Regarding the presidential campaign:
Q: What’s the general voting consensus right now among troops? Who are they favoring?
A: The troops tend to favor the Republican nominees. I know Ron Paul has been making waves but there were alot of Santorum supporters
Read the whole thing here.
