U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sawyer Alberi, the medical operations noncommissioned officer for Headquarters Company, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Suksam Park, the Director of the Korean Hospital and a member of the Republic of Korea Provincial Reconstruction Team, stitch a cut on an Afghan man’s head during a medical assistance program in the Charikar District here Oct. 23. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs)

Combined Joint Task Force 101
Story by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Republic of Korea Provincial Reconstruction Team, the leader for helping develop the infrastructure in Parwan Province, held its largest event since its arrival in July at the Totem Dara Bala School in the Charikar District here, Oct. 23.

About 300 students and villagers attended a ceremony to watch Hee-Seog Kwon, the ROK PRT director, sign a document that signified the PRT’s commitment to building a new well in the district, and several other small “immediate impact” projects. In addition to the ceremony, they also dedicated two soccer goal posts and provided a medical civilian assistance program at the school.

“We will be your neighbors, and we will be your close friends,” said Kwon to the crowd after announcing the projects. “We love your children and we respect your elders. We are here to help you help yourselves,” he added.

However, in addition to the ceremonial significance of the day, the ROK PRT and U.S. Soldiers also had the opportunity to help some of the villagers by providing medical aid.

In fact, within minutes of stepping out of the truck they had their first patient – an 18-year-old man who was bleeding significantly from an inch-long gash on his forehead. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sawyer Alberi, the medical operations non-commissioned officer for Headquarters Company, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, rushed to clean and bandage the wound. Dr. Suksam Park, the Korean Hospital director, stitched the wound.

After the initial excitement, Alberi and Park set up in two different classrooms, one for women and one for men, to provide routine care for the rest of the day.

“It is very important as initial good will move to show the people of Afghanistan we are here to help,” said Alberi. She added the next steps would include training the Afghans to perform their own first aid. “It is the first of many steps in the counterinsurgency mission.”

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