CAMP RAMADI, Iraq -- One of the saving graces for Marines fighting terrorists in and around Ramadi comes dressed in an Army uniform.
They are the soldiers from Medical Company C, 101st Forward Support Battalion. They are the medical care one step beyond the battalion level, but before life-saving surgery. These soldiers handle everything from runny noses to mass casualties from deadly explosions.
Here, the work is non-stop.
"The most common injuries we see from Marines and soldiers are shrapnel injuries," from improvised explosive devices, mortars or rocket-propelled grenades, said Army Capt. Cory Plowdon, the company commander.
Blisters and sore backs are treated by medics and corpsman. Soldiers here worry about the after-effects of firefights. They're called to action when a Marine or soldier gets wounded.
For that reason, the company keeps an ambulance team of three soldiers on standby. Their rescue vehicle, an M-113A2 armored personnel carrier, is topped off and ready to be dispatched. They're always on duty and ready to respond immediately for emergencies.
"A lot of times when there are injuries out in town, we attach a '113' to the quick reaction force and they will be the medic on sight to do the on sight assessment," explained Plowdon from Greenwood, S.C. "The casualties will be placed in the '113' escorted back here where they will be treated."
Still, the soldiers find that even in the business of saving lives, they often face their own problems.
"The big red cross on the sides of the track is like a big target to shoot at," said Spc. Tiffany A. Putz, a 24-year-old ambulance driver.
Even in the face of danger, they still risk their lives to save others.
"I am the first guy off that track to run out there and grab them," said Spc. Hilario Cantu, an ambulance medic. "We got the infantry guys who do their job and it's my job to make sure these guys make it home safe."
They've been alongside Marines in some of the toughest fighting in Ar Ramadi in early April. Then, Marines from 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment locked with terrorists, waging a campaign to eradicate the city of the attackers. Marines killed and wounded scores of enemy, suffering several killed and dozens wounded.
"I went out there April 6th during a big firefight and there was this Marine who broke his leg," Cantu recalled. "Me and my driver went out there and grabbed him and carried him back to our track. We did what we had to do to stabilize the leg."
Since the company has arrived in Iraq last September, the soldiers treated more than 6,000 Marines and soldiers. Not every single one is a success story.
"We had to work on a patient who had a double amputation," recalled Staff Sgt. Walter Laird, a trauma room noncommissioned officer-in-charge. "We tried to help him out as much as possible, and we sent him off to another facility.
"Three days later he died," he added. "That really hurts."
Despite losses, the soldiers still get a sense of satisfaction from their work.
"The thing I like most about my job is helping people," Cantu explained. "We like to do our job, but we hate to do it at the same time. We know what have to do to get ya'll back out there, but we hate to see ya'll come in."