DUBAI: An Iraqi merchant seaman was treated by medical personnel aboard the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier after he was injured in an accident aboard his freighter in the Gulf, the US Navy said yesterday.
Atif Youssif, 36, from Basra was treated on January 2 for a fractured arm and chest bruises he sustained when a cable snapped while his ship was towing another vessel, the 5th Fleet said in a statement.
The Enterprise answered his ship’s distress call and transported Youssif via helicopter for the medical treatment, the statement said. The navy had earlier said the guided missile cruiser Gettysburg had answered the distress call, but later said it had been the Enterprise.
Enterprise Senior Medical Officer Capt. Vernon Morgan was among the first on scene when the helicopter landed on the Enterprise flight deck around 8:20 p.m.
“I met him at the helicopter for an on-scene evaluation of the severity of his injuries,” said Morgan. “We then transferred him to our main medical treatment room where a definitive diagnosis of a displaced humerus fracture was made and treatment begun.”
Lt. Cmdr. Kevan Mann, Enterprise surgeon, was with Morgan on the scene. “We thought it was going to be a heck of a lot worse than it was,” said Mann.
Communications with the patient were assisted by one of the Navy’s latest innovation projects, the Phraselator. Essentially a field-rated personal digital assistant (PDA), the device translates spoken English into one of several languages, including Arabic.
On the day he left Enterprise, Lt. Wendy Stone, Enterprise’s nurse, treated Youssif to a meal in the officer’s dining facility. “I think he was overwhelmed with the amount of food we offered him,” said Stone. He was particularly pleased with our choice of fresh vegetables.
Youssif was flown back to Iraq on Sunday for further treatment. On behalf of Enterprise, Stone presented Youssif with a command ball cap, coffee mug and a box of toys to give to his two children. – Agencies
Last update on: 9-1-2004