Corpsmen Treat Girls Injured by Land Mine / Child to undergo heart surgery

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Coalition corpsmen rushed to the assistance of two girls, 8 and 10, who were injured when a Soviet-era land mine exploded near here March 31.

The incident occurred when one of the girls picked up the device – one of millions that litter the Afghan countryside – and began playing with it.

“The landmine that injured these girls is called a ‘toe-popper,’” explained Navy Lt. Aric Aghayan, battalion surgeon for the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment, deployed to eastern Afghanistan from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii .

"The reason it is called a ‘toe-popper’ is because if you step on one, it will blow off your toes. It is designed to maim its victims. It is very small and doesn’t look menacing, but it brings damage and destruction,” he said.

Two corpsmen – Seamen Michael Ewing and Charles Mark – ran more than a mile to help the girls, and were the first on the scene.
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MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan –
Kamila Ibraeva and her mother Tahmina listen as Tech. Sgt. Michel Lauba discusses plans for the child to undergo heart surgery in the next few days. Kamila will be the eighth child funded by the Manas Air Base Outreach Society’s Children’s Heart Fund this rotation.

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