Corpsmen rescue wounded Marine during firefight in Afghanistan

Corpsmen rescue wounded Marine during firefight

Cpl. Kenneth Jasik
Petty Officer 3rd Class Eduardo D. Estrada, corpsman, Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, along with two other corpsmen, helped save the life of 1st Lt. Michael Rhoads, a forward observer, who was shot in the torso, April 15, 2012. Estrada, 24, from Tucson, Ariz., stuck three needles into Rhoads to empty blocked space in his chest cavity, helping save his life.

Story by Kenneth Jasik

MUSA QA’LEH DISTRICT, Afghanistan – When the Marines reached the hilltop, they knew it was going to be a rough day.

They had already taken fire, and they were patrolling in an area that coalition forces had rarely been since the decade-long war began.

At the top of the hill, the Marines took fire from insurgents when one of their brothers was wounded.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Eduardo D. Estrada, corpsman, Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, along with two other corpsmen, helped save the life of 1st Lt. Michael Rhoads, a forward observer, who was shot in the torso, April 15.

The Marine was wounded during Operation Lariat, a mission to cut off insurgent supply routes. The Marines were going to investigate suspicious compounds, but started taking fire when they got near the village.
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