Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Sep. 29, 2010: Once Pfc. Kevin Macari has been stabilized, he undergoes a CT scan in the Role 3 hospital’s radiology department. Every patient who passes through the trauma bay receives a CT scan in order to determine any internal injuries, said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Pierre Pelletier, senior radiologist. “It’s a game changer,” he said. “In prior wars, they would’ve had to have exploratory surgery” to determine if there were internal injuries. About 40 percent of trauma patients suffer some degree of traumatic brain injury, according to Pelletier. With U.S. and other NATO forces stepping up operations in southern Afghanistan since this summer, the Taliban have been fighting back with larger and more powerful bombs. The result: More soldiers and civilians losing limbs than at any other time since the war began in 2001.

Read about rescue missions, near death experiences and the toll it takes on downrange medics, doctors and nurses in Drew Brown’s 2010 Rescue + Recovery series.

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