Voodoo Medics

If you couldn’t be saved by a medic in the field in Afghanistan, you weren’t going to be saved. It’s that simple, according to 20-year Australian Defence Force veteran Bram Connolly who deployed to the Middle Eastern country twice during his 15 years in the Special Forces.  

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The differences between Afghanistan and Australia became clear on the operating table for Voodoo Medic Brad Watts who has described the difficulties of treating injured women civilians.  

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Jeremy Holder patched up dozens of civilians and soldiers while deployed as a combat medic in Afghanistan and now his battlefield experiences are helping save lives at home, including the life of NSW Police Officer Jonathan Wright.  

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Despite 14 “invigorating” years in the military, the deaths of three soldiers on the battlefields of Afghanistan sent Major Dan Pronk into a tailspin.  

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Mark Donaldson was the first Australian to be awarded a Victoria Cross in almost four decades, but the former SASR Operator claims he was a "professional bum" before joining the ADF in 2002.  

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The role of a combat medic has changed dramatically over the decades with war zone healers tasked with keeping up or becoming a burden. Voodoo Medic Corporal Jody Tieche explains the “ditch medicine mentality” of the elite specialist forces group and how they gain the respect of the soldiers they look after.  

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Sergeant Jonathan Walter sits down with Kristin Shorten for a chat about his time in Afghanistan and East Timor, receiving a Nursing Service Cross and Bar, and treating Signaller Sean McCarthy after an IED explosion in 2008.  

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