Doing His Duty: Navy corpsman from city tends to the injured in Iraq

As a Navy hospital corpsman serving with the 2nd Marine Logistics Group in the al-Anbar province of Iraq, Taalib-din Grier works behind the lines helping the injured.

"I don't go outside the wire," he said, referring to the boundary of the base, called "the wire" because it's often topped with concertina wire.

Even though he doesn't leave the base, the situation was dangerous enough when he arrived in January that he always wore a flak vest.

"You don't know when the next IED (improvised explosive device) is going to drop," he said by telephone.

He had a couple of close calls but escaped injury.

Grier, 23, graduated from West Forsyth High School in 2002 and enlisted in the Navy in 2004. Before going to Iraq, he was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point. The Marines rely on the U.S. Navy for combat medical services.

In Iraq, he works at the largest Naval medical facility in the province - TQ Surgical. In recent months, he has seen a decrease in the level of violence. Fewer injured people have been coming in, and he has stopped wearing the flak vest.

Along with a decrease in the number of injured, Grier said, he has observed a shift in attitude among many Iraqi civilians whom he meets on the base.

"They are getting tired of these malicious actions," he said.

In some cases, the Iraqis provide information that enables Marines to take action, he said. "We go out there and do what we have to do."

Grier said that his role as a hospital corpsman roughly translates to that of a nurse's aide in civilian life. When an injured person - it may be an American soldier, an Iraqi soldier, a police officer or a civilian - is brought in, the person has probably already received some initial care at the place where he was hurt.

He interviews the person - through a translator if necessary - to give the person a chance to tell him what is wrong. Grier then examines the person and adds his observations in his report to the nurse.

"I let the nurse know what I can do for my part," he said.

The injuries may have come from bullets or an IED. With an IED, the person may be in respiratory distress from inhaling exploded debris. Or the explosion may have shattered the bones in a leg.

"It will be looking like a spaghetti noodle that has been boiled," Grier said.

Depending on the extent of the injuries, the person may have to be sent elsewhere for a higher level of care.

"Our job is to stabilize - to get them on to the next level of care," he said.

In an e-mail, Grier's supervisor, Chief Petty Officer Robert W. Magness, spoke highly of Grier.

"I have noted exceptional growth, strength and leadership potential during the over 11 months of our tour," Magness said. "HN Grier has proved himself to be a highly skillful and exceptionally talented corpsman. He consistently produced high-quality work and excellent judgment."

Grier grew up in East Winston. The housing projects on Cleveland Avenue, the basketball court at Rupert Bell Park - those are the places where he spent time, he said. "I used to be at that basketball court every day."

In retrospect, he said, he didn't always take the most mature approach to a situation when he was growing up. He enlisted, he said, because he thought that it would be a good step in getting his life going in the direction he wanted it to go.

Serving in the military has done that, he said. "It helped me grow up."

His wife - in Winston-Salem with their 4-month-old son, Ephraim - agrees.

"He was always a nice person - good at heart," said Atesha Grier, 22.

But there was a time when her husband felt as if he had to hide behind an outer layer of toughness, she said. "Now he's started being more truthful with himself."

Taalib-din and Atesha have known each other since they met on the basketball court at Rupert Bell in seventh grade. They married in May 2005, a couple of days after his birthday. He later confessed that he wanted that date so that his birthday would remind him to remember the anniversary.

Grier also has a 3-year-old son who is named after him.

Having him over there is stressful, Atesha said. "It's hard. It's real hard. I know he's OK and everything and that God's got him in His hands. But you still worry."

When he first went to Iraq, she said, she made a point not to follow the news about Iraq because she thought that it would be easier that way. But not knowing what was going on just added to the stress. So she started keeping up with the news and did research about where he is.

"That actually helped me," she said.

At her church, Ecclesiastes Deliverance Center, she and the other members regularly pray not only for her husband but also for the others who are over there and for those at home waiting for them.

The Griers have the good fortune to be able to talk by phone every few days. She doesn't ask questions about what is going on, preferring to leave it to him to volunteer whatever he wants her to know.

For her part, she tells him everything she can think to tell him about Ephraim - when his next appointment for a check-up is, what he has learned to do, how smart he is.

She has e-mailed him so many pictures of their son, she said, that he has mentioned that he wouldn't mind seeing fewer pictures of him and more of her. But she doesn't like having her picture taken so she keeps sending pictures of their son.

Atesha has an associate's degree in automotive mechanics from Forsyth Technical Community College. She would like to have her own automotive shop one day.

"I still worked on my car even pregnant," she said. "I love getting dirty. I love putting stuff back together."

As for Taalib-din, he said that it is too soon to tell whether he wants to make a career of the military. He wants to do what will be best for the family. He does know that he wants to stay in the medical field.

Magness said, "I certainly think he has a bright future ahead of him in whatever he chooses in life."

"I'm behind him whatever he does," Atesha said.

Taalib-din said he misses Winston-Salem and looks forward to the day when he can come home and play a little basketball at Rupert Bell.

■ Kim Underwood can be reached at 727-7389 or at kunderwood@wsjournal.com.