Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund delivers 3,000 military-grade, first-aid kits to Artsakh troops

A $205,000 shipment of kits is being deployed in the front-lines of two strategic regions of Artsakh.  These kits are state-of-the-art NATO-level combat casualty care systems and have proven to be nearly 100% effective at saving preventable combat deaths by the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since May of this year,Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund (AWHF) worked with the appropriate governmental authorities to bring this strategic capability to Armenia and upgrade the nation-wide casualty care system.

Importantly, these kits will deploy alongside the first-ever class of graduates of the Army Medic School, who have been receiving US-style training since October.

The Armenian Medical Fund, USA contributed to the project with a generous donation funding almost half of the shipment. Also Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) and IDeA Foundation in Armenia contributed with logistics support and assisting with delivering the kits to the soldiers on the front-line.

It is estimated that 90% of preventable combat deaths can be avoided if first-aid is readily available.  There are typically three leading causes of preventable death from penetrating trauma:

• Extremity bleeding
• Tension pneumothorax (lacerated lungs), and
• Airway obstruction

The quality of first aid can make all the difference between a survivable / recoverable injury, and a much more permanent injury, amputation, or even death, resulting from severe hemorrhaging, collapsed lungs, etc.  This is why the US Army has deployed high quality first aid kits to each soldier, in addition to supplying medics and hospitals with quality equipment. We are currently working with organizations in Armenia to deploy this system to anyone exposed to conflict on the front.  We are also negotiating with US and Israeli personnel protection experts to determine best practices, recruit trainers, and procure specialty combat wound / trauma treatment kits for Armenia.

An important feature of this kit is the tourniquet, which has been used for hundreds of years to stop severe bleeding from limbs.  Today, tourniquets are credited with saving the lives and limbs of US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. All state-of-the-art military forces now issue tourniquets.

Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund is a non profit organization dedicated to serving our heroes; standing with them through challenging times, saving lives, and supporting the rehabilitation of our wounded heroes who have sacrificed all for our homeland.