Heralding the front line heroes

THEY’RE called Voodoo Medics not because they perform magic but because they practise the science of medicine under the toughest conditions on earth — on the front lines of war.

The nickname for the tiny group of combat medics assigned to Australia’s Special Operations Command is not sanctioned by the military brass and was coined a decade ago to describe the soldiers saving lives in Afghanistan with nothing but what they could carry.

“You don’t have the luxury of definitive care; you don’t have all of the bells and whistles, medical equipment. You are it when push comes to shove,” said Corporal Jody Tieche, one of the elite fraternity who served two tours of Afghanistan in 2007-08

The name was coined by one of Australia’s most decorated combat medics, Sergeant John Walter, during a deployment to Afghanistan, when he drew a small voodoo doll logo and put it with the phrase “Dominating the Dark Arts”, to describe the act of providing medical support to the special forces.

Their logo now has a voodoo doll, pins and the initial of the medic’s call sign “Kilo”. In the early days, medics spray painted it onto T-shirts. These days, it appears on everything from velcro patches to bottle openers and even tattoos. Their motto is a promise to the elite fighters they serve with: “We’ll do the voodoo, so you can do what you do.”