Medical Support to the Kenya Embassy Bombing, A Model for Success or a Platform for Reform?

Authors: James A. Geiling; ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA

Abstract:

On 7 August 1998 at 1035 local time, a truck bomb detonated outside the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. In concert with a similarly timed bomb in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 220 persons, including twelve Americans, lost their lives. The Federal Government launched a massive effort to provide medical care to injured US citizens and return them to US facilities in Europe and America. This response effort, although heroic on the ground by immediate responders, was fraught with delays and confusion. Fortunately, the quality of the care in Nairobi saved lives and minimized morbidity. This paper looks at disaster medical support from historical and organizational perspectives, and reviews in detail the medical response effort to the Nairobi bombing. Following the bombing, an Accountability Review Board systematically outlined major deficiencies in the overall response effort. The medical problems identified in this review, and others, serve as a focus of the recommended changes and preparations needed for the next terrorist bombing. Failure to critically look at the issues and interagency cooperation in the response effort will lead to repetition of the problems found in Nairobi and ultimately, the unnecessary loss of American lives.

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APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE