The sailors and Marines of Taqaddum Surgical must be prepared for any task such as escorting injured U.S. and Iraqi troops to waiting helicopters when a mass casualty incident occurs. Petty Officer 3rd Class Jesse K. Bolstad, a 32-year-old native of Spokane, Wash., holds on tightly as the ambulance he is in prepares to leave Taqaddum Surgical. The staff of Taqaddum Surgical, the main facility of its kind in the region, treated several soldiers of the Iraqi Army after a recent insurgent attack. The Iraqi unit had several wounded in the attack that also hit two American service members attached to its Military Transition Team. Taqaddum Surgical is classified as a surgical shock trauma platoon because it has two main elements: a shock trauma platoon, which serves as an emergency room, and a forward resuscitative surgical suite â?? a battlefield operating room. The MTT is a small group of American military personnel tasked with training and advising the Iraqi soldiers as they take control of their country.