CAMP AL QA’IM, Iraq -- Corpsman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment conducted a medical screening for the forward operating base’s Iraqi Security Force soldiers today. According to Petty Officer 3rd Class Roman Cadena, Jr., one of the corpsmen who conducted the screening, it was a head to toe visual inspection and brief medical history questionnaire. “We didn’t know the last time these soldiers were examined so we needed to make sure that they were good to go and make sure they are taking care of themselves,” said the Weslaco, Texas, native and 1996 South Texas High School graduate. The screening identified which soldiers need medical help before the battalion aid station began providing a sick call three times a week for the soldiers. Some of the things the corpsmen checked for were cardiovascular history, smoking history, psychiatric history, skin disorders, muscular pain and allergies and medication. The soldier’s blood pressure and heart rate were also calculated during the screening. Petty Officer 1st Class Vincent A. Nesbitt, a 34-year-old from Memphis, Tenn., explained the most common complaint among Iraqi soldiers. “The majority of the problems some of the Iraqis complained about were abdominal and joint pain,” he continued. “The abdominal pain was probably from them switching from their type of food to ours. The joint pain was most likely from the training they are conducting, which is very common while they get used to it.” The sick calls for the Iraqi soldiers is important, according to Cadena. “They need to be physically and mentally ready to train and to fight. If they have any problems medically while doing that, that’s where we can help get them back out there healthy and ready to go,” Cadena explained.