A San Diego man is helping save the lives of hundreds of civilians at the front lines in Mosul. But his contribution isn’t on the battlefield; it’s as one of the two volunteer medics.
Derek Coleman, 27, is a machinist from San Marcos. The San Marcos High School alum had wanted to join the military but couldn’t because of medical reasons.
NBC 7 spoke with Coleman on the phone Friday morning. He told us he is not a doctor and most of his medical training came from learning on the job.
But since October, 2016 he has helped treat 500 patients, most of whom are children caught in the middle of the fight against ISIS.
Coleman’s sister, Taylor says last year her older brother sold his truck, packed up his belongings and headed to Iraq. She found out just three weeks before he left.
"When I tell people my brother is a volunteer medic, he's in Mosul, people say, ‘that’s the worst place he could possibly be,’” Taylor said.
The volunteer medic said he initially went to Iraq to fight against ISIS but realized he could be more effective treating those who were injured.
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His sister also agrees.
“Being a medic is more helpful than fighting along with the Peshmerga—saving more lives than possibly taking them,” she said.
Coleman told NBC 7 that even as a medic, he has had a lot of close calls in the last few months, along with his colleague Pete Reed. But they are the only people treating civilians in Mosul right now.
Taylor says although she worries about her brother, she is proud of him.
"For other people to finally meet him, or I guess to see him on TV and to realize what he's doing, I'm not surprised. He's a great person. I'm excited, very excited that a lot of people get to see what he's doing,” she said.
Coleman says all their medical supplies are donated and they're running out of pediatric supplies. He is hoping to raise money for supplies through a GoFundMe page. If you would like to donate, click here.
He will be returning next week to San Diego for the holidays.
