Reserve Airmen contribute to medical mission in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Bryan Ripple
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) --  Air Force Reservists from the 920th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., found themselves integral to the success rate of the Air Force Theater Hospital here.

Nine Airmen from the 920th ASTS, part of the Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing, are deployed here working for the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group in various capacities to support the medical mission to save lives.

They are some of the 86 guardsmen and reservists who currently make up 22 percent of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group and represent nearly 20 Guard and Reserve units around the United States.

"This percentage is much higher than we've ever had here at Balad," said Lt. Col. Frank Palmisano, director of operations for the 332nd EMDG. "Our Reserve component members bring years of valuable experience to the hospital," he said.

Major Dianna Schulkers is the nurse manager of the Emergency Department. She is also an emergency department nurse at Cape Canaveral Hospital in Florida.

"Here we deal with a lot of trauma patients with war wounds such as IED (improvised explosive devices) blasts, gunshot wounds and burns," Major Schulkers said.

Chances of survival for seriously wounded patients arriving at the Emergency Department here are very good -- patients have a 98-percent survival rate.

The AFTH is a military level III trauma center, equivalent to a Level I trauma center in the United States. In the United States, a Level I trauma center provides the highest level of surgical care to trauma patients. Staff members here at the AFTH treat an average of 700 patients per month including about 120 U.S. patients, 30 Iraqi soldiers and civilians, and 25 coalition and third country nationals (TCNs) per week.

"I was chosen to deploy here for AEF 1-2 from July-September, 2006, and I worked in the ICU then," said Major Schulkers. "This is such an honorable duty; and when I found out they needed help here, I knew I would come back without a question. We do our part best by saving the lives of U.S. servicemembers and Iraqi citizens."

Medical treatment isn't the only facet that makes the Air Force Theater Hospital successful -- a good nutritional program helps injured patients get better faster as well.

Tech. Sgt. Anand Ramkissoon is a police service aide for the Broward County Sheriff's office in Florida. He's deployed here as a nutritional medicine technician and has the responsibility to ensure patients and staff members have good meals available.

Part of his job includes picking up the food for each meal served at the hospital from one of the dining facilities here.

"Our primary mission is to feed the patients," said Sergeant Ramkissoon. "We can alter the menu for the patients if their medical situation dictates a certain dietary restriction, and we are sensitive to the cultural aspects of the Iraqi people and what we serve them." 

Sergeant Ramkissoon has been in the military for 18 years and wanted to deploy here to validate the training he's had over the years.

"The idea of actually living out what we've trained for and getting a better understanding of nutritional medicine in a deployed hospital environment is something that's pretty impossible to experience in a training environment," said Sergeant Ramkissoon. "Now I see how it works and all the theory behind it comes into play."

Over at the 332nd Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, or CSAF, many people provide nursing support en route for safe transfer out of Balad Air Base via airlift.

Maj. Laurie Turner is deployed here as director of operations and executive officer for the CASF. She took a voluntary layoff from her civilian occupation two years ago as a project manager for Convergys Corporation in Lake Mary, Fla., so she could pursue more Air Force deployments.

She's also one of the Airmen who transfer injured soldiers to Germany or back to their duty assignments.

Her father was a lieutenant commander in the Navy and served in World War II and three tours in Vietnam, and that according to Major Turner, is one of the big reasons she volunteered for this deployment.

"I always told him I would achieve his rank, now I'm telling him I'll pass him -- eventually," Major Turner said. "One of the highlights of my Air Force career was having my father pin major on me in a formal ceremony at Patrick."

Her job includes coordinating CASF staff members with missions, disseminating information for nursing support, and keeping track of the logistical part of the CASF operations.

"It's been a most humbling experience," she said. "We prepare for the worst and hope for the best," she said.

Likewise, some people say the work they do here supporting the mission of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group is the most gratifying they've ever done.

Capt. Laura Reitz is an open heart recovery nurse at the Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Fla., and is another 920 ASTS member working at the CASF. She helps get medicines, dressings, antibiotics, and other effects together for patients and then gets them to the medical transfer buses and loaded onto planes for departure.

A fifth-generation military member, Captain Reitz has served in the Air Force for 15 years and says this is the most important job she's ever participated in aside from raising her kids.

"To me, I'm in awe of these young people. Many of them are seriously injured but still maintain their military bearing and composure. I think anybody who deploys here will leave with a whole new perspective on life," she said.

Many times patients or even staff members may need to just talk with someone after experiencing or witnessing the difficult picture of war they see here.

Master Sgt. James Brown is deployed here from the 920th ASTS as non commissioned officer in charge of the Life Skills section. Back home, he's the postmaster of the Titusville, Fla., post office. Here he talks to people and helps them deal with their psychological needs.

"Some military members try to suppress their feelings after witnessing the horrors of war, but sometimes you can't hold back anymore," he said. "We're here to talk if someone wants to. This puts a perspective on what's important in life."

Coordinating all the efforts of the 332nd EMDG requires the support of those working at the Medical Control Center, or MCC.

Captain Scott Morse works for the Department of Homeland Security on the civilian side and is deployed here as the chief of the MCC, or the nerve center of the operations on the administrative side of the 332nd EMDG. Captain Morse supervises the administrative staff and manages the medical contingency response plan for the hospital. He said being here to help the guys fighting outside the wire is what it's all about for him.

"Hopefully when our rotation is over, I'll have done a good job supporting our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen, and left a tough place a little bit better," he said.

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