Airman goes green to aid OIF medical mission

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Marc Barnes
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  When Senior Airman Gary Doran graduated from the Department of Defense biomedical equipment technician’s course in 2002 and moved to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., he thought his time at the joint-service school would be his last experience working with Soldiers for a long time. In fact, he said he did not know if he would ever work with Soldiers again.

He was wrong, and in this case, being wrong was a good thing, said Airman Doran, who is deployed to Southwest Asia as a member of the Army’s 354th Medical Logistics Company.

“I was nervous and a little excited when I found out I’d be assigned to an Army unit,” said Airman Doran during a stop here Sept. 15.

He and Army Staff Sgt. Karl Faber flew here Sept. 13 to repair biomedical equipment in the 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron. Sergeant Faber is a U.S. Army reservist from Dallas, also assigned to the 354th. He has been in the region for more than eight months on a one-year tour.

While Airman Doran may be green in Southwest Asia -- he arrived in the region Sept. 10 -- his trip here is only the first of many he said he expects to make during his four-month Operation Iraqi Freedom tour of duty.

Unfortunately, he will be making those trips without Sergeant Faber. The sergeant is scheduled to spend the next few months in Tikrit, Iraq, while Airman Doran will return to the 354th and team up with other Soldiers for more trips to medical facilities throughout Southwest Asia.

There is no lack of experienced travelers in the 354th, so Airman Doran said he has no doubt he will be in good hands. The unit includes 13 Army and two Air Force biomedical technicians who travel the region so much they have become known as the “Road Dogs.” The 15-person team is responsible for maintaining equipment medics need to keep servicemembers in the region healthy, and they travel wherever they are needed to complete that mission.

But it is a mission the Road Dogs cannot complete alone, said Army Lt. Col. Thomas Slade, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Southwest Asia. The center is home to the 354th and is also responsible for the medical supply line that keeps facilities throughout the region stocked with medical supplies. The Air Force also plays a role in that part of the mission.

“Every rotation, we get a couple of medical maintenance and medical supply folks from the Air Force,” the colonel said. “The (Air Force) has been real good about it, which helps us interface because our two supply systems are different.”

Colonel Slade said the Airmen’s effect on the center’s ability to complete its mission has been significant.

“The (Airmen) here have been very technically competent,” he said. “They are really high-quality folks; I just wish we could keep them longer.”

Airman Doran said he appreciates the colonel’s compliment, but staying longer than his scheduled four-month tour is something he is hoping will not happen. He said he knows this deployment is a great opportunity, but he is already looking forward to returning home to his wife and 15-month-old son in Illinois.

Until then, he said he plans to proudly serve his country beside his Army counterparts and is optimistic that his tour will give him a wealth of opportunities some Airmen may never get. While some may get the feeling they are “sitting on the sidelines” and watching OIF unfold in the news, Airman Doran said he is glad to have a chance to see it firsthand.

“I was really excited to find out I’d be able to travel with the Army,” he said. “Some have to sit (at one base) while they’re over here, but traveling helps me be ‘in the game.’”