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Page | Hurlburt Warrior | Friday, October 28, 2011 ContactUs Tracey Steele Editor 315-4472 tsteele@nwfdailynews.com Susan Fabozzi News Assistant 315-4450 sfabozzi@nwfdailynews.com News (850) 315-4450 Fax: (850) 863-7834 E-mail: news@hurlburtwarrior.com Advertising 863-1111 Ext. 1322 Mail 2 Eglin Parkway NE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 Hurlburt Warrior is published by the Northwest Florida Daily News, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force. This publication’s content is not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hurlburt Field. The official news source for Hurlburt Field is www. hurlburt.af.mil. The appearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, Hurlburt Field or the Northwest Florida Daily News for products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Northwest Florida Daily News. Year No. 5, Edition No. 43 AFSOC team helps shape future of Afghan medicine By Senior Airman . Patrick McKenna U.S. Air Forces Central Command Combat Correspondent HERAT, Afghanistan — Eight Airmen making up a special operations medical team are currently deployed to Afghanistan from the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron at Hurlburt Field. The core mission of this team is to give the special operations community a surgical capability on outside the wire missions. The team has two sections. The first is the special operations surgical team (SOST) which has a general surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, anesthesia doctor, operating room technician and an emergency room doctor. The other is the special operations critical care evacuation team (SOCCET) which has a critical care nurse, a respiratory technician and a critical care doctor. They are able to operate in austere environments and intended to reach an injured service member quickly, stabilize and treat them while in transit to a larger medical center. Their goal is to extend what they call the “golden hour.” “The first hour or ‘golden hour’ after an injury is the most critical hour,” said Maj. Jason Webb, SOST general surgeon. “Treatment or stabilization of a patient in that hour improves mortality significantly. Our design is to be far enough forward so we can get to the casualty within that hour, get them stabilized and sent to a larger hospital where more definitive surgery can be performed.” Tactically Sound, Medically Brilliant To be able to handle the high ops tempo it’s expected to sustain while deployed, the team undergoes extensive training so the team members are able to keep up with the special operations units they support. Their mantra is “tactically sound and medically brilliant”, and they’re constantly pushing themselves to live up to that. “We train year round to get Senior Airman Tyler Placie | USAF Above, Maj. Jason Webb advises an Afghan doctor during the care of a young Afghan child at Herat’s Afghanistan National Army hospital, Oct. 10. Below, Maj. Jeffrey Collins compares X-rays, with Navy Capt. Christopher Kushner, at Herat’s Afghanistan National Army Hospital intensive care unit Oct. 10. Collins is part of the Special Operations Surgical Team, deployed from Hurlburt Field. accustomed to the operational side of the Air Force,” said Master Sgt. Oladayo Oladokun, SOCCET respiratory therapist. “We support high speed missions therefore our training is geared toward not making us a liability so we can fit in with the unit.” That preparation involves advanced weapons training and survival evasion resistance escape courses to ensure they’re highly mobile while leaving a small footprint. Additionally, the SOCT/SOC- CET Airmen take part in medical exercises in harsh conditions that test their capabilities and ability to perform the mission under stress and under fire. ‘We train so hard because our skills are tested constantly on trauma as well as critical care,” said Maj. Marion Foreman, SOC- CET team lead and critical care nurse. “Every injury is new. Everything we do in the medical profession brings new challenges and through those you become a better medical provider.” The training coupled with being stationed together at Hurlburt Field is extremely beneficial in terms of increasing communication among the team members as well as trust in each other’s capabilities. “All the time we spend together back at home station and in training helps us get to know each other’s personalities, leadership styles and quirks,” said Lt. Col. Jade Barrow, SOST team lead as well as the team’s certified registered nurse anesthetist. “Being only an eight man team, it helps knowing the other person’s personality and defi- See afsoc page 4
Friday, October 28, 2011 | Hurlburt Warrior | Page Doctor leaves private practice to become Airman By Senior Airman . Patrick McKenna U.S. Air Forces Central Command Combat Correspondent CAMP STONE, Afghanistan — The choice to join the military is one thousands of Americans make each year. Some join right out of high school. Others may come in years later with higher education or valuable life experience under their belts. For one Airman currently deployed to Afghanistan, the decision to join the Air Force came two years ago, when he left behind a successful private medical practice to become an Air Force doctor, helping to fulfill a lifelong dream as well as put his skills to what he felt would be a better use. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Derrick Willsey grew up in a military family as his father served four years in the Army during Vietnam, separated, and then came back to active duty as a dentist in the Air Force where he eventually retired. The respect and admiration for the military, instilled in Willsey as a child, transformed into curiosity and action as he saw a need for medical personnel to care for wounded service members fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. “In the back of my mind there was always something missing,” said Willsey. “I’d see pictures on the news and wondered if I could contribute and provide a greater capability to help the war effort. I began doing research and heard of the special operations surgical teams at Hurlburt Field and a light bulb went off in my mind.” What appealed to Willsey about the SOST mission was the opportunity it presented to apply his medical experience in a number of different ways. Willsey and the other seven members of his team, deployed from the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., train year round to handle the blending of mission sets in what they do.” “Coming into active duty, I wanted to experience the more operational side of things,” said Willsey, critical care provider for the special operations critical care evacuation team. “The SOST/SOCCET team provides forward surgical care, bolsters surgical capabilities at forward operating bases, supports coalition forces on direct action missions, as well as works with Afghan medical professionals to help them care for their own patients.” Willsey attributes much of his team’s success to the experience and professionalism of his fellow SOST/ SOCCET members and emphasized the importance of the team’s cohesion in how they complete their missions. “It’s been busy, but that’s what we signed up for,” Willsey said. “We are blessed to have high quality folks on this dynamic team. We train how to eat together, live together, fight together, and that only helps us reach that mutual support to execute the mission.” In turn, Willsey’s teammates have strong admiration for his decision join the military during a time of 1910 Catalog House located at the foot of the Brooks Bridge in Historic Downtown, FWB Visitor Friendly! The museum that serves food. Lunch M-F 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner M-Sat 5 p.m. Closed Sunday Reservations: 850-302-0266 157 Brooks St. SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL 4147081 SrA Tyler Placie | USAF Lt. Col. Derrick Willsey performs an ultrasound on the lung of Roquia, an Afghan child, Oct. 10. Magnolia Grill www.magnoliagrillfwb.com war and value his contributions and the experience he brings to the team. “The choice he made to leave private practice medicine amazes me,” said Maj. (Dr.) Jason Webb, SOST/SOCCET general surgeon. “He felt he had skills that could be better utilized by people in need. As a doctor he has a wealth of knowledge and we’re always bouncing things off each other. He’s become a good friend and I think the world of him as a doctor and a person.” Looking back to his childhood, the married father of two children recognizes the ties between his father’s choice to come back to the military after some time away and his own choice to leave civilian life and answer what he describes as a higher calling. “The military way of life, values, and what you’re giving back was engrained into me,” Willsey said. “ It’s doing something more than just for yourself. It was a great upbringing for me and I hope I can translate to my kids the same benefits — duty, obligation, honor — that comes with it.” Now on his second deployment to Afghanistan, Willsey has missed anniversaries and birthdays and, most importantly, time with his family due to his military obligations. One might wonder if he has any second thoughts about his decision to leave civilian life to join the Air Force. “I’m confident why I’m here,” Willsey said. “I’m not here to wait the clock out to get out. I’m here because I want to be and I’m committed to giving it everything I can. I consider this one of the best decisions of my life and I’ll keep giving it all in whatever position I’m asked to fill. 2037528
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doctor leaves private practice to become airman ... - Hurlburt Warrior

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