MDG Luncheon congratulates medics on job well done and safe return home

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tonnette Thompson
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The combat medics deployed from the 82nd Medical Group and the 882nd Training Group, who returned to Sheppard in September, were treated to a luncheon in their honor Oct. 31. 

The 53 medics deployed earlier this year to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Netherlands. 

"I'm proud of all of you," said Col. James King, 82nd MDG commander, who also took a moment to note the latest batch of medics preparing to deploy, and how the same support shown to the luncheon's honorees must be extended to them. 

"Take care of them like you take care of our patients," he said. 

Blue Stars 

During the medics' deployment, picture frames lined the base clinic's 'A' hallway, each one displaying a Blue Star and a plaque with a deployed medic's name. At the luncheon, the medics were each presented with a certificate and the Blue Star that hung in their honor. 

"We knew before we left that these stars had gone up, but I didn't really know what they meant until the luncheon," said Tech. Sgt. Robert Sanderson, a medical technician. A short history of the Blue Star flag during the luncheon explained that it represents a servicemember deployed to war, and the faith their loved ones hold for a safe return home. 

"To me it was like the stars overhead," he said, "watching over us until we got home." 

Famous People 

The medics stationed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, met several noteworthy people, including the Marine Corps CENTCOM Commander, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and even the Air Force Surgeon General. When asked for an interesting story, however, Maj. Teresa Starks, 82nd MDG group practice manager, cited crossing paths with a different 'celebrity.' 

"The soldier who was stabbed in the brain was brought to us," she said, referring to Army Sgt. Dan Powers, who miraculously survived a blade plunged four inches into his temple July 3, and whose story headlines the Oct. 29 edition of the Air Force Times. 

Major Starks was the night officer in charge of patient administration, and her team acted as first responders to the POI - point of injury - patient. 

"One of the most interesting aspects of this assignment is that you can put your hands on a patient, save their lives, and a few days later you'll see their story in the news," she said. "It's amazing - we saw him, we got to know him. Then as soon as we get home, we see this in the paper." 

The medics treated and helped transport more than 6,530 patients in the course of hundreds of missions, ensuring a 98 percent survival rate for servicemembers treated at a U.S. combat facility.