Trauma of a different kind

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Louis Vega and Staff Sgt. Stephen Razo
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  "It was the greatest thing I have ever done in my medical career - to go to Afghanistan and help the injured," stated Lt. Col. Marc Matthews, 161st Medical Group.

Matthews captivated members of the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron (ASTS) and the 944th Medical Squadron with his post-brief of experiences and challenges encountered during his deployment to the Heathe Craig Joint Theater Hospital located at Bagram Airfield along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

Matthews was emotional when describing conditions in a high stress environment which one would think is second nature to a 17 year veteran of trauma surgery with the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix.

"I want people to be aware of what to expect down range and to get an accurate picture of U.S. involvement in helping the Afghanistan people," said Matthews.

Matthews's presentation described the harsh living conditions along with very detailed photographs of wounded war victims that provided graphic examples of the day to day medical humanitarian surgery efforts in Afghanistan.

Col. Judith Patton, 944th ASTS commander stated,"The briefing was extremely valuable because it was interesting, relevant, and educational for all military members, not just medical. It provided vivid images of the sacrifices our military members are making and showed us what extraordinary efforts medical service personnel are providing to save lives."

The 944th ASTS currently has 2 members in the theater with 3 more soon to follow.

"I would love to go back although there is a risk. It was such a pleasure, honor and privilege to care for Army, Air Force, Marine, and Navy troops," he concluded.