Elizabeth Chacon is a Northridge, Calif. native, and medical specialist attached to the 1038th Horizontal Construction Company, 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Sustainment Brigade; and the last time she was at home with her family was in February 2007.

Back home, her job as a medical attendant with a private ambulance company out of Hollywood was filled with excitement. She would often ride in the back of the ambulance with patients as they were transported to the hospital, or she would stand by on the set of an independent movie or television show during filming just in case there was a medical emergency. At night, she would hang out in clubs around Hollywood, and even circuit parties that would last all night.

However, that fast-paced life changed dramatically once she was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. She worked as a chemical operations specialist for the 1113th Transportation Company, and eventually became part of the company’s supply section, where she was solely responsible for maintaining all the combat lifesaver bags.

Once the mission was complete and it was time to come home, Chacon volunteered to extend, but on one condition – she would get to work in her primary military occupational skill as a healthcare specialist or medic.

“It boils down to the fact that I wanted to be deployed and actually do what I’m passionate about. I love being a medic and hope to advance in the medical field. I’ll also admit that aside from the fact that I love my job, I’m hoping to save up some extra money for school and to hopefully buy a house when I get home,” said Chacon.

One of her most significant assignments, besides being a healthcare specialist, is that she gets tasked out to go on Deliberate Combat Logistics Patrols and serve as the convoy medic. So far, she has completed nine different missions and traveled to various military camps around Iraq.

“I basically roll out with a gun truck crew as the convoy medic. If anything happens on the road, it is my responsibility to respond and provide medical attention. If my guys have any small gripes or complaints that I can treat, then I do and if not, I’ll assess how serious it is and advise them as what to do next, whether it is go to the [Troop Medical Clinic] wherever we are or to just wait until we get back to Taji to get checked out,” Chacon stated.

Not long after extending, she was moved to Camp Taji and assigned to the Easy Red Troop Medical Clinic, where she does a variety of different jobs. In the screening rooms, she takes vitals such as blood pressure, temperature, and pulse and also annotates the reason for the patients’ visit before they are seen by the military physicians.

At the pharmacy, Chacon fills prescriptions according to whatever the doctors prescribe. This task involves creating the label and counting out pills or tablets to ensure patients get the proper amount of medicine.

When assigned to the treatment rooms, she assists the physicians in whatever they may need such as giving a hand with stitches, changing dressings, giving shots, and performing blood draws.

Chacon also gets supplies that the physicians may need or she will just watch how they examine patients in order to learn. These are only a few different areas within the Troop Medical Clinic that Chacon works in on occasion.

She stands as a bona fide, true role model that absolutely loves her military job and shows her devotion to the U.S. Army every day. After 16 months of being deployed, she is still charging hard and is even looking for another possible deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

DVIDS
By Staff Sgt. James E. Brown Jr.
1st Sustainment Brigade

She grew up a girl next door. Outgoing, athletic, snowboards and cheerleading. She joined the Army to pay for college.

Then someone taught her to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.

Sgt. Rebecca Hobson is currently serving in Iraq with Company C, 307th BSB, 1 BCT, 82nd Airborne Division. She’s a paratrooper and a combat medic.

This is her second tour in combat. She spent a year in Afghanistan in 2005-2006.

Afghanistan consisted of combat patrols and humanitarian assistance missions. She was one of three females in her unit. A female went on every patrol, to search Afghan women and to interact with them as male soldiers could not.

During this tour, Hobson rides with supply convoys headed north from Camp Adder. She drives an up armored HumVee, or M-1151. To date, she has not been in a convoy which was attack although convoys ahead or behind hers have been. Her skills on the road have been used at traffic accidents, such a HumVee rollover.

She has undergone egress training for such incidents, in a Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer, or HEAT.

In the next couple of weeks, Sgt. Hobson will be participating in her first humanitarian assistance mission of this tour. She describes much of the country that she has seen as barren, with the people living in mud huts or in tents.

In contrast, she was amazed by the beauty of the Al Faw palace when she visited it. She talked about the intricate carvings, the marble, and the other beautiful things.

I spoke with her grandfather, Marvin Fischer. He served in the United States Army and was first sergeant of his artillery unit. I asked him how he felt about having a granddaughter who was a paratrooper. “Thrilled!” was his reply. He described her as an outgoing and independent person, able to handle herself fine in the service.

Sgt. Hobson would encourage anyone to join the military, whether for a career or not. She highlighted the leadership skills learned and the friends you make as two important benefits of enlisting.

As for the future, Sgt. Hobson is scheduled to redeploy to the United States and back to Fort Bragg in September 2008. She has not decided if she will make the Army a career but is considering it. If she does, she would like to try to go to school to become a physician’s assistant.

Hobson is married, and her husband serves with her. They work out together and work together in the base hospital sometimes. They do not go out in the same convoys.

Her advice to those who will follow her in Iraq: “Stay focused.”

Part 1 of the interview

Part 2 of the interview

You will note that I speak with a lisp, a lateral lisp to be exact. It is one of the few souvenirs I have of the many surgeries in my youth to correct a birth defect. Please do not allow my poor speaking to detract in any way from the wonderful interview by Sgt. Hobson.

Here’s yet another story of a heroic medic. No medal in mentioned, but I’m sure one will be awarded.

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Jim Wilt
CJTF-82 Public Affairs Office

In a hail of bullets and rocket-propelled grenades, many Soldiers would be hesitant to expose themselves despite advances in body armor and medicine. Not every Soldier would risk his life to help a soldier from a different army.

Throughout the history of war, men have risen to the occasion in the heat of battle to save the life of another.

Staff Sgt. Joesph Peer, a combat medic attached to the 82nd Airborne Division’s Long Range Surveillance Detachment, is one of those men.

(more…)