Rock Solid Warrior: Staff Sgt. John Howard

Published Feb. 25, 2013
386th Expeditionary Medical Group

SOUTHWEST ASIA: -- Rank/First & Last Name: SSgt John Howard

Deployed Unit: 386th EMDG

Duty Title: 4N071 Aerospace Medical Services Craftsman

Home unit/station: Wright Patterson AFB

Family's military heritage: My father served in the Army for 20 years and retired in San Antonio, TX. My mother served in the Army for 4 years and is now a GS-15 working in Headquarters AFPC . My maternal grandfather served in the Navy for 20+ years and retired in Louisiana. Paternal grandfather served in the Army for 20+ years and is now retired and living in South Carolina. I have many other family members that have served and/or still serving in all branches of the armed forces.

What is your mission here? In short, my mission here is to be a part of a team where our number priority is to treat our sick/wounded troops/personnel as quickly and effectively as possible to get them back into the mission to continue preserving the freedoms we all enjoy.

What are some of the best parts of your mission? Helping those in need is a major one to me. I have the training and ability to help the sick/wounded and I will always do everything in my power to get a patient back to a normal and healthy state. Another thing about my mission that I enjoy is meeting different people from all around the base. You can't come or leave without stopping by our wonderful EMEDS clinic!

What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them? I love a challenge and will do everything I can to figure it out. The challenges I face while conducting the mission are the constant changes that occur on a daily basis. The military is always changing right along with the medical field. When new standards and protocols of care are made it can be a challenge to change old habits but as a team we adapt and overcome to keep the mission going strong!

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
The major difference here in the deployed location versus home base is that we have additional resources at home station such as podiatry, cardiopulmonary, respiratory, and etc readily available. When back home we can easily refer patients to these specialty clinics for continued medical care. While in the deployed setting we are very limited to what we can do without having to send patients to another base or in some cases back home for continued medical care.

How many times have you deployed?
I've deployed twice. I was here back in Dec 09-June 10 and now again from Nov 12-May 13.

What makes this deployment unique?
I always say that the people you're deployed with make the deployment what it is. This deployment has been a roller coaster ride to say the least but at the same time I've gained a wealth of knowledge, and knowledge is power.

Why did you join the Air Force?
My family has deep roots in the military, so I guess you can say that I was bound to join the military. I wasn't completely sure about going to college immediately after High School so I just decided to try the military out for 4 years. My intentions were to just do 4 years, get out and go to college. Here I am in my second enlistment. I've taken advantage of my tuition assistance by taking college classes going towards a major in Physical Therapy. I'm close to completing my pre-requisites and will be applying for the Air Force Physical Therapy program. I'm not sure what my future holds but I will make the best of the present to prepare for my future endeavors.