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Rock Solid Warrior: Airman 1st Class Bryan Retzlaff

  • Published
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  
Airman 1st Class Bryan Retzlaff

Deployed Unit: 386 Expeditionary Medical Squadron

Duty Title: Aerospace Medical Technician

Home unit/station: 96th Inpatient Operations Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.

Family's military heritage: Cpl Chris Retzlaff, brother, U.S. Marine Corps, Private Derek Retzlaff, brother, U.S. Army

What is your mission here? Help provide medical support the Airmen of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing

What are some of the best parts of your mission? To be able to help those who are sick and injured to get better.

What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them? The dust storms we get causes eye problems whether it be sand in the eye or corneal abrasions, it affects people's vision and causes an increase of patients we see after the storms. Also safety is always issue, such as people not using the right technique in the gym while lifting weights or they are not used to working out back home and try to strain themselves here without giving their body enough time to rest. So in result we instruct those to be careful and teach them about using proper techniques and healthy resting cycles for muscles and how not to overwork them.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? Back home I work on the Multi Service Unit, which we see patients of all ages. We see anything from newborn babies and surgery recoveries to elderly patients with pneumonia or chest pain with potential of a heart attack. In this deployed environment I take care of those on base who get sick and injured as well as helping transport injured warriors to aircraft to get them sent to Germany for observation and more medical support that we are not capable of doing here, and then sent home.

How many times have you deployed? This is my first deployment.

What makes this deployment unique? The fact that this is my first deployment, all the learning experiences and opportunities that I get here as a young Airman, will help me later on in my career.

Why did you join the Air Force? Both of the people I look up to most in the world; my dad, Timothy Retzlaff and my brother, Chris Retzlaff said that joining the Air Force would be the best thing for me in the future, so that is what I did.