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Rock Solid Warrior - Staff Sgt. Joseph Hornbeck

  • Published
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  
Name: SSgt Joseph Hornbeck

Deployed Unit: 386th Expeditionary Medical Group

Duty Title: NCOIC, Public Health

Home unit/station: 96th AMDS, Eglin AFB, Fla.

Family's military heritage: Father: 2yrs in Army

What is your mission here?
My mission at Ali Al Salem is to ensure the members and mission are not jeopardized or degraded by illness/disease by performing preventative medicine.

What are some of the best parts of your mission?
Some of the best parts of my mission include being able to interact with lots of different Airmen, traveling, and being behind the scenes... we prevent disease, so people rarely come up to us and say thank you for making sure I didn't get shigellosis. We're Batman, we take care of problems before they become problems

What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
We encounter many different challenges when trying to conduct the mission. The main challenge is trying to make people realize the importance of our job/mission. The way we try to overcome this is by trying to first, connect with the individuals. Then, after connecting we can explain the importance of what we do and how we do it. I have found that people listen and adhere to what you're saying if they believe you. Another way of doing this is by being confident and sounding competent.

How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
Our deployed job is only different from our home station in a sense that everything is done at a faster pace and rate.

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

What makes this deployment unique?
There are a total of 12 people in my career field in the AOR. That means, this deployment could be my only one, unfortunately

Why did you join the Air Force?
I joined the Air Force to receive an education... about halfway through basic training I realized the Air Force is going to have to kick me out before I decide to leave. Almost seven years later I still feel the same way. The opportunities, benefits, and sense of belonging to something bigger and better... the best! Its mind baffling to me as to why someone would think otherwise.