ROCK SOLID WARRIOR Published Aug. 18, 2008 386th Expeditionary Medical Group SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman Ronnie Tipton Jr. Aerospace medical technician Home unit/base: 88th Medical Operations Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio How do you support the mission here? My duties here are as a Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility (CASF) technician. These duties include everything from receiving wounded warriors from various deployed locations, to anti-hijacking screening on personnel and their luggage to ensure safety of the flight crew. Recently, we've doubled our patient load by caring for transient personnel in return-to-duty status. How many times have you deployed and what makes this one unique? This is my second deployment as a CASF technician. This deployment is unique because we get to care for patients who have already received initial treatment and are here en-route to a higher echelon of care. During my last deployment, we mainly saw patients who came directly from the battlefield. How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base? In my job at home, I deal with the hustle and bustle of the emergency department, where I'll handle anything from cardiac arrest to the common cold. Here I deal primarily with traumas and combat stress issues.