Rock Solid Warrior: Senior Airman James Raper

Published Jan. 30, 2015
By 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- This week's Rock Solid Warrior is Senior Airman James Raper. He is a medical technician with the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group. The Ft. Worth, Texas, native is deployed from the 96th Surgical Operations Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Q: What is your family’s military heritage (anyone else in your family who was/is in the military?):
A: Both of my parents are prior Air Force. My mother was a broadcast journalist for 12 years and separated in 1996 as a technical sergeant. My father started off as supply in 1980. He finished his career as a command chief at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington D.C., and Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., where he retired in 2010. There have been many family members over multiple generations who have served in all branches of the military.

Q: What is your mission here (in general terms)?
A: My mission is providing medical care, both clinical and emergency, for all forces here including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and coalition members.

Q: What are some of the best parts of your mission?
A: Some of the best parts are working with other medics from different bases and different nations and seeing how they do their jobs and bouncing different ideas off of each other in order to achieve the mission in a better and more efficient manner.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face while conducting your mission, and how do you overcome them?
A: Working with limited resources and capabilities is a big challenge. We overcome these challenges by working with and reaching out to some of the other medical facilities in the region.

Q: How does your job differ in a deployed environment vs. home base?
A: At home I work in a pre-anesthesia operation and post-anesthesia recovery unit, so I deal mainly with starting intravenous fluids and prepping patients for surgery and then helping them recover and wake up from surgery without complications. Here on deployment as a medic, we do anything and everything we’re asked. This includes checking patients in at the front desk for sick call, responding to 911 calls and in-flight emergencies, transferring patients to and from other facilities, performing medical procedures, standing up new medical facilities, working with aircrews and more.

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

Q: What makes this deployment unique?
A: This deployment is unique because we work closely with and providing medical care for joint and coalition forces.

Q: Why did you join the Air Force?
A: After graduating high school I tried living away from the military. When I turned 21 and got rid of my dependent identification card, it hit me that I was not going to be able to get on a military base freely again. Knowing that the military wasn’t going to be a part of my life anymore did not sit well with me. I needed to be around structure. I wanted to be more than just some manager.