By DEBORAH A. MILES
Military personnel refer to the placement of U.S. troops
in southwest Asia as “Operation Enduring
Freedom.” Many of the soldiers and personnel refer
to it as “going to the sandbox.” No matter what
you call the overseas mission, PEF members serve on the
front lines and behind the scenes, pulling military duty
in a time of world uncertainty.
It is the largest show of military force in Kuwait since
Operation Desert Storm, with thousands of tanks,
howitzers and Bradley fighting vehicles rumbling across
an endless expanse of sand.
And it all starts with processing soldiers.
PEF member Mike Hannon, a project review officer at the
Adirondack Park Agency, also serves as a captain and
medical logistics officer in the New York Army National
Guard. Though he has not been deployed overseas, Hannon
plays a key role in making sure soldiers are ready for
deployment.
Getting soldiers
ready
In a recent three -week guard duty stint, Hannon was
assigned to the Medical Command based at the Watervliet
Arsenal and assisted in the screening of more than 2,000
New York Army National Guard soldiers. Those activated go
through a Soldier Readiness Processing (SRP) which
includes the review of the soldier’s personnel file
and medical records to ensure everything is accurate.
“I am involved in the SRP on the medical side,”
Hannon said. “Medical records are reviewed to make
certain all the shots are up-to-date. If not, the shots
are given on site. Blood is also drawn for DNA and HIV
testing. Dental screenings are also part of this
process,” he said.
Some of the soldiers screened report to Fort Drum or Fort
Dix and then sent overseas. Others remain stateside and
stand-in for the full-time troops.
In addition to the exams and processing for Operation
Enduring Freedom, Hannon’s unit administers the
medical testing to all statewide guard soldiers at four
different health clinics from Niagara Falls to just north
of New York City.
The physicals and testing help ensure the health and
safety of a soldier.
“Medical Readiness plays a big part in whether or
not a unit can be deployed. It is our job to ensure the
units have the opportunity to address any medical issues
they may have,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky,” Hannon added. “I
got to go home after three weeks and sleep in my own bed
again. A lot of these soldiers won’t have that
opportunity.”
Embarking into
the unknown
The Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts,
located 100 miles east of Albany, is where soldiers awake
in bunks, knowing all too soon they will leave American
soil, and may never return.
“Being at Westover hits them that they are really
leaving, and they don’t know how long they will be
gone, or even exactly where they are going,” said
PEF member Tom Allocco, a health education media
specialist at the state Department of Health and a master
sergeant, public affairs specialist at the 439th Airlift
Wing.
“There’s a sense of apprehension for the troops
passing through here as these young soldiers are
embarking into the unknown,” he said.
Allocco said the soldiers come from all parts of the U.S.
and are sent to Westover, one of the important launch
sites for U.S. overseas operations.
“People in Albany, New York don’t know how
close they are to the front line of this operation,”
Allocco said. “The Westover Base is the closest
point to Europe. Troops and equipment are flown from this
base to areas in southwest Asia and other
locations,” Allocco said. “During the last
couple of months, we’ve had a ‘surge,’
meaning that’s when the heavy air traffic began.
About half of the 25,000 reservists have been called to
serve full time,” he said.
Supplying the
troops
Along with transporting some military personnel, Allocco
said the C-5 Galaxy, the premier transport aircraft, can
carry 250,000 pounds of cargo and is large enough to fit
48 Cadillacs. There are 16 Galaxies permanently assigned
to Westover, with planes flying in and out of the base 24
hours a day. In mid-March, the base handled 25 of the
aircraft in one day. They carry hundreds of trucks,
generators, spare parts and food to the troops in
Afghanistan and Kuwait.
Since Operation Enduring Freedom began just after 9/11,
Allocco has flown to Turkey on two occasions to take
photographs and write articles for The Patriot Express,
the base publication.
In a recent issue, he wrote, “Since the February
kick-off of the surge, Westover aircrews are on the road
every day, going on overdrive to deliver the equipment
and troops that put muscle behind Operation Enduring
Freedom.”
 Utilizing his skills as a DOH media
specialist, Allocco’s work in the Westover public
affairs office involves escorting and responding to the
media, writing news releases and producing an additional
biweekly newsletter for base personnel, due to increased
military activity.
He also spent eight months at Westover during Desert
Shield and Desert Storm, and made three C-5 trips to the
Middle East during that time.
HELPING IN THE
FIELD — PEF member Bryan P. Shea, Ph.D. travels to
various camps in the desert of Kuwait where he counsels
soldiers in the field during his six month tour of duty.
He is a licensed psychologist and a Captain in the U.S.
Army Reserves assigned to the 405th Combat Support
Hospital. — Photo by U.S. Army Col. Robert Jones
Counseling
combat stress
PEF member Bryan P. Shea, Ph.D., recently returned from
Camp Doha, located just north of Kuwait City, where he
worked as a licensed psychologist counseling soldiers in
the desert.
Shea said his duty overseas greatly differed from his
civilian practice for the state Office of Mental Health
at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg. His
role as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves assigned to
the 405th Combat Support Hospital remains an
unforgettable experience for him.
He recalled the memorial service in the desert on the
anniversary of 9/11 and described it as a powerful
experience.
And he remembers that during the last three months of his
tour of duty, security escalated to the point that
members of his combat stress team couldn’t go
anywhere without an armed escort.
“We were locked-down at Camp Doha. We could not
leave unless it was for official business. And when we
did leave, it was in a two-vehicle convoy with an armed
guard in each vehicle,” he said.
“You would think to yourself, this is very
real,” Shea said. “Something may happen, but
you don’t know when or where.”
 GLAD TO BE HOME —
Captain Bryan Shea poses in front of a camel in the
Kuwait desert. He said the hardest part of his tour was
being away from his family. — Photo by U.S. Army
Col. Robert Jones
Difficult duty
The fear of anthrax exposure, and being in a country
filled with weapons of mass destruction among other
things made some soldiers suffer from stress reactions,
depressive episodes, anxiety disorders and psychotic
breaks. Shea’s mission was to provide mental health
services to the soldiers in the field, so they could stay
and do their job.”
Shea counseled soldiers at various camps in the desert,
enduring temperatures that soared to 130 degrees. He said
the heat is really a blow to the body.
“There’s a physical force when you step into
it. The heat slaps against you and when the sand is
blowing, it’s like a snow white-out, except
it’s yellow and the sharp grains of sand hurt when
they hit your face,” he said.
Shea’s duty also led him to Djbouti, Africa for one
week, after a soldier committed suicide.
“We dealt with grieving issues and anger, all the
emotional after effects to make sure everyone could pull
himself together. One soldier had four or five suicides
in his immediate circle — some family members, high
school friends, then this.”
The most difficult part of Shea’s tour of duty was
being away from his wife and two daughters, ages 10 and
5. “I left on my oldest daughter’s birthday,
and landed in Kuwait on my birthday. I missed a lot while
I was gone. I was glad to serve, but I’m happy to be
home,” he said.
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PEF fires back in budget
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PEF fights to raise state
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Budget cuts leave research
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Unions may unite in battle
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DEC: Polluters’ lackies
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President's Message: NYS
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You Said It: Member's
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Member Mobilization:
Building Survivor Skills
Nurses' Station: Lobby Day
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Retirees In Action: Fight
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PEF Membership Benefits
Program & Travel Corp
Members In Action
Union Matters
'Operation Enduring Freedom'
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DOH members ahead in
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Call for Delegates: Annual
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