332nd Air Expeditionary Wing

Story by Staff Sgt. Jacob Richmond

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- For Staff Sgt. Christopher Hipsher, "Service Before Self" doesn't quite seem to cover it.

A native of Hilo, Hawaii, Hipsher's home unit is the 291st Combat Communications Squadron of the Hawaii Air National Guard. Here at JBB, he's nearing the end of a deployment with the 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron as a small computer repair technician.

On the one day a week he's not dealing with information technology equipment, he spends time volunteering at the Air Force Theater Hospital. Tech. Sgt. Mary Chapman, NCO in charge of the emergency department, said Sergeant Hipsher is one of the best volunteers they've got.

"He's been like a regular staff member, willing to do anything for the patients," she said.

Hipsher certainly has the motivation and commitment needed to be a top notch volunteer, but there's another reason why he can function so effectively in the duties of the medical staff. Back home, when he's not serving his state and country in the ANG, he serves Hawaii County as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. So, when he arrived here, he figured he might as well put his skills to good use.

"I had a friend who's been [to Balad] prior to me, and he told me there's a volunteer program here at the hospital," Hipsher said. "I decided to sign up... Any small contribution that you can make -- it actually makes a huge difference. It's very gratifying to know that when people come in here, you can help them."

With more than 100 volunteer hours logged at the hospital, he became one of the most proficient individuals in responding to incoming trauma patients.

"A lot of it is knowing where the supplies are and being familiar with our machines," Chapman said. "During the last trauma call we had, he was one of our first choices [to assist]. When I saw him [waiting] in the group, I told him, 'You need to make your way to the front.'"

For Hipsher, spending those long days gaining experience at the hospital was just another way to enjoy his down time.

"It's something I like to do," he said.

But every single day off since arriving at JBB? Doesn't a guy want to take a break once in a while?

"The past few weeks I've been here, I've started to feel a little bit exhausted," Hipsher admitted. "So, I decided to cut back my hours, rather than [take a week off]. I think if I cut it out completely, I would feel disappointed in myself."

"Part of it is that I want to make sure I keep my skills fresh. But I think the bigger part of it is I actually want to help. When our troops come in from the field and they're injured, I want to be the one who can help them."

He said he realized that health care has become a real passion for him. His EMT experience, combined with training at a hospital in Hawaii and his volunteering here, solidified his goals to become a bona fide medical professional. He plans to go to nursing school when he gets back home.

"I didn't realize how much the nurses did at the time when I started," he said. "It really opened my eyes."

Hipsher also grew to appreciate the longer term care that hospital staff can render.

"As an EMT, a lot of times you don't get to see the full effect of your care," he said. "When I was in the [emergency room], I was able to track the patients along, see how they're doing and see how the care affected them in a positive way. It was very cool to see."

He said the hospital here is similar in that regard; he'd sometimes hear about how doctors were able to avoid amputation on one of the patients he helped in the ED, or how an Iraqi child slowly made a recovery from severe burns.

Now, nearing the end of his time in Iraq, he can look back at his volunteer service with pride and count it as one piece of what he hopes will be a career in medicine.

"It's very rewarding. I feel good when I come in here," he said. "I like to help people, and I feel like I can make a positive contribution. Helping somebody out there who is doing probably a much tougher job than me, makes me feel better about being here and makes me feel like I'm contributing more."

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