'Long Knife' Soldiers receive Health Re-assessments after deployment

Photo By Sgt. Terence Ewings | Staff Sgt. Jonathen Engram, a radar operating specialist assigned to the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, receives a dental x-ray examination during his Reverse Soldier Readiness Processing, June 17.  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

06.22.2009

Story by Pfc. Rebekah Lampman 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

FORT HOOD, Texas — Just days after stepping off the plane from Iraq, Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division completed "Reverse Soldier Readiness Processing" to catch physical, mental, or financial issues that Soldiers may encounter after a deployment.

"The most important part is always going to be the medical portion," said Herman Toro, the installation adjutant general and chief of plans and operations for the Fort Hood SRP site. "Getting them to standard on hearing and dental and then screening them on any injuries they sustained will always be our biggest priority."

After moving the SRP sites out of the base's gyms and into the old Sports Dome last November, Toro was able to add three hearing booths and four dental chairs. This improvement meant the Long Knife Soldiers could get their hearing tests and dental exams on site, saving them time from having to make appointments and drive to different clinics.

"I think it's pretty important because it can prevent Soldiers from having serious health problems," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gregory Jordan, the squadron maintenance officer for the 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. "It's being very proactive and most Soldiers wouldn't go get screened on their own."

Fifty to 60 percent of the Soldiers who are screened end up having medical problems they never knew they had. High blood pressure, diabetes and thyroid problems are the top three medical conditions the SRP personnel find during screenings.

The process usually takes a full day to complete, and the staff is processing approximately 350 to 500 Active Army and Reserve Soldiers from various units on Fort Hood each day.

Jordan, from Hobbs, N.M., just returned from his third deployment to Iraq. "Each time [RSRP] gets better, and I know it's in place to make sure we made it through the deployment physically and mentally healthy."

• Date Taken: 06.22.2009
• Date Posted: 06.22.2009 19:02
• Story ID: 35495
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US