BALKH PROVINCE, Afghanistan – People have unique ways to handle stress in their lives. The high level of stress in an operating room is standard. Mix in the element of combat, the stress increases exponentially. While some people prefer a quiet lifestyle to relax from this stress, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lising, is not one of them.
In his ten years of military service, Lising is currently serving his seventh tour in Afghanistan. The Painesville, Ohio, native, who is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, feels right at home on deployment.
Serving as part of a Airborne Forward Surgical Team, the seldom found tranquility of Camp Marmal’s Medical Field Station affords him an opportunity to see a different side of Operation Enduring Freedom. He serves as the Operating Room NCOIC, which is a support unit to manage medical personnel and logistics to all of Regional Command North.
“I have the advantage of having the excitement that comes with being a part of a forward surgical team, while being able to work with service members from other nations, who do the same job,” Lising states.
Lising and his team, the C, took the helm of the American surgical mission at the German Field Hospital in December. Since then, he has been managing the operating room equipment and the blood supply to support the team’s mission.
“Normally, a FST [Forward Surgical Team] will jump from an aircraft with a limited amount of supplies. With those supplies, we are capable of setting up a treatment facility to provide care for up to 36 patients, or conduct surgery for 72 hours,” Lising mentions. “Although we are not functioning in the same capacity, it is nice to be working with our German counterparts.”
Part of the joint effort here at the medical facility in Camp Marmal is cross training. Members from each nation display their common practices and pick up new techniques to task performance. “The multi-national force combines the standards to make a more streamlined approach to medical treatment,” he added. “I would not get this experience anywhere else.”
Capt. John Lunieski, the executive officer for the 8th Forward Surgical Team, explains the value of having Lising on board. “His main job is to serve the team as our Senior OR Tech and fill in as an OR Circulator,” Lunieski states. “This entails him to help with the coordination of the Operating Room team, ensuring the success of all surgical care rendered to any patients needing surgical intervention.”
Now that Lising’s twelve month deployment is in full swing, he looks forward to using the time wisely. He aims high in regards to his personal and professional goals.
“My hope is to be selected as a warrant officer candidate and become a rotary wing operator,” Lising said as his eyes beamed with aspiration. “To me, it would be a great complement to what I have been doing for the last 10 years.”
If he is approved for the warrant officer program, Lising intends to continue his service to the medical field. His first choice as a helicopter pilot is to fly the UH-60 Black Hawk for MEDEVACs, or to fly the AH-64 Apache to escort MEDEVAC units.
Quite often, when a soldier completes a deployment, they look to the times when they can slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. Lising, instead, is waiting for the next challenge.
| Date Taken: | 01.06.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.09.2012 08:03 |
| Story ID: | 82182 |
| Location: | BALKH PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 288 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Army soldier finds comfort in deployments, by PO1 Christophe Laurent, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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