Doctor, teacher, soldier

Photo By Staff Sgt. Erick Yates | Dr. Alexander Garza reviews the successful Ebola briefs given to officers of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command. The 352nd CACOM is a U.S. Army Reserve unit located in Fort Meade, Md. In recent U.S. operations, 352nd CACOM Soldiers have been on the frontlines of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the Horn of Africa.  

FORT MEADE, MD, UNITED STATES

03.11.2015

Story by Lt. Col. Patty Brewer 

352nd Civil Affairs Command

FORT MEADE, Md. - U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers pride themselves on their unique training, skills and experience they practice daily in the civilian sector. This is showcased by Dr. Alexander Garza, also known as Lt. Col. Alexander Garza, Surgeon for the 352nd Civil Affairs Command in Fort. Meade, Maryland.

Garza, a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with a master’s degree in public health, applied this training in his role as a public health officer in the U.S. Army Civil Affairs. As a Soldier, Garza served as public health team chief with the 418th Civil Affairs Battalion during Operation Flintlock in Dakar, Senegal and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Garza helped to rebuild the healthcare sector and coordinated the development of a web site to facilitate the donation of more than one million medical books to medical schools and hospitals in central Iraq. While deployed, he also served as a special investigator and medical expert for then Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno of the Fourth Infantry Division.

“Each deployment gave me the opportunity to apply the many lessons I learned in emergency medical care and public health” said Garza. “We solved problems by getting folks to focus on the same issue, reconcile conflicting priorities and ensure civilians received the medical care they needed and addressed public health issues affecting the population.”

In civilian life, Garza is the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Emergency Medicine at St. Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice. Prior to that, Garza was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He was the lead for Homeland Security on such issues as the H1N1 pandemic, the Fukushima Disaster and addressing the health effects to various natural disasters. He has lectured nationally and internationally on health and security issues. He has been instrumental addressing issues such as weapons of mass destruction, emerging infectious disease and their effect on security as well as operational and occupational health.

In an October 3rd opinion for the New York Times, Garza encouraged a more vigorous Ebola response by the U.S. Government, to include airport screening for incoming passengers, which was later adopted by the administration. Since then, Garza has been in demand as an Ebola subject matter expert for CNN, Fox News, CNBC and the Dallas Morning News, as well as local and specialty news providers such as Fox2now and EMS1.

During a recent interview with KSDK Channel 5, St. Louis, Garza confirmed that much of his time is currently spent “answering questions and giving some thoughts on how to deal with this [Ebola].”

The knowledge and experience gained through years of military and public service helped him communicate his message: Ebola is a frightening disease, we have to understand the facts to fight smartly, and we must have a clear, articulate battle plan.

With all his civilian responsibilities, Garza continues to maintain his obligation to the U.S. Army Reserve. He attended battle assembly with the 352 CACOM this in October and helped organize a Soldier Readiness Program. The SRP ensured unit members had the proper physical evaluations, including flu shots and dental exams, required for the coming year. He also briefed the officers of the command on the current Ebola outbreak in Western Africa.

“Duty, honor, country,” stated Garza when asked why he continued his life as a Soldier. “I don’t mean that to sound flippant, I truly believe it. I believe in service to my country.”

• Date Taken: 03.11.2015
• Date Posted: 03.12.2015 11:34
• Story ID: 156754
• Location: FORT MEADE, MD, US
• Hometown: BALTIMORE, MD, US
• Hometown: FORT MEADE, MD, US
• Hometown: ST. LOUIS, MO, US
• Hometown: WASHINGTON, DC, US