Deployed Air Force Reserve officer takes civilian ER skills to the battlefront

Courtesy Photo | Air Force Reserve Capt. David J. Lopez, a pediatric emergency room staff nurse at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas, is currently deployed in support of both Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF, OIF).  

(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)

05.08.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

by Spc. Jennifer Sardam
USCENTCOM PAO/ESGR Forward Team

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Air Force Reserve Capt. David J. Lopez is currently deployed in support of both Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF, OIF), in support of the Global War on Terror.

OEF is the official name given to military operations from Afghanistan to the Horn of Africa (HOA). OIF assists in rebuilding Iraq's economic and governmental infrastructure, training and preparing Iraqi military and security forces to assume full authority, and fulfilling a responsibility to defend and preserve Iraq's sovereignty and independence as a democracy.

Lopez is a clinical nurse and the officer in charge (OIC) of infection control with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing's Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility (CASF) at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. At this medical facility, he and other staff members treat servicemembers coming from field hospitals closer to the battlefields. Lopez said 'supporting the ill or injured war fighters" is what makes this deployment so important to him.

As the infection control OIC, Lopez has put into place many measures to halt the spread of disease, such as infection control carts that contain all of the necessary protective equipment to be used in the event of an outbreak. With this gear readily accessible, the facility now has the means to isolate a contagious patient and protect staff and patients from contamination.

Active-duty and reserve component members from all branches of the U.S. armed forces are deployed under the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) to support the war against global terrorism outside the borders of the United States. USCENTCOM is the unified command responsible for U.S. security interests and assets in 27 nations stretching from the HOA, through the Arabian Gulf region, and into Central Asia.

The captain said his 13 years in the military and this first deployment to the area have given him 'the opportunity to deal with different personalities," which has taught him to how to better interact with people to accomplish a mission.

When Lopez is stateside, he continues to pass on his cumulative knowledge as the OIC for CASF training at the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. As a civilian, he is a pediatric emergency room staff nurse at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

Lopez related that even through he may be a nurse in both his civilian and military roles, there are many differences between them. "Here it's a totally different environment," he said, explaining that many of their patients are passing through to 'their next echelon of care" at another facility, such as Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

But the experience from working back home in what he deems 'the third busiest ER in the U.S." has paid off during his deployment.

"We recently had multiple ICU (intensive care unit) patients come in," Lopez remarked. "Being that I had an ICU background, I was able to jump in and help to relieve the ground Critical Care Air Transport Team."

Lopez continues to serve his nation, armed with the knowledge that his civilian job is protected and available for him upon his return home.

Today, more than 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserve continue to perform an increasing number of unique missions that require extraordinary actions on the part of everyday citizens. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is the primary resource for information about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, commonly known as USERRA. This federal law allows Lopez and other mobilized reserve component members to retain their rights, when the deployment concludes.

Established in 1972, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a DoD agency, provides free USERRA education, consultation, and if necessary, mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at www.esgr.mil, or by calling the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve at [phone]

Lopez, who calls Roswell, N.M., home, is the son of Manuel and Rose Lopez.

ESGR

• Date Taken: 05.08.2006
• Date Posted: 05.08.2006 16:55
• Story ID: 6301
• Location: (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)