KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Hospital corpsman second class Charles Brinegar has made the most out of his deployment to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.
As a respiratory therapist at the Role 3 NATO Multi-National Medical Unit hospital at KAF, Brinegar spends a majority of his time managing life sustainment equipment used to give air to recovering patients.
But his duties in Afghanistan don’t stop there.
Aside from his job as a corpsman, Brinegar stays active, organizing a lot for the morale, welfare and recreation group at the hospital, as well as serving as a supply petty officer for the intensive care unit of Role 3.
It was his work there when he had a large part in creating and organizing a spreadsheet for a one million dollar budget.
With all the roles he is asked to serve in, the question had to be asked - does he ever sleep?
“I get plenty of sleep,” Brinegar said with a laugh. “All of the jobs I have keep me busy, but I find the time to get rest.”
He talked about the amount of tasks he has taken on, and how they have helped him get through his deployment.
“Being here I figured I might as well stay busy, and it has worked,” Brinegar said. “When you stay busy and work hard, it helps keep your mind off being away from home.”
That hard work has paid off, as Brinegar was recently named one of the “service members of the month” at Role 3, an accomplishment he takes pride in.
“I was excited to be selected, we have a lot of great people that work here, so to be chosen really was an honor,” he said.
Back stateside; Brinegar, who has been in the Navy for four years, also works as a respiratory therapist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.
It was his work amongst his peers there that drove him to volunteer for deployment.
“I had been told that the opportunity was coming down the pipe for awhile, so I got out ahead of it and was ready to go,” he said.
The camaraderie at the hospital inspired him to give it his all during his time overseas.
“I work with guys who have deployed before and they talk about it all the time. They are able to share their experiences and have done something not everyone gets to do,” Brinegar said. “I wanted to feel that, and really be a part of that camaraderie, so it was an easy decision to deploy.”
He went on to compare the work back stateside to his service overseas.
“It is much slower here than back home, the patients you get obviously are in different realms of trauma and everything, but each presents its own challenges,” Brinegar said. “I will say that in both instances, I work in an environment with little room for error.”
When he does have free time, Brinegar also heads the 30-member junior enlisted association at Role 3, where service members can come together, discuss issues, work towards expanding their careers and furthering their knowledge as medical professionals.
“Everything I do here is only helping me get better, whether it is to be a better corpsman or sailor in general,” Brinegar said. “It has been a great experience thus far.”