By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Hagburg
116th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The commanding general of the Europe Regional Medical Command visited Soldiers and toured the post Medical Treatment Facility here March 2.
Brig. Gen. Keith W. Gallagher, who is also the command surgeon for United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, started his visit by meeting a cross-section of "Task Force Med Falcon" Soldiers for lunch. The Soldiers are part of Multi-National Battle Group - East in Kosovo.
Gallagher took the time to chat with each of the 20 Soldiers individually. After lunch, he led a group discussion about the Soldiers' day-to-day medical mission and the training they received before they arrived at Camp Bondsteel.
"When you get done with your deployment and leave here, hopefully, you will say that it was wonderful," he said.
Gallagher told the Soldiers that "complacency kills" and urged them to stay focused and aware while in Kosovo. He also encouraged them to pursue their educations while at Camp Bondsteel.
"A lot of you have high aspirations and goals," he said. "This could be a golden opportunity to help get a start on those goals."
During the discussion, the medical Soldiers mentioned some issues with post mobilization training for the Camp Bondsteel mission. Gallagher said it was important for the Soldiers to make him aware of any training concerns.
"I handle the training for this mission," he said. "We always try to make it better for the next rotation, so we want to know about any shortcomings."
After his lunch meeting, Task Force Med Falcon gave Gallagher a tour of the Camp Bondsteel Medical Treatment Facility and a briefing on its Kosovo medical mission. Gallagher then departed Camp Bondsteel.
"It was nice to see the general taking so much interest in what our jobs and duties are here at the Bondsteel hospital," said Sgt. 1st Class Lisa Van Nostrand of Tampa, Fla., the noncommissioned officer in charge of Camp Bondsteel's intermediate care ward.
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Multi-National Battle Group - East is a U.S- led task force commanded by Brig. Gen. Al Dohrmann. This Battle Group is comprised of nearly 2,200 Soldiers, including Task Force Hellas and Task Force Polish/Ukraine. The charter mission of MNBG-E is maintaining a Safe and Secure Environment and providing Freedom of Movement for the people in Kosovo.
Please contact the MNBG-E Public Affairs office for media engagements or to follow-up on this information.