PHYSICIANS ON THE FRONT LINE
(continued from page 19) cancer and breast cancer right here at home that was just as severe).
physical health of the eight flying squadrons in the camp and taking
care of anyone else who wandered into my clinic doors. From pro-
viding the initial health briefing to everyone that arrived on base
(take your malaria prophylaxis, DON’T play with the monkeys), to
caring for some of the locals, to helping my commanding officers
survive their high-stress positions (and learning they were human
too), managing post-traumatic stress symptoms in our operators
on the ground, I was the jack of all trades. (I was destined to be a
family physician, I just didn’t know it yet.) I was reminded almost daily that the military is a calling, a duty
and an honor. It was sobering to experience a Fallen Comrade
Ceremony. The memory of standing at the Air Field watching as a
fallen soldier was carried to the plane that would bring that soldier
home to family will forever be imprinted in my brain. Unfortunately,
these ceremonies happened all too often. Though I was proud to
serve with these brave men and women, I also wondered if we still
knew what we were fighting for, and whether their sacrifice would
change the future of this war-torn country or continue to protect
us back home.
Despite my rigorous job on base, I was able to volunteer off
base, handing out clothing and other necessities to local children,
and go off base several times to meet the Afghani people in the
local villages and provide direct medical care. I learned firsthand
about the culture that, until then, I had only read about in books.
I was amazed at how the people there were able to live in a place
that seemed so desolate and isolated from the rest of the world. I
was also surprised that many of the conditions they experienced
were similar to what we experience here. I met individuals that
had advanced disease such as skin cancer that I believed I would
never see in the US (though later, in my residency, I saw both skin
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LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
Looking back, my time in the Air Force from 2004 to 2010 seems
like it happened in another lifetime to another person. I saw places I
never expected (or intended) to see. My experience in the Air Force
taught me independence, how to operate under structure but to
maintain flexibility—to adapt, innovate and overcome, and probably
most importantly, that human relationships are more important
than the degree that you hold or the knowledge you possess.
Dr. Caloia serves as the Louisville Department of Health and Wellness Medical Director.