In the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad AB, Iraq, pharmacy technicians and the radiology specialists are very busy dealing with trauma medicine. Journalist SrA. Candace Romano reports that pharmacists make initial assessments, monitor morphine, fill prescriptions, mix intravenous fluids, and make rounds in the intensive care units and wards. One critical care pharmacist said the pharmacy filled 23,706 prescriptions in January. Journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz writes that the radiology staff treated 38 patients in 16 hours on Presidents Day; they perform 1,600 CT scans a month, averaging 53 per day. They use two state-of-the-art scanners that provide 16 image planes for a faster CT scan, and time is critical with the near constant flow of patients.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.
