Airman teaches Afghans to put medicine on target, on time

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C --  In a war zone, inefficiency is not an option.

During a year-long deployment as a medical logistics advisor to the Afghan army, Master Sgt. Douglas Suddueth, 4th Medical Support Squadron, had a first-hand view of the importance of efficiency.

When he arrived in May 2007, Sergeant Suddueth wanted to immediately implement American-styled medical-logistics processes, but he knew exercising patience would serve him better.

"You can't improve something when you don't understand how it works," he said. "We weren't trying to take over - we just wanted to help them become more efficient."

After observing the Afghan system, Sergeant Suddueth's team suggested improvements to help them assemble and transport medical supplies in a more timely, effective and safe manner.

"They were in charge of sending medical supplies all across Afghanistan," the master sergeant said. "Aircraft was the quickest and safest method of travel."

Toward the end of his deployment, the Afghan army's medical logistics had become significantly more efficient, he said.

"They took all of their training and applied it when it really counted," he said. "It felt great to watch them operate on their own."

Sergeant Suddueth said he gained a great amount of respect for the efficiency of Air Force medical logistics processes.

"They don't have the sophisticated systems that we have, but we helped them get on the right track," he said. "I would love to go back in two years to see how far they have come."