Page 120 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Spring 2014

In 2005, Morgan completed his emergency medicine the ultrasound training,” said Morgan. “It is now in the
residency at Fort Lewis, WA, now called Joint Base curriculum at the school house for all Special Forces
Lewis-McChord, and then to his next assignment at medics.”
Fort Bragg, NC. He was a staff emergency physician at
the Womak Army Medical Center, and began duties as During his seven years in Special Forces, Morgan de-
an emergency physician and flight surgeon for the Army ployed three times to Operation Enduring Freedom,
Special Operations community. Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom, developing
skills he believed made him stand out among the other
Always looking for more opportunities and challenges, candidates during the astronaut selection process.
Morgan, already jump qualified from his West Point
days, Morgan went on to graduate from Ranger school. “The opportunities and training in the Army and work-
He completed the combat diver’s course and earned his ing in the Special Operations community made me learn
military free fall qualification. Along the way he re- to think outside the box, and become somewhat stress
ceived flight surgeon accreditation. inoculated,” said Morgan. “Those skills and my combat
experience was something, I think, made a difference in
In the course of his career he was assigned to the 3rd my selection.”
Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg. “I believe
the most rewarding job of my career was the three years Morgan and his family moved to Houston in July, and
I spent as battalion surgeon in 1st Battalion, 3rd Special started the astronaut training program to develop his
Forces Group, the Desert Eagles,” said Morgan. “It de- skills for future space flights.
veloped my passion for teaching Special Forces medics
the skills they would use in the field. I learned as much “I was not hired as a medical doctor for the astronaut
from them as I hope they learned from me.” mission. Instead, I will be a mission specialist who hap-
pens to have medical skills,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s work in field medicine while deployed, led
to another challenge. His battalion medical team be- Morgan said the next two years will likely include flight
lieved the use of ultrasound technology in the field was training, robotics instruction and Russian-language
feasible. courses. It will be two years of candidate training before
receiving full astronaut status.
“Morgan had the determination and vision to handle
the initial resistance to the “good idea” of teaching SF “I would have been happy to finish my career in the
medics how to use ultrasound. He was flexible enough Army,” Morgan said. “But, this is an even greater call-
to receive the feedback from the medics and adjust the ing. It’s the only thing in the world that I would leave my
application from the standard of care in the fixed fa- old career behind for.”
cility ER to the austere environment of the SF battle-
field,” said MAJ William N. Vasios III, command and Morgan is quick to note
regimental physician assistant, U.S. Army Special Forces in conversation, that
Command (Airborne). “He always encouraged the med- he is just a regular guy
ics to seek higher professional training whether learning who is still on and will
to become a physician’s assistant or attending medical remain on active duty,
school.” adding that he is proud
to be representing the
“Drew is a top performer of unlimited potential and in- Army and the Special
tellect, and although losing his talent in USASOC, it’s a Operations community. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army
gain for America’s space program,” said COL Peter J.
Benson, USASOC surgeon. “He’s a top flight emergency His friends agree he is a
medicine physician and has a special expertise at emer- regular guy, but a regu-
gency ultrasound applications and one of those who’s lar guy with some very Drew in Afghanistan with
pioneered the training and fielding of the use of ultra- major accomplishments. 3rd SFG(A) in 2009
sounds in Special Forces. Maybe so, but this regu-
lar guy, a humble guy, an Army Special Operations alum-
“I think our team left a lasting impression with the nus, will, in the future, see our world from a different
Army Special Forces community due to our work with perspective.

112 Journal of Special Operations Medicine Volume 14, Edition 1/Spring 2014