Page 162 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2015
P. 162
An Ongoing Series
“The central theme is helping the men
become the best Operators they can be.”
—Steve Rush on US Air Force Pararescue and Pararescuemen Today
Interviewed by John F. Kragh Jr, MD, January 15, 2015
How did you come to SOF medicine? and thus optimizing their performance and [ helping
I had been in a career of private medical practice with them] reach their potential as rescue warriors in providing
some academic responsibilities. Through friends, I be- the support that other teams and units across the DoD
came involved in a 2008 function to honor the Long Island and [US Government] expect of PJs.
PJs [US Air Force Pararescuemen]
who were the rescue team for the Your thoughts on personal development
crisis at sea later known by the in SOF medicine?
movie title The Perfect Storm; the From the Pararescue perspective, the foundation for
team was being honored for its personal development is the commitment to the rescue
service in the Global War on Ter- mission. Some PJs really enjoy the medicine intellectu-
ror. After interacting with the Team ally, it comes easy to them, and they seek training beyond
Commander, he “recruited” me. I the requirements. Some PJs who are not as innately in-
joined the military at the age of 48 terested in the medicine but are fully committed in their
to be a Flight Surgeon for the New soul to the nobility of rescue, excel equally well because
Steve Rush
Pararescue Flight Surgeon York Air Guard Pararescue team. the mastery of rescue medicine occurs alongside mastery
Over a cou- of other skills. The Operators who
ple of years, I began to interact at have made it through the selection
the national level and develop re- “Steve loves New York pizza – process have proven to have the in-
lationships across the DoD’s SOF flour, fresh mozzarella tellect and problem-solving skills to
community. and tomato sauce.” excel at what they put their minds
Operational medicine should to. Stimulation from senior PJs,
How was your first SOF job? always begin with and peers, Flight Surgeons, and Inde-
I have loved my first and only SOF focus on the basics. pendent Duty Medical Technicians
job. As a Pararescue Flight Sur- provides a foundation to support
geon, I have enjoyed the challenges of learning the mis- their development.
sion and my job. Rescue is an exciting mission in which
emergency medical and trauma care play an important I recently began to spend more time trying to get more
role to support the skills needed in tactical and technical PJs involved in SOMA. Those who have attended have
rescue. The challenges of determining what the neces- been inspired to go further with medicine, and are stimu-
sary medical capabilities are for these Operators, how to lated by their colleagues who spoke about real-world ex-
best teach the PJs, and how to maintain proficiency have periences at the annual meeting. PJs who read the JSOM
been the essence of this job. In addition to these roles, I universally feel that it has a positive impact on their gen-
became involved in human performance and psychologi- eral feeling about operational medicine.
cal resilience. In each role, the central theme is helping
the men become the best Operators they can be from the Finally, personal development naturally follows years of
operational medical perspective, keeping them healthy, commitment to being a professional, the evolution of
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