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Logistics officer keeps Bagram hospital stocked

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  • By Senior Airman Alexandria Mosness
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  What's a hospital without beds, medical supplies, or medicine? There wouldn't be much of a hospital without the people who take care of making sure the hospital stays stocked.
 
Lt. Col. Stephanie Dusza is the medical logistics flight commander for the Craig Joint-Theater Hospital here and is responsible for getting all the supplies you could imagine a hospital needs, plus some. CJTH is one of the largest and best-equipped trauma facilities in Afghanistan.

"We order all medical and non-medical supplies for the hospital," Dusza said. "Anything that touches the patient, we purchase. We get the gear from the rear."

Dusza has a team of 18 people who work in the logistics section. Besides making sure all supplies are ordered, Dusza's team is responsible for keeping the medical equipment running correctly, the building is up to par, and also the heating and cooling systems are good to go.

Though Dusza deals with the supply side of the hospital, she still sees the trauma of the hospital.

"I am not in the midst of it all," she said. "But I do walk through the intensive care unit a lot and it breaks my heart."

The hospital would not be able to take care of those same patients she walks by without Dusza and her team.

It definitely keeps everyone busy, she said. It is a big job that she couldn't do without the people behind her.

"She's an outstanding medical logistical officer," said Lt. Col. Paul Conner, Craig Joint-Theater Hospital administrator. "She is a great advocate for her people who are assigned to her flight. She is a very strong passionate officer. She is always doing the right thing even when it is not popular. Dusza is great to have around, and it has been a privilege to work with her."

Dusza has been in the Air Force for 16 years and is deployed from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

"I joined the military when I was 17," said the William Carey University Gulf Port, Miss., alum. "The family life was not good, so it was an escape."

Her time in the Air Force has not been consecutive. She left the Air Force after her first enlistment to finish her degrees. After an eight year break, Dusza returned to the Air Force as an officer.

This is Dusza's second deployment. She was previously deployed to Iraq.