Air Force Surgeon General visits Hunters

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Omari Bernard
  • 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Lt. Gen. Robert Miller, Surgeon General of the Air Force and Space Force, and U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Dawn Kolczynski, medical enlisted force and enlisted corps chief, visited Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, July 14, 2021, to gain a better sense of the 432nd Wing’s mission and scope of the 99th Medical Group’s responsibilities.

The 99th Medical Group falls under the 99th Air Base Wing, the host wing for Nellis AFB, Nevada. Since the 432nd Wing does not have its own medical group, Airmen from the 99th Medical Group support 432nd Wing Airmen at the Hunters Medical Clinic.

“The support we receive from Nellis is outstanding,” said Col. Eric C. Schmidt, 432nd Wing commander. “However, as the 432nd mission continues to grow we need more support to ensure that our Hunters are healthy and ready to do their mission.”

Miller and Kolczynski received a mission briefing, toured the Hunters Medical Clinic, and got a chance to experience the mission hands on with aircrew in an MQ-9 Reaper simulator. Before leaving for the day, they met with Airmen from the 432nd Wing Human Performance Team.  

Airmen walked Miller through the Hunters Medical Clinic, discussed their duties, and how each section supports the more than 1,500 aircrew that fly missions every day at Creech AFB.

When discussing the future of medical support at Creech AFB, Miller said, “There are always opportunities to improve what we’re doing… It’s about having the right facility, the right number of medics, and the right type of medics.”

After the tour of the clinic, the party moved on to the flight simulators where they were also briefed about the care provided by the Human Performance Team, and the innovations made to sustain the most valuable asset of the 24/7/365 Remotely Piloted Aircraft mission — the human weapons system.

“Creech and Nellis are separate bases, but they are one team, all supported by the 99th Medical Group,” Kolczynski said. “The men and women we’ve met with today have educated us so we can better train and equip them as they continue to adapt and change to meet today’s requirements as well as tomorrow’s.”