If you're looking for a modern-day hero, you won't have to look any farther than a 49-year-old combat surgeon here who’s known as “Doc” throughout Task Force Raider. A former business executive for Burton Snowboards, Army Capt. (Dr.) Douglas Powell is the brigade surgeon for the 4th Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. His mission here is quite different from that of the design team he’d led with Burton, as he serves on the front lines of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Powell, a native of Middlebury, Vt., said his journey to becoming an Army surgeon began when he enlisted as a medic in the Vermont National Guard after graduating from college. He competed as part of the Vermont Guard’s winter biathlon team for five years, and was hired by Burton Snowboards as a project manager. "Doug was an asset to our company," said Jake Burton, the company’s founder. "He was a hard worker who always gave me everything he had, never quit, and always led by example." Though he thoroughly enjoyed his work at Burton Snowboards and the environment that kind of work provided, Powell said, he continued to feel as if something important was missing from his life. "After eight years at Burton, I started feeling a strong desire to get away from business and start doing something that would have an impact on people's lives," he said. "At that point, I began volunteering at a hospital in Burlington, Vt." Within a month of working in the hospital's cancer ward, Powell determined that he needed to have some form of medical service in his career. When Powell told Burton he was leaving to pursue a career in medicine, Burton said it seemed late to be trying something so ambitious. Even so, he said, Powell’s great intentions and drive, coupled with a little stubbornness, are aspects of his personality that make him the kind of man who is capable of extraordinary things. "Doug was never a guy to act impulsively," Burton said. "Clearly, his decision was well thought out, so as much as I hated to see him go, I never considered talking him out of his decision." Powell said after working in a business environment for so long, his volunteer work in the cancer ward was one of the most trying, yet rewarding, experiences of his life. Throughout his time there, he said, he felt the call to practice medicine become stronger and more important in his life. "While working full-time and volunteering at the hospital, I signed up for night classes to begin knocking out the pre-med classes I needed to complete before applying to medical school," he said. The process was arduous, he recalled, as his earlier education was in English and history, so he had to take multiple classes to qualify as a medical school applicant. "I had a lot of ground to make up if I wanted to make it into medical school, so I set a goal for myself," Powell said. "I would take one class, [such as] biology, and if I got an 'A,' I would continue taking classes." He maintained that standard throughout the pre-med program. After pre-med, Powell said, he knew he had a long way to go before he could practice medicine, so he continued to work for Burton and spent all of his free time volunteering in the cancer ward. "There were a lot of patients and experiences that began to weave the fabric of the epiphany of my wanting to practice medicine," he said. "But there was one patient in particular who made it all happen." During his time as a volunteer, Powell explained, he worked with a woman who had terminal breast cancer. Every day, the woman would bring her husband and young daughter to sit with her as she went through chemotherapy. Powell said the woman never focused on the treatment she knew would not work. Instead, he said, she focused on interacting with her family and giving them memories and joy that would last a lifetime. "There was something about the woman's drive and passion for life that both inspired and humbled me," Powell said. "She had the most positive attitude as she interacted with her family and doctors in the ward. Even after she died, I never stopped being affected by her enthusiasm." Though his first application to medical school was denied, he said, the memory of the woman and her family convinced him to continue his efforts to become a medical practitioner. "Throughout my career, one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was from a medical colleague of mine," Powell said. "That colleague told me, 'Whenever you have doubt about the path you are on, go and spend time with the patients. They will always pull you through. They will always inspire you, and they will always remove doubt.'" Powell said that advice has proven true in every stage of his medical career, and is as meaningful now as it was in the beginning. He said it wasn't just about spending physical time with the patients, but also reflecting on his experiences with them that gave him inspiration along his journey. But the denial of his first medical school application did plant some doubt in his mind, Powell said. "I went out to California to work for a friend of mine in the snowboard industry,” he said, “and really thought I would be continuing in the business." But on his way back to the East Coast for a final interview for a position in the private sector, he recalled, he ran into a woman in the airport who had a cast on her arm. He stopped to help her with her bags, and in their conversation he learned the woman was on her way to say goodbye to her best friend, who was dying of breast cancer. On his flight, Powell said, he began reflecting on his own experience with his favorite cancer patient and her family. "I began writing an essay about my experiences in working with and eventually [having] to say goodbye to that incredible woman," he said. "I wrote her whole story in one take. It was one of those rare times you get the whole story out perfectly, on the very first draft." Powell said when he re-read the essay as he got off the plane, he knew without a doubt he would apply to medical school again. "I used that essay as my entrance essay on the medical school application," he said. "After an anxious wait, I was accepted into 10 different medical schools across the country." Powell chose to attend Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. At the time of his post-graduate enrollment, Powell was 40 years old. Walk through the halls of any American university and you expect to see the bright, young faces of eager students, fresh out of high school, ready to write the first solo chapter in their personal "book of life." But as those young students prepared for their first lecture, they found themselves sitting next to a jovial, white-haired, former business executive they may have mistaken for the professor. As he started this new stage of his journey, Powell found himself with a much different set of challenges from those his bright-eyed counterparts faced. "What was tough, very tough, was to be thrown into medical school with young, smart students fresh out of science-based majors," he said. "As a liberal arts major in my undergraduate degree, learning science was something new that I had to undertake to enter medicine." With only two years of medical classes, taken at night while volunteering and working a full-time, high-level, private-sector job, it was incredibly challenging to become comfortable with the new subject matter he was studying, Powell said. The challenge for Powell came in trying to keep up with his classmates academically after years of navigating the twists and turns of business. Many of his classmates were fresh out of four-year programs and had a significant amount of lab research experience. "There were many times during my first and second year when I doubted I was smart or resilient enough to get through the next exam," he said. "I wondered whether I should have chosen another medical school, a less arduous profession, or even if I should have continued my career in business." But the discrepancy leveled off when his classes transitioned from class work to working with patients. "It was much easier to apply science to the care of patients than it was to get good grades on standardized exams," Powell said. "But as I got better and better with the former, I continued to struggle with the latter." It was a battle, Powell said, but he made it through one test and then another, one class and then another, one year and then another, and finally walked across the stage at the end of his four-year program to receive his diploma as a medical doctor. He had finally made it. "I attribute a lot of my ability to endure those trying times to my background as an aerobic athlete," Powell said. "No matter how busy or overwhelmed I felt, I got out for a run or a long bike ride to recharge my batteries enough to face the next challenge head-on." The next challenge was medical residency -- practicing medicine under the supervision of a fully licensed physician in a hospital or clinic. Powell chose to complete his residency in internal medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. During his residency, Powell competed on the Army 10-miler running team made up of combat arms officers and noncommissioned officers, most who’d served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Spending time with teammates from my 10-miler team really inspired me to want to practice medicine in a line unit," Powell said. "Hearing their stories and experiences reignited my original passion to engage in public service. I absolutely knew, without a doubt, that I had to serve in a combat arms unit." Shortly after completing his residency at Madigan, Powell accepted his first assignment as a medical professional as brigade surgeon for the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team “Raiders.” Army Lt. Col. David Meyer, the brigade’s executive officer, said Powell is an inspiration. "I can't imagine having the guts and determination to change careers at 40," he said. "I wouldn't even know where to start." But Powell always knows exactly where to start, Meyer added. Whether it's turning one career in for another or figuring out how to train hundreds of Afghan soldiers and police who can't read to how to administer advanced medical aid on the battlefield, Powell always figures out a way to get the job done, he said. Figuring out how to overcome seemingly impossible odds is exactly the sort of challenge that inspires Powell to continue his journey as a medical professional in the Army. "Being a doctor on the front lines gives me an opportunity to effect the care, well-being and medical readiness of a more diverse population of people," he said. "It's an incredibly rewarding, interesting and challenging job." The brigade has established a medical footprint throughout Afghanistan that extends across some of the most dangerous and geographically challenging terrain in the country, he added. "To be able to deliver health care in an area that didn't previously have an effective health care system in place gives me an incredible feeling of hope and accomplishment," Powell said. During his deployment, Powell has done a lot more than that. He had helped to design and implement a comprehensive medical training program for the Afghan security forces that will be saving lives long after the last American boots leave Afghan soil. When he deployed, Powell said, he realized the Afghan forces never would have access to the medical equipment U.S. forces routinely carry with them. He and his team began to put together a training manual that uses common items the Afghan forces would find on the battlefield. Because a large percentage of the Afghan population is illiterate, Powell and his team used step-by-step pictures so Afghan forces would understand it and be able to pass the training on without the help of U.S. forces. The manual now is a standard for medical training for Afghan forces across Afghanistan. After all the success Powell has helped bring to 'Raider' Brigade during his time in Afghanistan, It's hard to imagine how he could possibly find a way to challenge himself further as he transitions to the next step of his incredible journey. In June, Powell begin a fellowship program in critical care medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "This fellowship is an opportunity for me to learn from, and work with, some of the best trauma and burn physicians in the world," he said. "It's also an opportunity for me to teach new resident doctors and medical students critical care medicine." Meyer said Powell has an exceptional ability to teach. "He easily identifies how people learn, and without passing judgment, is able to create an environment of knowledge for them," he said. In the meantime, Powell said, he doesn't plan on slowing down his efforts to continue expanding his brigade's medical footprint in Afghanistan any time soon. "My goal right now is to continue to make sure 'Raider' Brigade is prepared for any medical contingency that might come up," he said. "Experiencing success with the programs we've already implemented here only makes the last few months of this deployment vital to creating even more progress." Reflecting on the end of his time as a brigade surgeon and the steps it took to get there, Powell said he is just as inspired to continue his work in public service as he was when he first volunteered at the cancer ward in Vermont in 1999. "Twelve years after I began my journey, I am still discovering, still experiencing rewards that are indescribable," he said. "This calling is as strong and motivating to me now, as it was the day I began my work in the medical field." But the doctor won't tell you his story is special or unique. "I think when people consider taking a long journey like I have done, they see the beginning and the end," he said. "They don't realize there is a great amount of life experience collected along the way. "Each place I traveled throughout this journey has brought great friends and experiences with it," he continued. "When I reached my destination, I looked up and I had less hair and it was all white, but I knew I had done it, without giving up life to get it done." Still, he added, it's not possible to start an epic journey like this and get to the end without help. "You make it to the first fork in the road, then up the pass and through the mountains, then down into the valley,” he said. “Ultimately, it's about linking all the little sections together to get to the end." March 31, 2011: By Army Sgt. Breanne Pye-1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

 

 Redistributed by www.SupportOurTroops.org

"I was point man for the first six, seven months here," he continued. "I walked us into a lot. I can smell it, but I don't know where it's at. I know it's going to happen. Every time we were walking, I was looking for my next covered and concealed position. You know, I'd look at this rock, then that rock. ‘Oh, there's another rock, that's where I'm going.’ I just never knew when it was going to happen." Gray, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, now is a squad leader and has an uncanny knack for getting himself and his team out of tight spots. Even before joining the Army, Gray found ways out of potentially hairy situations. He grew up in Tupelo, Miss., a town about the same size as Asadabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s Kunar province, where he now patrols. As a teenager, he watched war movies and idolized the men in those action roles who wore Screaming Eagle patches on their shoulders. "If you see TV or movies, who wouldn't choose the 101st?" Gray said. "If you see 'Hamburger Hill,' with those dudes charging up the side of a mountain, who wouldn't want to do that?" After returning from his first combat tour in Iraq, he quickly joined the 101st Airborne Division and deployed again to Iraq with the division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team for 15 months. Now, 10 months into a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, Gray stares out of his makeshift fighting position into the Shigal Valley. "You see something?" another soldier asked. "Ah, it's just dead trees." "Make sure you know where it's coming from before you shoot, know what I mean?" Gray said to the soldier. "I expect a rocket-propelled grenade to come from that ridgeline over there." It was quiet for a few minutes as the soldiers scanned the ridges with their weapons. Then Gray said, "Actually, it's my sons' birthdays today." Jacob and Joseph, twins, turned 5 years old March 16. Gray said he sent home a bow and arrow set for their presents. He started laughing. "Last time I was home, one of them was walking around the gas station we were at singing the Pledge of Allegiance," Gray said. "I thought that was pretty cool." Gray said his sons are one of the main reasons he has stayed in the Army. He is able to care for them, he added, but they also look up to and admire him for being a soldier. "They want camouflage stuff -- you know, they're 5," he said with a smile. "They want the GI Joe backpack, and I think that's pretty cool." Then he explained the difference between being a squad leader and a father. "Over here, a squad leader is more difficult than taking care of kids," Gray explained. "Here, you have to check to make sure their magazines are full, their [combat optics] are tied down -- you have to check everything. Small things have bigger consequences over here." Since joining the Army, Gray said, he has learned it's the little things that count. "The Army changed my life a lot," he said. "It kind of distilled something in me. I started doing the right thing. I respect myself more, and I respect others more." After dodging as many more ambushes as he can in his three years left in the military, Gray said, he plans on going to college and walking into one more ambush: being swarmed by children. "I want to be a kindergarten teacher," he said. The fighting position on the mountain was quiet for a moment, and then erupted with muffled laughter from his troops. "Everybody laughs, but that's what I want to do," Gray said. "I love kids." A few days later, back home in Mississippi, Jacob and Joseph got a phone call. Their dad was on the line, far away from them, but reassuring them that he found a safe route off the mountain. Gray has a certain knack for that. March 30, 2011: By Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell- Task Force Bastogne

 

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A trained powerlifter, Woodley holds more records than he can keep track of -- earlier this month, that number increased by two.The retired Army master sergeant competed in the 2011 Washington State Powerlifting, Bench Press and Deadlift Championship in Tumwater, Wash., March 5 and 6. The 181-pound Woodley set two national records, including the squat at 640 pounds and total weight at 1,654 pounds. The total record was the combined weight of three separate events: squat, bench press and dead lift. Woodley also was inducted into the Washington State Powerlifting Hall of Fame for his nearly two decades of participation and recognition in the sport. Woodley's interest in powerlifting began while stationed in South Korea in 1991, when he became a certified master fitness trainer for the Army. He had just graduated from the course and attended his first powerlifting meet, where he saw a 130-pound woman dead lift 330 pounds. "I was impressed -- very impressed," Woodley said. "That's what got me started." He checked out several library books to help get him started. Soon after, Woodley relocated to what was then Fort Lewis, where he entered his first competition. He took fourth place, but if you’d asked him then about his prospects for breaking records for nearly two decades, the then-novice probably would have laughed. "I said, 'Man, there's no way in the world I could ever break those [records],'" he said. "But through training over a period of time, I got better and started breaking records." Training and social support are the keys to success and what got him to where he is today, Woodley said. "If you train, you can be good at anything," he said. "Plus, you have to invest in your equipment and be around good friends -- people that are going to support you, cheer you on -- and just have a good time at it." Woodley's wife and two children have been extremely supportive of his hobby, along with his longtime friend and sponsor, Tony Suffern, he said. The retired Navy chief befriended Woodley about 12 years ago after hearing about his powerlifting experiences. Suffern was surprised to learn Woodley did not have a sponsor, so he offered to be his sponsor. He travels with Woodley, offering advice and encouragement, and critiques the powerlifter’s every move. "I'm kind of like a seeing-eye dog for him," Suffern said. Having been a powerlifter in his younger days, Suffern said, he has the expertise Woodley needs, but is not above learning a thing or two himself. Woodley's work ethic and humility make him an inspiring athlete, he added. "He's at the gym 5 o'clock every morning, and he works out before he even goes to work," Suffern said. "He has about 15 records at least, and if you didn't know him -- if you just see him lifting at the gym -- you'd have no idea he has that many records." At this stage in his career, Woodley said, he appreciates the understanding extended to him by former military units, leaders and fellow soldiers who allowed him time to lift during unit physical training time to prepare for competitions. "I had very supportive units throughout my military career, which made a big difference," he said. Now, Woodley added, he makes time for training five days a week before work, and believes that if he can do it, anybody can. His attitude has gone beyond powerlifting and has changed his perspective on life, he said. "When you get up for a competition, even though sometimes you might be in pain, I think sometimes it's a mental and physical matter that you can always overcome certain things -- obstacles in your life or whatever -- to make yourself rise to the occasion," he said. March 29, 2011: By Laura M. Levering- Northwest Guardian

 

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This year, he’s doing the same thing, but on a bigger team.“Being in the military and living in the barracks, eating in the chow hall, and going out and training is no different than an NCAA athlete on a scholarship,” said Salado, who’s now an Army specialist and infantry team leader.“This yearlong deployment in Afghanistan is our Super Bowl,” Salado said. “This is where we have a culmination of every training event, every past mission, every patrol.” Salado, who is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force No Slack, 1st Brigade Combat Team, made some good friends while competing as a cheerleader for the University of Hawaii. He even went to the College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship in Orlando, Fla. But Salado’s closest friend during his deployment here, Army Pfc. Dylan Z. Glaze of Waterloo, Iowa, said climbing mountains in eastern Afghanistan is a little different. “I get out there walking, and it just hurts,” said Glaze, an infantryman also assigned to Company B. “Your back hurts, your legs hurt, and your head hurts. You hurt down to your soul. They crush your soul every day out here, … but you just got to think about the guy to your left and your right and just keep moving on." Since being deployed to Afghanistan together, Salado and Glaze have lived together, eaten together and patrolled together. Yet, the stakes are higher in this competition. “That’s one of the big differences here: if you lose here, you’re not coming back home,” said Salado, who’s from Tacoma, Wash. Glaze agreed and recalled an operation a few months ago, Operation Strong Eagle I. “You knew at some point [the insurgents] were going to come up,” he said. “Total [chaos] was going on out there, and I just hear his voice -- ‘Glaze! Glaze! Come over here.’ And I crawled over there to the rock where Salado was behind. We’re just sitting there, and all you can do in that situation is what we did, and that’s just laugh at each other. “You can’t cry about it. You can’t get scared,” Glaze continued. “You’re already getting shot at and you’re not dead yet, so all you can do is laugh about it, get on the gun and shoot some bullets. We almost died. There were rocks chipping off right in my eyes. It’s combat, but that’s what we trained for.” Behind thin-rimmed glasses, Salado cracked a smile when he remembered that day. He praised his friends for their actions and said he is happy to be out of that situation. But he added that when he went on leave, he had a hard time explaining those types of days to his old college friends, whose problems paled in comparison. “‘Oh my gosh, I have a 10-page paper to write. I have to get up and run five miles in the morning. I have such a long day of classes tomorrow,’” Salado recalled. “I’m thinking in my head, ‘Yeah, my guys are getting shot at right now, I don’t know what to tell you. Suck it up. I feel bad telling you this, but I really don't feel bad for you.’” Being in an infantry platoon has taught Salado and Glaze to appreciate each other and their teammates on a different level. They both remarked about their differences and the little fights they sometimes have. “No matter what it’s like back [on base], some people don’t like each other, but when you’re out on the mountain, it’s a different story,” Glaze explained. “When you’re out there getting shot at, that’s an American, he’s your brother out there on the mountain, and you do everything you can to get him back safe.” Glaze laughed about his infantry friend being a former cheerleader, but explained he has the ultimate respect for him. “I guess they’re some of the best athletes out there, because they can flip around and stuff,” he said. “But he’s willing to do anything for you, even if you’re not in his squad. That’s what you have to be over here -- just really supportive of everyone.” Salado, who recently was promoted to team leader, said he understands the weight of being responsible for his fellow soldiers as well as for the future of Afghanistan. “Really, I’m trying to make it better for the next unit that shows up,” he said, “[by] helping the government get on their feet, having the people trust that government, and helping the [Afghan army] on patrols with us so they know what to do.” “Hopefully, when the next unit shows up, they’ll be better off,” Salado added. March 28, 2011: By Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Burrell- Task Force Bastogne  Redistributed by www.SupportOurTroops.org