In the line of fire

About 780 veterinarians are deployed or working in 90 countries to support combat and stationed troops. They service hundreds of working dogs and an array of mountain mules in addition to their food-safety responsibilities, research and development. They've been doing so for nine decades.

Veterinarians celebrated 90 years of venturing into harm's way to support the warfighter in June. The U.S. Army Veterinary Services Corps has participated in every U.S. military conflict since World War I, and its importance dates back to revolutionary times when Gen. George Washington demanded the establishment of a regimen of horse farriers.

Just 57 veterinarians worked for the Army when the corps was formally established in April 1917; within 18 months, the new division boasted 2,313 officers.

The Army quickly recognized the important role veterinarians needed to fulfill as food-safety monitors, and veterinary unit commanders and their personnel are critical in effecting remarkably low food-borne illness rates.

Here are a couple of their stories:

Captain Angela K. Parker, DVM

Stationed: Iraq

Years in service: 4; "I hope to make a career serving my country in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps."

What is the best part of your job? The best part of my job in the veterinary corps is the diversity of the missions and the travel. Not only do we perform traditional veterinary medicine, but we are also exposed to several other aspects of the profession. As a young veterinarian directly out of school, I had the opportunity to manage my own veterinary clinic, perform numerous sanitary audits of commercial food establishments and was in charge of veterinary services for three installations in the Midwest. Then I had the opportunity to move to Germany and traveled throughout Europe performing missions in several countries. Currently, I am deployed to Iraq where I have the awesome responsibility for the health and welfare of all the Military Working Dogs and service members serving in my area of operations. There aren't very many veterinarians that get to experience the world, serve their country in the armed services and work in several different aspects of veterinary medicine at the same time.

From World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterinarians have protected food supplies and serviced military animals.

What is the most difficult operationally? Emotionally? Operationally I would have to say practicing medicine in a far-forward deployed setting of an underdeveloped country. There are not the luxuries of state-of-the-art equipment and supplies available, and even keeping sterility is a concern in such environments as Iraq. It is not as easy as jumping in a car and driving down to the local clinic to get treatment. A lot of times, you have to adapt, improvise and overcome to treat your patients in the best possible way and learn to make it happen with what you have available in these remote and isolated areas. That being said, the challenges of deployment medicine is what keeps it interesting and fun and develops your resourcefulness in less than ideal situations.

Emotionally, it has been spending a year in a combat zone where death is a daily occurrence. It is hard to describe the emotions one goes through to see a service member give their life fighting for their country and for another country's freedom without any reservation. Nothing can make me prouder and yet so deeply saddened at the same time. Also being away from family and friends for such a long period of time is difficult emotionally for every soldier.

CPT Brenton R. Arihood, a Vietnam-era DVM with the 175th Med Det, listens to the heart of a K-9 sentry dog during its monthly exam.

What has been your proudest achievement? Serving my country in Iraq for a year, providing the best veterinary service support to my Military Working Dogs and fellow service members and bringing all of my soldiers back home safely.

Tell me about an average day when on a mission. Usually I leave late at night to travel to one of my several far-forward operating bases on either a military helicopter or a ground convoy. After arrival and some sleep on a cot in a makeshift room or tent, I get up and go check on the Military Working Dogs and their handlers, who are on that particular FOB (forward operating base). I check each dog over and treat any issues they might have. The most common problems are ear infections, diarrhea, heat stress injuries, and pad/limb lacerations and injuries. I carry an aid bag with the essential drugs, medications and equipment needed for diagnostics and treatment. If I need something I don't have on me, I will use the local human Battalion Aid Station for assistance or MEDEVAC the dog back to my home base for further treatment if necessary.

Then I go check each of the chow halls to inspect the food items used to feed the troops. After inspections, I supply the chow halls with the appropriate condemnation or extension paperwork for the products to ensure only safe and wholesome food is used. After this, I will inspect boxed rations, MREs (meals ready to eat) and bottled water for distribution to feed service members deployed to areas without chow halls and ensure they are safe for consumption.

Horses were critical to combat in WWI and prior. Today, in-theater practitioners care for hundreds of dogs and mules.

Lastly, I join up with the local preventive medicine team to discuss any public health related issues, how our zoonotic disease prevention and control program is doing and resupply them with additional materials to complete the ongoing mission. After a dinner at the local chow hall, I pack my gear and head out to start again on another FOB.

What should every U.S. veterinarian know about what you do? As military veterinarians, we get to incorporate a variety of veterinary specialties into our job, not only in animal medicine, but public health, food science, research and business management. Whether someone is a military or civilian veterinarian, our goal is the same: to provide the best possible care to our clients.

What should veterinary students know? There are many different career opportunities within veterinary medicine, and the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps does a superb job of integrating a majority of these opportunities to meet the military's needs, allowing each individual to experience several career fields and broaden their outlook over traditional veterinary medicine. The Veterinary Corps is a great opportunity for new veterinarians to explore different ideas and gain experience in aspects of our field that many never get to try.

When in your life did you first realize you were called to be a veterinarian? Almost every little girl at some point in her life dreams of being a veterinarian, but I truly realized it was what I wanted to be after I started working on a farm when I was 12 and "assisted" the local veterinarian on pulling calves and treating milk fevers. I thought to be able to work with and treat animals every day and get paid to do it was the greatest job in the world.

What goals do you still have for your life? Career? I would like to continue my career in the Veterinary Corps as a veterinary specialty consultant in small animal surgery. This would allow me to focus on maintaining and developing techniques specifically designed for injuries and illnesses commonly seen in military working dogs. Also, training new military veterinarians in these techniques will better equip them with the knowledge they will need to perform life-saving procedures to save the dogs that help save our lives.

What's the first thing you do when you get back state side? Being from Wisconsin, the first thing I will do is enjoy my three favorite food groups; beer, brats and cheese curds. You can't beat that after being in the desert for a year!

Lieutenant Colonel Randall Thompson, DVM, MSpVM (Surgery)

Stationed: Iraq. "I have served in eight countries and five states."

Years in service: 23 total years in the Army; 20 years as a veterinarian equals four years of private practice plus 16 years as an Army Veterinarian. "I currently plan to serve until mandatory retirement at 30 years."

What is the best part of your job? Having the ability to make a difference in the quality and level of healthcare these amazing working dogs receive and seeing the positive impact that they have on the lives of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coalition forces here in Iraq. Every day we can keep a dog working is a day that that dog may find an explosive device that can kill who knows how many innocent people. The appreciation for these dogs, expressed by their handlers, is overwhelming. This is the most rewarding job I have had in 20 years as a veterinarian.

What is the most difficult operationally? Emotionally? Communication is difficult, frustrating, and ranges from excellent to nonexistent in the same day. Emotionally, separation from my wife and four children for 14 ½ months.

What has been your proudest achievement? As the first Army Veterinary Corps officer with advanced clinical training (small animal surgery residency and a master's of specialized veterinary medicine in surgery), I have been able to provide real-time advice and feedback to other Army veterinarians in Iraq and together, we have kept some dogs in-theater and working when they might otherwise have had to leave the theater of operations for treatment; 100 percent of the combat wounded military working dogs arriving at our referral center have lived to return to duty.

Tell me about an average day when on a mission. My squad provides primary care for hundreds of working dogs in our area and referral care to hundreds more in the Iraq theater of operations. A routine day may involve orthopedic evaluations and sports medicine to routine vaccinations and international health certificates, as well as ears, skin and diarrheal disease. These days are spiced with emergencies and referrals, including GDVs (gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome), toxic ingestions, GI foreign bodies, dental care, lacerations, fractures, heat injuries and the rare combat-related injury.

We also have food inspectors providing expert advice and food inspection to multiple dining facilities, food-storage facilities, and other food-service entities serving tens of thousands of coalition forces in this challenging environment.

What should every U.S. veterinarian know about what you do? We are representing the American veterinary profession to Iraqi and coalition forces nations in the Iraq theater of operations, where we are recognized as caring professionals that are providing expertise and service in the fields of animal medicine, food safety and hygiene and veterinary public health.

What should veterinary students know? The opportunities, challenges and rewards of nontraditional veterinary careers, military service, public health, food safety and hygiene, research and development, education, etc. are real, unlimited and deserve serious consideration.

When in your life did you first realize you were called to be a veterinarian? The first time I stated it was in junior-high school, but I was in college when I made a commitment to becoming a veterinarian.

What goals do you still have for your life? Career? Grand children, travel and retirement with my wife.

I also plan to earn diplomate status in the ACVS and the ACVPM. I also want to teach in or out of the Army and expand opportunities for future young veterinarians.

What's the first thing you do when you get back state side? Watch a sunset with real clouds (I haven't seen a cloud in more than three months) while holding my wife's hand in one hand and scratching my dog's head with the other.