Courtesy Photo | Litchfield Park, Ariz., native Sgt. Danielle Stephens (right), shows Spc. Shaqunette...... read more read more
By 1st Lt. Gabrielle Caldara
15th Brigade Support Battalion
BAGHDAD, IRAQ – She knows about German cockroaches and the proper temperature to store your leftovers after Thanksgiving dinner. She also knows the chlorine level in your drinking water and the symptoms associated with any number of venereal diseases. She knows the best way to catch a rat and the foot candles of light needed for Soldiers to have adequate lighting.
Who is she, and why does she have such a wealth of knowledge of seemingly useless facts?
She is Sgt. Danielle Stephens of Company C, 15th Brigade Support Battalion, and by being the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of preventive medicine for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, her duties include filling her head with bugs, mice and food-borne diseases.
On a weekly basis, Stephens, who hails from Litchfield Park, Ariz., travels throughout the International Zone merging medical aspects with vector control and water quality analysis.
She also convoys to joint security stations, transition team sites and establishments within Baghdad to help them improve their methodologies and approaches to sanitation.
She inspects dining facilities, barber shops, gyms, living areas, water containers, shower units, and local vendors to ensure that the standards are being met to provide the utmost safety for Soldiers.
Stephens sometimes likens her job to that of a public health inspector, providing information and preventive medicine services to the Soldiers throughout the "Black Jack" brigade.
"I like my job because it is behind the scenes and many people aren't aware of all the things I do, but it has huge benefits," Stephens said.
One of her greatest contributions has been to enforce the standards of personal hygiene and food sanitation at dining facilities that are frequented by Soldiers, as well as Iraqi military dining facilities.
According to Lt. Col. Jeffrey Vieira, the 15th BSB's commander, Stephens not only does her job well, but performs it with a pride and professionalism that shows through her willingness to help anyone. And she does it with a smile on her face.
"Sgt. Stephens lives the "Black Jack Charge;" nobody is more positive, polite, and professional," Vieira said.
Stephens came upon this diverse field almost 10 years ago when she spoke to her recruiter about combining nursing and pest management. Her interest stemmed from her childhood spent with her parents; her mother is a nurse and her father owns a pest-management company.
The recruiter had a viable option for her: preventive medicine. Stephens thought this would be a good match with her interests and experiences, so in the summer of 1997, Stephens began her military journey.
Stephens has gained a wealth of knowledge over the past 10 years and her life has been further enriched being a mother to three wonderful girls. Her development has been enhanced with time and experiences at Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Fort Gordon, Ga., Fort Hood, Texas and now in Iraq.
Over the course of her career, Stephens has investigated various cases involving bed bugs, food poisoning outbreaks, and Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections.
"The most fun I've had was during the Hanta virus survey at Fort Campbell, Ky.," she said.
Her endeavor to correct violations of health and safety errors serves to keep Soldiers safe from the awful effects of illness and dysentery.
Stephens is also responsible for the mosquito surveillance program throughout the International Zone at Forward Operating Bases Prosperity, Union III, Freedom, and at Freedom Rest. She logs and monitors the mosquitoes and sand flies that are collected in light traps on a weekly basis to provide an accurate count of the harmful female mosquitoes that are in the area.
"The quality of work and craftsmanship that Sgt. Stephens provides FOB Prosperity and the surrounding FOBs in the Baghdad area has cut down on the number of mosquitoes, flies and rodent population, which helps with the brigade's overall mission because we don't have to worry about our Soldiers getting ill from the diseases these insects and rodents may carry," said Command Sgt. Maj. Nathaniel Richardson, 15th BSB's top non-commissioned officer.
Stephens said she believes that by protecting the health of the Soldiers, she is conserving the fighting strength and fulfilling the goals of preventive medicine.
Stephens said she is eager to offer her knowledge and expertise for the betterment of the Soldiers, thus insuring the force's health protection. Although she misses her young girls, Stephens said she is proud to serve her country here in Iraq where the need for quality preventive medicine is essential for the health of multi-national Soldiers and Iraqis.
| Date Taken: | 06.10.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2007 09:22 |
| Story ID: | 10744 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 485 |
| Downloads: | 419 |
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