Photo By Capt. Stephanie Vanneman | The command team of the 1st Area Medical Laboratory salute their unit’s colors...... read more read more
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The U.S. Army 1st Area Medical Laboratory under the command of Col. Beau Freund and leadership of Sgt. Maj. Juanita Krueger cased the unit’s guidon during a casing ceremony, June 5. The casing of the unit’s guidon symbolized the end of their 12 month tour to Afghanistan. The reviewing official for the ceremony was U.S. Army Col. Donald R. West, the medical task force commander.
The 1st AML is the only area medical laboratory to deploy in support of combat operations since the area medical laboratory units were activated in September of 2004. The small unit, comprised of only 21 soldiers, non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers, left Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD a year ago in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
As the only forward deployed, theater-level laboratory, the 1st AML performed surveillance and field laboratory testing for environmental, toxicological, and endemic diseases as well as chemical, biological, and radiological threats across the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan. The unit provided sophisticated technical services not available from any other single unit in theater.
Some of the 1st AML’s most notable achievements revolved around force health protection. The unit established the first ever theater-wide vector surveillance plan as well as a system of tracking and command reporting of electronic medical events and disease non battle injury cases, using real-time medical documentation.
They also conducted several environmental and health site assessments to better identify and monitor environmental exposures and advise commanders on items or events that could adversely affect the health of our service members.
The 1st AML played an integral role in improving water quality and safety for residents of Kandahar City. They developed training materials and sustainable water quality testing standards for treatment as part of the Kandahar City water testing pilot program. In the absence of national standards, those recommended by the 1st AML were adopted by the Afghanistan Urban Water Supply & Sewerage Corporation and the director of the Kandahar Public Hospital.
“The accomplishments that have been made have been tremendous and will have a lasting impact not only on the units that remain but those yet to come,” said Col. Freund.
“I believe we will leave this country and the people of Afghanistan in a better position to provide for their own long after our departure. I am so very proud of what was and will remain a historic deployment of this unit,” concluded Col. Freund.
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2011 06:44 |
| Story ID: | 71750 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 325 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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