Inaugural warrior and survivor care conference held

By Maj. Belinda Petersen
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs

“Care beyond duty” was the theme for this year’s warrior and survivor care conference hosted by Air Force Personnel Center officials here April 6 - 9. The goal for this conference was to bring three major groups together - the recovery care coordinators, base level community readiness consultants, and the wounded warrior staff at AFPC,” said Lt. Col. David Bringhurst, chief of the Air Force wounded warrior program at AFPC. “By bringing everyone together as a team, we focused on identifying family-centered solutions and early family involvement in the member’s recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.”

More than 130 people, represented from almost every stateside plus a few overseas Air Force bases, attended the first-ever conference.

“This is where the rubber meets the road. We need to focus on what we can do better to serve our wounded warriors,” said John Beckett, warrior and survivor care program manager from the Air Force Manpower and Personnel.

“Life-altering events affect the entire family and we can’t expect to understand what the family is going through without taking it personally,” Mr. Beckett said.

“This was one of the best conferences I have ever attended in the 20 years I’ve worked in the Family Support Center and the Airman and Family Readiness Center,” said Bob Sayer, a community readiness consultant from the 7th Force Support Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

The four-day conference was filled with informative briefings including DOD policies, the Air Force Wounded Warrior program, the Warrior and Survivor Care program, the wounded warrior programs from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, as well as policies with law and medical processes.

Noel Koch, deputy under secretary of defense for wounded warrior care and transition policy, spoke at the conference on the mission of WWCTP which was created in November 2008.

“We needed as a nation, as an institution, a way to take care of wounded warriors and their families,” Secretary Koch said.

WWCTP was established to develop policy and conduct oversight of programs such as the Transition Assistance Program, Recovery Coordination Program, and Disability Evaluation System.

One process he discussed was the new DES Pilot, an evolutionary standardized process that will replace the legacy system, ensuring wounded warriors have veteran’s benefits in place upon separation.

DES is used to determine servicemembers’ fitness for duty in an equitable, consistent, efficient and timely manner. It provides an avenue for those who can no longer serve by separating, compensating and transitioning them to the care of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Another important topic discussed was post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. “Maj. David Tharp was the highlight speaker on Friday morning,” said Colonel Bringhurst. “His topics created an outpouring of frank discussions among all the attendees which added real value to the conference.”

One highlight of the conference was meeting two wounded warriors and their spouses during a panel session with conference attendees.

The hour and a half panel session provided the audience first-hand account of what wounded warriors and their families experience from the beginning of their injuries to recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

Tech. Sgt Christopher Ramakka, explosive ordnance disposal instructor with the 342nd Training Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, his wife Sonja Ramakka, Senior Airman Colton Read from the 59th Medical Wing Patient Squadron, Lackland AFB, Texas, and his wife Jessica Read inspired the audience with their courageous story and positive outlook on life.

“We are stronger than his injury. It didn’t beat us and that’s the most important thing,” said Mrs. Ramakka.

At the end of the panel session, Steph Page, Air Force program manager for recovery care coordination program, presented acoustic guitars to Sergeant Ramakka and Airman Read on behalf of Ted Nugent, an American hard rock guitarist.

Four conference attendees were also recognized for their work with Air Force wounded warriors.

“Retired Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Fritz, recovery care coordinator in the national capital region and four community readiness consultants from A&FRCs across the U.S., Tonya McGough, Diane Keays, and Angela Teixeira received a ‘Care Beyond Duty’ certificate and letter of appreciation for their exceptional commitment to Air Force wounded warriors and their families,” said Colonel Bringhurst.

The conference culminated in a tour of the Center for the Intrepid at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The facility provides servicemembers with severe extremity injuries and amputations the opportunity to maximize their ability to live and work productively.

This four-story 65,000 square foot facility includes clinical, research, and administrative space, a gait lab, a computer assisted rehabilitation environment, a pool, an indoor running track, a two-story climbing wall, and a prosthetic fabrication lab.

“I enjoyed everything about the conference, including the tour of the CFI. The facility is amazing and the leadership and staff here are phenomenal,” said Anthony Pope, community readiness consultant from Robins AFB, Ga.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley designated July 2009 to July 2010 as the Year of the Air Force Family, a period to recognize the sacrifices and contributions of the diverse Air Force family including active duty, Reserves, Air National Guard, single Airmen, civilians, spouses, children, retirees, and community partners.

“As part of our commitment to Airmen, we, in collaboration with the rest of the Department of Defense, are strengthening our focus on wounded warrior care. The importance of ensuring that our wounded warriors receive the service and support they need throughout the recovery process cannot be overstated,” Secretary Donley said.

For more information on this and other Air Force personnel programs, visit the AFPC personnel services Web site or call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102.