Airman injured at Kandahar awarded Purple Heart

Published Jan. 18, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- In Kandahar, Afghanistan, where East meets West in a struggle to defeat the Taliban lies an air base that's home to 30,000 servicemembers tasked with the job to assist NATO and Afghan nationals in gaining and maintaining security.

During 2011 alone, more than 400 U.S. servicemembers died and more than 700 sustained injuries as a result of terrorist operations. So, it was no surprise for Maj. George Zaldivar, 50, an officer in charge of logistics with the 375th Aeromedical Support Squadron, to arrive in country to find his skills were in high demand.

As the commander for the deployed Air Mobility Aeromedical Evacuation team there, he set up a Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility in 45 days allowing injured patients who were forward deployed in the middle of no-man's land to get transportation to the care they needed.

Zaldivar, on his fourth deployment, has provided medical care worldwide and belongs to an elite medical team who ensures anyone injured receives the best care, contributing to the 98 percent survival rate of deployed servicemembers today. But, he never thought he would have been the one who needed help from his comrades.

While caring for patients, he endured numerous rocket attacks in the area he worked--a seemingly common occurrence cautiously dismissed when the rockets missed their targets. But, on the night of Oct. 18, 2011, a rocket landed smack dab on the door step of his medical facility and exploded with brute force.

He's alive today because luckily the rocket landed a mere five feet from a fuel tank that if ignited would have blown up the entire place. In another stroke of luck, the medical facility was empty of patients; however, there were still dire consequences from that attack including injuries to both himself and his co-worker. Dazed by the blast, he scrambled to direct care for his injured co-worker and then managed to help the fire department extinguish a fire to prevent further explosion.

"It hit without warning. My adrenaline was pumping, but I was trying to stay calm and collected," said Zaldivar, a 27-year veteran of the Navy and Air Force.

"The attack shut down all command and control of our facility, I delegated care and ensured accountability of my team, which was my priority at the time. I then did an assessment of the damage and calculated what we needed for the incoming patients who were less than an hour out. We established a command and control at another location and were able to complete the mission."

It wasn't until the following day that he felt the impact the blast had caused to him.

"I couldn't sleep or concentrate at work, and after many neurological tests they determined I had a traumatic brain injury," he said. "I wanted to stay and work, but the doctor told me that only if I believed in my heart I could give 100 percent, then I could stay. That's when I realized it was time for me to go back home for treatment."

He sought medical attention from those he deployed with who in turn helped him return home to recover from his injuries. Since his arrival home, he's been receiving medical care and neurological tests from the 375th medical group and other clinics. Then, on Jan. 9, he was presented the Purple Heart by Gen. Raymond Johns, Jr., commander of Air Mobility Command.

"Thank you for your service and years of dedication, and for wanting to deploy so strongly that you joined the Air Force," said Johns. "Right now we want you to get better then we will talk about deploying. But at this point you are still a patient ... that's an order."

Zaldivar, determined to fully recover so he can rejoin his unit, said, "I just feel honored to have been deployed and to stand side-by-side with our comrades who are still out there fighting that war. The [people in the] AE I knew [in our deployed area] were outstanding, but coming home I realize the care and compassion that my own AE teams provide. I would like to thank you, angels of AE, for the compassion you show our troops both in the deployed areas and back at home.

"I feel very proud to have worked with my AE counterparts and I will return, I will get better because being in the AE, taking care of our troops down range, and getting them to a place where they receive care is the most rewarding and satisfying job in the Air Force."