Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gives wounded warrior a lift home

Published Feb. 9, 2007
By Capt. Vanessa Hillman and Staff Sgt. Candy Knight
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- An injured Marine received an unexpected upgrade in his flight home from Iraq here Feb. 8.

Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Eastburn from the Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe, Hawaii, was on his way home to be with his family during his recovery. One of his stops along the way was at the David Grant USAF Medical Center's Aeromedical Staging Facility.

Unbeknownst to him, at the same time he was awaiting his flight, Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, was landing at Travis for a quick "gas and go" en route to Hawaii.

When General Pace learned a fellow Marine was on his way home after being injured in Iraq, he didn't hesitate.

"When I greeted General Pace and Mrs. Pace on the flight line one of the things I mentioned was that we currently had a Marine that was wounded in Iraq waiting transportation in our aeromedical staging facility," said Col Steve Arquiette, 60th Air Mobility Wing Commander. "The next words out of his mouth were 'let's go' and we were off."

Arriving at the DGMC, the general went straight for the Marine's room and knocked on the door.

"Hey Marine! Are you up for a visitor?" he shouted. When the Marine responded with a hearty, "Yes, Sir," he didn't have a clue who he was responding to.

"Corporal Eastburn was in shock to say the least," said Col. Arquiette. "General Pace found out the corporal was going to Hawaii as well and said, 'You're coming with me, we'll go home together.'"

The general's flight was delayed for a short period of time as medical personnel gathered Corporal Eastburn's belongings, checked him out of the hospital and prepared him for the flight home, but the general didn't mind one bit.

"Delaying the flight to take a wounded warrior home was the right thing to do," the general said. "If I can get him home five or six hours earlier to see his family, I'm going to do it."

The general's generous offer was not lost on the staff at the DGMC.

"While it was amazing experience for me to meet the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I think it was more of a highlight for the patient," said Staff Sgt. Darwin Diaz, 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Aeromedical operations technician. "Not everyone gets offered a ride home by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

"I was very impressed by his attitude toward the wounded Marine," said Senior Master Sgt. Scott Williams, 60th AMDS. "He was more concerned about the injured Marine than he was about all the prestige his position gives him."

General Pace departed the base with Corporal Eastburn commending Team Travis' assistance.

"This was a much more productive stop than I ever would have expected," he said. "In a very short amount of time, you all went above and beyond to support my request."