Mobility Airman profile: Joint Base Andrews Airman ensures medical equipment offers patients' first class care in Southwest Asia

Published April 26, 2011
By Master Sgt. Julie Briden-Garcia
380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman Jeffrey Holden is a biomedical equipment technician deployed to the 380th Expeditionary Medical Group in Southwest Asia.

As a medical equipment technician, Airman Holden ensures the biomedical equipment is in perfect working condition to certify the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing can provide first-class quality health care at this deployed location.

Biomedical equipment techs like Airman Holden receive a host of specialized training to complete the 380th EMDG mission -- to ensure 380th AEW Airmen are medically ready to fly, fight, maintain and support. In his deployed job, Airman Holden is responsible for inspecting and calibrating the available medical equipment to enable flawless performance, and executes the necessary maintenance and upkeep to ensure those measurements remain true and accurate.

According to his official Air Force job description, Airman Holden advises staff and other agencies on operation theory, underlying physiological principles, and safe clinical application of biomedical equipment. He is also responsible for finding malfunctions utilizing the proper test equipment, schematics, flow diagrams, specification data, and hand tools and performing those repairs or if necessary, by replacing the defective parts and making those adjustments to guarantee all equipment functions as specified in his technical order manuals.

This 24-year-old feels the most rewarding aspect of his job is knowing that when he calibrates a piece of medical equipment, his efforts are helping save people's lives.

Airman Holden also said deployed Airmen in other-than-flying career fields make operations flow smoothly. "While being state-side is nice, there are missions that are taking place overseas, other than the ground battle, that need to be done as well," he said.

When he left Burkburnett, Texas, to join the Air Force four and a half years ago, Airman Holden felt a sense of pride knowing he would be serving his country, a pride he maintains to this day.

"Deploying is something that needs to be done. While carrying out a very important mission here, we are a lot more fortunate than others in this [area of responsibility]. I am truly grateful to have been chosen to deploy to this location."

This is Airman Holden's first deployment of his active duty Air Force career and he understands the significance of offering his service to his country for the right reasons. "I chose to serve for my wife, my daughter and all of my friends and family - for freedom and justice!"

The 380th EMDG is a sub-unit of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. The wing is home to the KC-10 Extender, U-2 Dragon Lady, E-3 Sentry and RQ-4A/B Global Hawk aircraft. The 380th AEW mission supports operations New Dawn, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.