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KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Many enlisted service members
join the U.S. military right after graduating high school, but there
are some who choose to join the service later in life. That is the
case for Spc. Neil Hood, a health care specialist with Headquarters
and Headquarters Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade.
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Spc. Neil Hood, a health care specialist with Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, and Montclair, N.J.,
native stitches up a patient on March 21, 2013 at Kandahar Airfield,
Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tanjie Patterson, 3rd
Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs)
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Hood, who was born in Montclair, N.J., moved to Orlando,
Fla., when he was 15-years-old. After completing high
school, he then attended the University of Central Florida,
where he obtained a bachelor's degree in humanities.
After completing college, Hood worked a number of different
types of jobs—ranging from a coffee shop to watering plants
and gardening, to working at a convenience store.
“I
worked many jobs during and after college, but once I
started a family I realized that I needed insurance,
something more stable and I wanted to do something
different,” he said.
Something different meant
serving his country. Hood said that he originally wanted to
join the Marine Corps because his father, grandfather and
cousins were all Marines, but he couldn't because of his
age. At age 35, Hood elected to enlist into the Army where
he decided between a profession in military intelligence or
health care.
“I waited a while for a job that I
wanted to become available, so once they offered me the job
as a medic I took it,” he said. “I was excited and nervous
all at the same time because I had done nothing medical
prior to me joining the Army, but I also looked forward to
learning something new.”
Hood attended basic combat
training at Fort Benning, Ga., and advanced individual
training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he graduated with
honors. Now he is assigned to his first duty station at Fort
Stewart, Ga., but currently serving on a deployment to
Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The father of two: a
4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter said,
“Transitioning from working in a retail environment to
working in health care was a huge change for me, but it
helped me have an appreciation for learning again because it
had been about 11 years since I'd been in college.”
At Kandahar Airfield, Hood works at the clinic where he is
responsible for patient care such as screening patients for
the physician's assistant and treating minor symptoms. When
he's not working in the clinic he's providing direct medical
coverage for convoys throughout Southern Afghanistan.
“I get a great deal of satisfaction from taking care of
patients,” he said. “I feel like what we (medical personnel)
do as far as helping take care of people is a noble pursuit,
and I feel great about it.”
When he's not aiding the
pain of fellow Soldiers, you can find him surrounded with
friends or watching movies.
“Being a health care
specialist doesn't allow for much free time, but the little
time that I do get, I like to spend it with friends,” he
said. “The best part about being deployed is that I've got
to meet a lot of different people from around the world, and
I've made some new friends also.”
His short-term goal
is to become promoted to the rank of sergeant.
“I
want to become a non-commissioned officer so that I can
mentor young Soldiers,” said Hood. “I feel like I have a lot
to offer when it comes to development and communication as
well as relationship building.”
Hood's ultimate goal
is to be accepted to the Army's Interservice Physician
Assistant Program. The IPAP program allows qualified
officers and enlisted soldiers the opportunity to become a
physician assistant. Upon completion of the program,
graduates earn a master's degree from the University of
Nebraska and they also receive a commission as a first
lieutenant in the Army Medical Specialist Corps.
“I
would love to become a physician's assistant serving in the
military,” said Hood. “The Army has gifted me the desire to
stay in the medical field.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. Tanjie Patterson
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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