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Airman Earns Award From Every Branch Of Service
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Alexandra Singer
March 26, 2018
Not many people can say they’ve received awards from every branch
of service in the military.
Through hard work, dedication
and a love for his job, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ryan Folks, 192nd
Medical Group health systems specialist, 149th Fighter Squadron
medical element NCO in charge, and aerospace medical services
technician, achieved just that.
Upbringing
“Although
we may have not had the best of everything, we made the best of
everything,” said Folks.
According to Folks, his humble
beginnings are what made him who he is today.
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From the time he was born, until his high school years, both of
Folks’ grandfathers taught him to not take things for granted.
“I learned to always treat people the way you want to be treated
and to try to make a difference,” said Folks.
Beginning of a career
According to Folks, he initially wanted to build racecars for a
living, but ended up getting a heart for people somewhere along the
way.
“Divine intervention stepped in and next thing you know
I wanted to do something in public safety, whether it be fire,
police or emergency medical services but I didn’t have the money to
do it,” said Folks. “I found a job where I could be paid to do it
all and that’s when I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard.”
After joining the U.S. Coast Guard and finishing basic military
training, Folks was sent to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Chase in San
Diego, California, where he spent the first 4 years of his career.
“I started working as a mechanics assistant but we were called
firemen or firemen apprentice. It dates back to the days of steam
engines; it was our job to keep the fire going,” said Folks. “I knew
I wanted to do something medical, but there was a two-year wait,
then they closed the school.”
While on the Cutter Chase,
Folks was recognized for his hard work and received his first
achievement medal, the U.S. Coast Guard Achievement Medal.
“The first achievement medal was very humbling,” said Folks. “I felt
as if I was just doing my job, but they saw that I could wear many
different hats. I’m happy to help out anybody who needs it when they
need it.”
From the Cutter Chase, Folks continued in the
reserves and was transferred to San Francisco, California. He was
cross trained from admin and personnel work to medical work and was
sent to corpsman school and oversaw medical readiness for troops.
Working with other branches
of service
“I met somebody pretty amazing and
decided to follow her to the East Coast,” said Folks.
After
a year and a half stationed in San Francisco, Folks moved to
Massachusetts with his new wife and was assigned to a port security
unit.
“I was sent to independent duty corpsman school, which
is basically being a medical provider,” said Folks. “On top of doing
medical stuff, they sent me to a lot of training in Camp Legume,
North Carolina. My last stint with them was an eight-month
deployment to the Middle East.”
During that time, he was
exposed to working with different branches of service, as his job
was to provide waterside security to high valued assets and cargo
ships going in and out of the port, as well as seeing patients out
of the clinic.
“The cool thing about medicine is that it’s
universal,” said Folks. “People are going to get sick, they’re going
to slip, trip, and fall and it doesn’t matter what uniform you’re
wearing. It’s one team, one fight. This led to the 2nd achievement
medal.”
During his deployment, the Navy recognized him for a
job well done.
“I was the only coast guard corpsman that went
with my unit and they primarily had me work out the clinic,” said
Folks. “They also needed a medic to provide medical coverage for the
waterside security team, so with my law enforcement background, they
said, ‘Folks, you’re our guy.’”
Change of pace
After almost 10 years of service in the Coast Guard, Folks made
a life changing decision to separate from the military.
“[My
wife was also an] active duty military member and it was becoming
hard for us both to be co-located without one of us being gone all
the time,” said Folks. “She was tasked to go to school in San Diego
and I knew if I was to follow her, I’d be deployed right away. I
decided it was my time to go back to school.”
Folks’ inactive
ready reserve status lasted about a year and a half. During that
time, He stayed home with his daughter while also going to school
full time for nursing.
They would later find out that his
wife received orders back to the east coast again but this time, to
Virginia. Unfortunately, all the hard work Folks had put into his
school work would not be able to transfer with him.
Finding a purpose
It was a Saturday morning in his Biology class when Folks
received a phone call from his wife, that his daughter had hit her
head and was knocked unconscious.
His wife and daughter had
been at a playground when the accident happened. As they were rushed
into an ambulance, they realized the stroller they had with them
would not fit in the back of the emergency vehicle.
“They
ended up throwing it in the back of a firetruck and said, ‘hey, just
come pick it up when you get discharged,” said Folks. “The
paramedics that took care of her were awesome.”
After his
daughter was discharged from the hospital, Folks was not only able
to thank the emergency responders personally, but they gave him a
tour of the station.
“This experience kind of rejuvenated my
love of wanting to help people again,” said Folks. “I wanted to be
like the guys that were there for my family, I want to be able to do
that for somebody one day.”
In July of 2011, the family moved
to Virginia and due to the great experience with the emergency
medical team, Folks did research and found an emergency medical
services program to attend.
Back to work
“I
realized I also missed wearing a uniform,” said Folks. “I’m going to
get back in, but I’m going to do this right.”
Folks enlisted
into the Virginia Air National Guard and immediately ran into issues
as none of the credentials he earned during his time in the Coast
Guard or civilian schooling would transfer. Although he was an
independent duty corpsman with a nursing background and one semester
away from a paramedic’s degree, Folks was mandated to go back to
tech school and start from the ground up.
After working his
way back up in the ANG, he was assigned NCO in charge of the
squadron medical element, which led Folks to receive a full time
position with the 192nd Medical Group.
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“The opportunity arose to deploy, around this time my wife
decided that being married to me and juggling two careers wasn’t
working out,” said Folks. “It is what it is. It’s been my driving
force now.”
According to Folks, the deployment was exactly
what he needed. He was able to mentor junior troops and was able to
have more hands on care with patients, which is what he was most
passionate about. He was also able to apply the paperwork knowledge
he acquired from his Monday through Friday job as a health systems
specialist.
"Having just served with Tech. Sgt. Folks while
deployed, I got to witness his professionalism and work ethic first
hand,” said Lt. Col. Michael Schaner, 149th Fighter Squadron
commander. “He is absolutely the best of the best, as you can't beat
his vast experience in multiple services, positive attitude in
everything he does, and willingness to put the team before himself."
After returning from deployment, Folks was awarded the Air Force
achievement award, NCO in charge of the year and overall guardsmen
of the year awards.
New beginnings
Now with a new home and all his awards under his belt, Folks is
hopeful about what the future holds.
“Your time in the
military is really what you make of it,” said Folks.
Folks is eligible for retirement from the Guard in five years or add
another eight to that for two retirements. According to Folks, he
also has options to go back to school for more certifications in
doing what he loves in a clinic or flying and is now a nationally
certified paramedic.
With options for his future, Folks is
leaving it up to his faith.
“I know I’m not the one driving
this bus, I know God is good and I’m just going to try my best to
stay in tune and just enjoy the ride,” said Folks.
By U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Alexandra
Singerspan>
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2018
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