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Show Salute to Hill AFB's top reservists 3a Supplement to the Hilltop TmesMUIl AFB, UUhM.y 3, 1991 Medics trickle home; docs er WinS returns to Utah Friday. More than 45 reservists have rejoined their families and civilian employers during the last five weeks. As of April 24, the Air Force released 1,570 Air Force Reserve by Capt. Tess Taft Cowan and TSgt. Bruce W. Hills 419th TFW Public Affairs Office Another group of medical reservists assigned to the 419th Tactical Fight- - AFRES FLYING UNITS CALLED FOR DESERT STORM 16 5iJr 14 17 Z ' 12 6 ( ' - 0 wi i J ' .$...,..,.,.' f C-- 5 C-1- mm HM.W ' 'trAffftrtotcmm A-- 10 C-1- 30 41 FIGHTER AIRLIFT AFRES Note: The Air Force Reserve's unit was also called up. No. Called Total No. associate C-9- UNITS CALLED FOR DESERT STORM G NON-FLYIN- tiiiiiliniirir'J riV, 80 70 -- c 68 -- O- c e 60 50 66 -- aa O 2 o. u. a. 40 -- 20 ao u CD a. 22 21 19 or .J 16 E 9 43 E a -- c- 30 47- o o 10 O PS 10 2 -- 3 0 jjfilj No. Called I I Note: Members of all 92 AFRES medical units were called to support Desert Storm. Total No. A T. & HH-3- AC-1- 30 E SPECIAL OPS Total No. - E3No. m qt k KC-1- 35 KC-1- 0 AIR REFUELING Called is a Reserve supplement to the Hilltop Times, published by MorMedia, Inc., a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under exclusive written contract with the Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office. This commercial enterprise Air Force newspaper is an authorized publication for Air Force Reserve members of the U.S. military services. Contents of headsdp are not necessarily the official headsdp officers and 3,911 AFRES enlisted personnel from active duty. At the same time, 2,743 mobilized officers and 12,120 enlisted people are still on active duty. More than 20 percent of them are women. Another 32 officers and 732 enlisted. members remained on active duty as volunteers. The 419th TFW activated its medical personnel Jan. 16. The 68 people were deployed to Langley AFB, Va., where they worked in the Tactical Air Command Hospital. A few of them were sent to other bases around the country to help in critical positions. "I joined the Air Force Reserve in 1989 because I wanted to serve my country in some way," said Capt. (Dr.) Dennis Sobotka, a medical officer in the 419th and an Ogden gastroenterol-ogist- , specializing in intestinal and liver diseases. Casualties never came 4 1 . kick-sta- rt Captain Sobotka was one of nine doctors deployed to Langley. "We were waiting for a host of casualties that never came, thank God. Then the war was over," he said. "With all our doctors returning and restarting their practices, we hope all their patients will return and show their gratitude for their doctors who supported Desert Storm," said Brig. Gen. Forrest S. Winebarger, commander, 419th TFW. In addition to the doctors, nurses, medical technicians and medical administrators are all returning to their civilian jobs here in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. Some of them have hardships to overcome. Captain Sobotka had a private practice with offices in both the McKay-De- e and St. Benedict professional buildings before he was called to active duty. "I had to close my offices, store my office furniture and medical equipment, give my patients to other doctors and let part of my office staff go," he said. The medical personnel were told they would be gone six months to a year. "My wife and I gave up our apartment and stored most of our furniture too when I left. "We didn't know exactly how long we would be away from home, so we prepared for any length of time. My wife stayed in a small apartment in Ogden. I missed her, I missed my practice and my patients, and I missed Utah; but I was determined to make the best of it. "I volunteered for the Reserve I wanted to help with the war. Everyone's happy the war ended so quickly. Now people are being reunited with their families and their jobs. The doctors in Ogden were a tremendous help to the physicians who had to leave. I received a lot of support," said Captain Sobotka. It's not easy But all is not that easy. Captain Sobotka is busy moving his medical equipment out of storage and back into his old offices, and he was disap- - practices I:, v l) "rXi V v 'OS U.S. Air Force Photo Captain Sobotka Closed practice to serve Storm. in Desert pointed to learn the rent on one office went up. "Such is life," he said. "The future is a bit uncertain because I gave up all my patients. "It isn't like starting up a brand new practice, but it will be rough at first." His situation, he says, is being repeated all over the country by Reserve doctors who are returning home from active duty. "At Langley, I met doctors from captains to generals and from all over America who left their practices. Many, if not most, of them will be experiencing a lot of problems readjusting to civilian life even after only a few months on active duty. "I'm afraid some of them will have to nearly start over from scratch. Some of the returning physicians have found new competition in their area." Captain Sobotka said he has learned his lesson. "In the future, any long-tercontracts I make will contain a war clause just in case I'm called to active duty again. "In the meantime," the physician says, "it's great to be back in Utah. I can't wait to get back to work." Captain Sobotka reopened his practice April 22. Other doctors back at m work include Maj. Blaine Pierson, a dentist in Kaysville; Maj. Ronald Smith, a dentist in Wyoming; Maj. James M. McGreevy, a surgeon, University of Utah Medical Center; Maj. James Guyer, a family practitioner in Colorado; Maj. Nolan Money, a family practitioner in Payson, Utah; Capt. Donald Pedersen, a physician's assistant at University of Utah; and squadron commander, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Norman Bos, an orthopedic surgeon in Layton. "We'll be happy to meet them at the Salt Lake City airport," said General Winebarger. "And we look forward to the community giving these people the same support we've always enjoyed. I am proud of the way our people took their duty in stride, even though there were many cases of personal views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. Advertisements contained herein do not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill AFB, Utah. 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