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Hickam physician awarded Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Allen
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii --  It made sense to Capt. Eric Baroni that someone who'd been trained in combat trauma would be selected for such a dangerous assignment, not a family practice physician who primarily checked breathing patterns and treated ankle sprains.
It's a good thing he's a quick learner.

Captain Baroni, 15th Medical Operations Squadron Physician Assistant, said the achievements that earned him the Bronze Star were all in the line of duty.

"I was very humbled by this recognition," he said. "In my eyes, I was just doing my job. The Air Force sent me over to a location that was a pretty rough area. They trained me for what to expect, and as it happened it was all real. I could either sit back because of where I was located or I could embrace it and use it to make me a better physician and a better person overall. It certainly gave me a new outlook on life to have someone's life in my hands."

Captain Baroni received the combat award while working as the officer-in-charge of the Troop Medical Clinic, Headquarters 2nd Brigade, 203rd Corps, Forward Operating Base Rushmore, Sharana, Afghanistan and the Embedded Training Medical Officer Mentor for 4th Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 203rd Corps, Afghanistan National Army, while attached to Coalition Joint Task Force Phoenix in the Paktika Eastern province near the Pakistan border from June 11 through Dec. 16, 2009.

While deployed to Southwest Asia, Capt. Baroni directly supervised nine junior medics from various services. Under his leadership, he weathered a 300 percent workload increase and treated more than 500 patients. He was directly responsible for the welfare of more than 200 individuals, including aiding more than 70 non-U.S. military patients who otherwise would not have had access to medical care.

"It was overwhelming at times. In one instance, we had five ANA (Afghanistan National Army) soldiers hit by an improvised explosive device that killed their commander on contact, but the other five came in with pretty serious injuries. I was overcome with the reality of being in a combat zone because these ANA soldiers were looking at me and my medics to save their lives. I kept thinking to myself 'This is not training. These aren't dummies.' There were definitely situations when I thought 'How am I going to get through this?' We had to expect the unexpected 24-7 because we never knew what the next phone call was going to be."

As an ambassador to the local community, Captain Baroni started "Operation Shoebox," a humanitarian project that raised more than $1,500 for sporting goods, clothing, toiletries, etc. With the help of a popular social networking website, his efforts produced more than 185 shoeboxes stuffed with supplies that were handed out adolescent boys at a nearby orphanage.

"We thought if we're trying to improve relations with Afghanistan, why not start with these kids because they're the future of the country? A lot of these kids didn't have soap, coloring books, or toys," he said. "It started as a simple Facebook post to my friends challenging them to fill me a shoebox wrapped with toiletries, candy, socks and other things and send them to me. The next thing I know my dad has 120 shoeboxes in his den ready to send to me. People really started embracing this project and were shopping for these kids as if they were their own."

Captain Baroni cited his ability to thrive despite hardships, as well as his participation in humanitarian efforts, as the proudest moments he experienced while deployed.

"From a medical standpoint, I was proud of how a family practice physician's assistant can step up to the plate and do combat trauma, and not have anyone die on my watch," he said. "The humanitarian projects were great too. I was changing the lives of our own U.S. Soldiers who had cold hearts toward the local people, but through humanitarian projects we were able to soften hearts and come together to really make a difference."

That difference was recognized when Capt. Baroni received a Bronze Star medal at the base theater Feb. 19 for the tremendous impact he made while deployed.