Photo by Master Sgt. Doug Moore
Stinson (foreground, let)
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After serving in Germany for three months in support of U.S. military operations in Iraq and the Middle East, Debra Stinson, a sophomore IU East nursing student, happily came home to Indiana.
As part of the 445th Aero Medical Staging Squadron at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Stinson, an active reservist, deployed to Ramstein, Germany, on Oct. 28. She was assigned to the 85th CASF, (contingency aero-medical staging facility). Her primary responsibility was the care of troops requiring medical evacuation by air for injuries and illness.
Stinson said it was difficult to leave her husband and three children, but she felt confident she would return safely knowing she was only going to be in Germany. “I knew it was only for a short amount of time, considering I was going to Germany. I knew I would be back,” she said.
Stinson arrived back in the U.S. from her first assignment overseas on Jan. 3 —just nine days before classes began at IU East. Although it was hard for her to get back into the swing of things, she registered for classes. “It was difficult to regain focus. I was leaving a job that was still going on,” Stinson explained. “It was hard knowing that my friends and colleagues were continuing to work over there, and I was coming back here and getting on with my life.”
It also was emotionally difficult for Stinson to return to the U.S. She was ready to come home, but that meant saying goodbye to friends and co-workers she had bonded with during her stint in Germany. “That was even harder than saying goodbye to my own family, because I have known these people, worked with them and trained with them under extreme circumstances,” Stinson recounted. “I also realized that I may never see them again.”
Stinson said her experience in Germany has reinforced her career choice. “During my military experience, I was able to assist people in some of the worst times of their lives.” Stinson has been an IU East nursing student since January 2003. She graduated from Ivy Tech in 1996 as an L.P.N. Because a bachelor’s degree is required to be a nurse in the military, Stinson served as a medical technician. When she finishes her degree, she plans to go on active duty as a nurse.
Currently an emergency medical technician, Stinson has several other certifications, including pediatric life support, pre-hospital trauma life support and critical incident management. She plans to become certified in advanced cardiac life support, (ACLS) this summer.
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