Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- In honor of National Doctors Day, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson expresses its gratitude to all military physicians for their continued service and dedication to saving lives.
“People use their hands for almost everything in life, so when that function is lost, it can be devastating,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Evan Jones, 673d Medical Group surgical squadron orthopedic surgeon. “I do find joy helping people by restoring and giving their hands back; it’s been very rewarding.”
He is a hand surgeon by trade and has dedicated more than 10 years to medical training alone. He has also been involved in multiple joint and humanitarian missions within the last few years.
Jones deployed to Bagram from 2014 to 2015 for Operation Enduring Freedom, went to Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 2014 and 2015 for medical readiness training exercises, and deployed to the Dominican Republic in 2016 for Operation New Horizons.
At Bagram, he provided medical care to military members and civilians in an established hospital there.
“It’s a very rewarding experience, not only taking care of our military members and Wounded Warriors, but also treating those who don’t normally have access to medical care,” Jones said.
During his deployed time there, the medical team treated many injuries from a variety of causes, but one case in particular needed an unorthodox approach.
“There was an Afghan woman who got into a car accident and sustained a very significant injury to her spinal cord,” Jones explained. “This resulted in nerve root avulsions where some of the nerves that travel to the arm were pulled off of the spinal cord. This caused her shoulder to be paralyzed and chronically dislocated as well as her being unable to flex her elbow because of a lack of biceps function.
“I fused her shoulder in a more functional position, which involved attaching the humerus bone to the shoulder blade with a plate and screws,” Jones continued. “I then transferred parts of functioning nerves to the injured ones which, over time, allowed her biceps to work again.”
She would have never been able to receive this care, if Jones’ team had not been there. Due to the medical and surgical care she received, the patient did regain function, however unusual the method.
“It takes some time for the nerve transfers to work, but as I was leaving she was beginning to regain motion in her arm,” Jones said. “It’s not a typical procedure I would do here, so it was very gratifying.”
He has also deployed with the Army twice to Honduras and will a third time this summer. Last time, in 2015, he deployed with the San Antonio Military Medical Center team to conduct exercises where they focused on orthopedic procedures for hand and arm injuries. Altogether, they treated more than 50 patients.
“It’s a lot of work and sometimes you are in substandard conditions comparted to those in U.S. hospitals,” Jones expanded. “For example, air conditioners in the operating room may stop working, making the work environment extremely hot; it can be difficult and stressful, but you press on for the sake of the patient.”
Jones’ last deployment was Operation New Horizons, led by U.S. Air Force Southern Command. The combined medical, dental and engineering support mission in the Dominican Republic was part of the annual humanitarian assistance exercises conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean nations since the mid-1980s.
In his three weeks there, Jones treated approximately 30 individuals’ injuries, most caused by machetes which can disrupt tendons, cut nerves, and even break bones.
“A lot of patients had neglected injuries, so we did quite a bit of work down there,” Jones said. “We were able to bring supplies and provide a more modern approach to caring for these patients who, as in most third-world countries, did not have access to conventional medical care.”
These missions test the service members’ ability to work in less-equipped or just very much different locations with a real-world application. Lives are saved no matter the location, but these humanitarian missions specifically help a demographic without the same quality of health care and sometimes none at all.
“The experiences were impactful for me because it’s something I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do outside the military,” Jones said. “I’m very grateful the Air Force has afforded me these opportunities to use my skills and help those who are less fortunate.”