Airman Spotlight: Staff Sgt. Benjamin Smith

Published June 25, 2013
By Staff Reports
51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --

Unit: 51st Aerospace Medicine Squadron

Job title: Flight medicine technician

Job description and its impact on the overall mission: Flight medicine is referred to as the "line-side of the hospital" due to the fact that our job directly results in the flying mission. Completing pilots' flying physicals, knowing the jobs of the occupational health program, and ensuring people are medically cleared for their job is vitally important to our mission.

Time in the military: Five years, eight months

Time at Osan: Eight months

DEROS: July 2013

Family: My wife, three-year-old daughter, and one-year-old son

Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Hobbies: I enjoy online gaming, mountain biking, and building plastic models.

Why did you join the military? I joined because I wanted to see and do something new and different.

Where do you see yourself in 10 or 20 years? In 10 years I see myself teaching and mentoring new Airman and NCOs within my career field. In 20 years, I hope to be retired and spending time with family.

What do you do for fun here? Being separated from my family, I try to do as much online gaming as I can right now.

What's your favorite Air Force memory or story? My favorite memory was riding in a UH-60 Blackhawk MEDEVAC to the Republic of Korea Air Force Aerospace Medical Training Center for a U-2 decompression sickness exercise and going into a Hyperbaric Chamber.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? I'm most proud of personally helping out my patients and seeing their appreciation when I give them good news, and going the extra distance for them.

Who are your role models? My father and Master Sgt. Charlene Blount, my previous flight chief.