Military Medical Providers’ Postdeployment Perceptions of Operation Iraqi Freedom

ABSTRACT

Little research has explored the perceptions of military medical providers in the deployed environment and how their perceptions may change over time across an extended military conflict. To our knowledge, no studies have examined military medical providers’ opinions on readiness for their roles in the post-9/11 contingency operations. What has been published indicates that, during the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom, military medical providers often deployed with little notice and minimal formal training. The present report examines data obtained from multiple cohorts of military medical providers (N = 321) deployed to Iraq between 2005 and 2009. Despite varying degrees of support from the U.S. public, our findings indicate that U.S. Air Force military medical providers’ support for the people of Iraq, their belief in the mission, and their ability to influence change did not vary with time.

KEYWORDS:

• Military medical personnel
• perceptions of war
• Operation Iraqi Freedom

Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the United States Air Force Operational Medicine Research Program titled Risk & Resilience in Deployed Air Force Medical Personnel (FA7014–07-C-0036; Principal Investigator: Alan Peterson, Ph.D.). We would also like to thank Julie Collins for her editorial review.

Disclaimer

The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, an endorsement by, or the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, or the U.S. Government.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by United States Air Force Surgeon General's Operational Medicine Research Program [grant number FA7014-07-C-0036].

Notes on contributors

Brian A. Moore

Brian A. Moore, is the Director of the Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services (AMES) Research and an assistant professor of psychology at Kennesaw State University. He spent 12 years in the Army and is currently a major in the United States Army Reserve. His research focuses on military personnel and the intersection between trauma, sleep, and resilience.

Monty T. Baker

Monty T. Baker, received his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University. He is a licensed psychologist and has served almost 30 years in the U.S. military. He recently retired from active duty as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, serving the last 10 years supporting SOF Units. He is an adjunct faculty member with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and has over 130 academic presentations and publications.

Alyssa Ojeda

Alyssa Ojeda, is a U.S. Army second lieutenant and a third-year clinical psychology doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University. She is the program coordinator of the Military Psychology Group. Her research interests involve the integration of resilience and physical fitness within military and first responder populations.

Jennifer M. Hein

Jennifer Hein, is a U.S. Army Captain and military physician with four years of time in active duty service. She is currently completing her second year of psychiatry residency training at Carl R. Darnall Medical Center, Ft. Hood, TX, and received her medical degree from the University of California, Riverside in 2018.

Chelsea J. Sterne

Chelsea J. Sterne, is an Assistant Professor and the Program Director for Psychology at Cumberland University. She is a former Army human resources officer, and her research focuses on military personnel and the connection between trauma and chronic pain.

Stacey Young-McCaughan

Stacey Young-McCaughan, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a research health scientist with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Young-McCaughan (USA COL, Ret.) served 29 years as an Army Nurse Corps officer in a variety of clinical and research positions. She now supports investigators researching psychological health conditions. Her own particular research interests are in the areas of exercise and sleep.

William C. Isler

William C. Isler, recently retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force after 24 years of active duty and currently works for the U.S. Air Force in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Isler specializes in health psychology and threat assessment.

Alan L. Peterson

Alan L. Peterson, is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences atThe University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, a research health scientist with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio, Texas, and a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Peterson is a board-certified clinical health psychologist who served 21 years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, including three post-9/11 deployments, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2005. He has clinical and research expertise in the areas of behavioral medicine, psychological trauma, and resiliency.