Staff Sergeant Jack Williams
Medical Technician, 88th Inpatient Operations Squadron, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

In February 2010, Staff Sergeant JACK WILLIAMS volunteered to deploy with a provincial reconstruction team in Zabul, Afghanistan. He was hand-selected to work as the medical lead for the District Support Team in Shahjoy, one of Zabul Province’s largest and most highly contested areas.

From the start, Sergeant Williams’ skills were put to the test. He had been at the forward operating base for less than two weeks when an Afghan National Army soldier arrived at the medical station with gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder. Sergeant Williams immediately controlled the bleeding. For his first time outside of training, he surgically opened an alternate airway to keep the soldier alive. His timely, skillful actions provided the medical team the precious time they needed to get the Afghan soldier ready to be moved. He then directed further medical treatment to save the soldier’s life. The soldier was put in a hypothermic wrap and taken by helicopter to a facility that could provide more advanced care.

Later in his deployment Sergeant Williams was the lead medic during a mass-casualty bus accident. More than 50 people were injured in the accident, 10 of whom were critically hurt and were treated under his leadership.

Whether treating single patients wounded in combat or mass casualty scenarios, Sergeant Williams’ medical skills helped save numerous coalition forces, Afghan soldiers, and Afghan citizens. For his distinguished service as both a combat medic and medical project manager, Sergeant Williams was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Air Force Combat Action Medal, and the Army Combat Medical Badge.