Task Force 30th MEDCOM, Deployed to Afghanistan, Celebrates 76th Anniversary with Run

By 2LT Jules ChanOctober 7, 2009

Sunrise in Afghanistan
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One by one, the units lined up in a mass formation. With the morning sun just barely creeping over the Afghanistan mountains, motivated Servicemembers of Task Force 30th MEDCOM and its nine Bagram units formed up to celebrate the MEDCOM's 76th anniversary with a five kilometer run.

With almost three hundred Servicemembers on line, Colonel Dennis D. Doyle, TF 30th MEDCOM Commander, welcomed all of the Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen with a rousing speech.

' Seconds after, Colonel Doyle, along with the TF 30th MEDCOM Command Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major Christopher Walls, took their posts in front of the units on hand.

The Task Force ran towards Bagram's east side, where a scenic view of the mountains and sunrise mixed with the loud chants and cadence calling from the MEDCOM units.

On a Bagram street that is normally sparse, the mass formation was a sight for passersby and traffic alike, who stopped to watch and applaud as the Task Force ran by.

After the run had ended, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen paused to catch their breath and hydrate as they gathered around Colonel Doyle for a brief review of the MEDCOM's past.

In his remarks, Colonel Doyle read comments from recent past 30th Medical Brigade(now 30th MEDCOM) Commanders, including the Army Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Schoomaker; the Medical Service Corps Chief and Deputy Surgeon General, Major General Rubenstein; Major General (Retired) Weightman; Brigadier General (Retired) Fox; and Colonels Gagliano, Swann and DeKoning.

When it came time for Colonel Doyle to share his feelings about the 30th MEDCOM, he was not shy about his excitement, "I am proud to serve alongside each of you today and to be part of the best and most powerful MEDCOM in the world!"