Q&A: MDS commander talks healthy living Published Jan. 10, 2013 By Tech. Sgt. Richard Gonzales 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Col. Laurence Nelson, 419th Medical Squadron commander, started his military career in 1984 as an Army Private. From there, he went to medical school, commissioned with the active duty Air Force and eventually made his way to the 419th Fighter Wing in 2000. In his civilian career, he's an eye surgeon in Layton, Utah. He said he loves practicing medicine because he's hands-on, enjoys science, and likes helping people. Nelson sat down with Public Affairs to talk about reservists' health and the challenges they face in staying healthy. You've practiced medicine both as a civilian and military doctor. Is there anything distinctive about military patients? I think people among the military make the best patients, whether active duty, reserve or retirees, and it's great to have a unique military background to relate to military patients. People in the military are used to taking reasonable direction, which makes them great patients. It also takes self-discipline to take care of your own health, and I think the military gives people a certain amount of that self-discipline. Is "fit to fight" the main focus for the medical squadron? We're not interested in keeping people healthy just so they can do their duty in the Reserve. We're more interested in making sure reservists have longer, healthier, more productive lives well after their Reserve careers. It used to be, if you go back a generation, that people would retire from the Reserve and pass away quickly thereafter. That means they didn't get to collect much of their retirement. I saw people die because of a poor lifestyle. So the emphasis on a lifestyle change isn't just for an Airman's time in the Reserve. If we treat our bodies the way we should, our bodies become the right instrument for us to do extraordinary things. Many 419th reservists live away from the base and are detracted from the military culture of fitness for most of the month. Are reservists at a disadvantage in staying healthy? I think people can create a healthy environment regardless of their circumstances, and most reservists do a good job of that. Deployments and the general operations tempo have made it difficult for us as reservists to stay isolated on our health. Fitness standards and expectations have elevated over the last few years and helped improve our force. These changes also help people think about fitness and overall health as an important part of their lives, not just an important part of their jobs. Is stress a big factor in healthy living? A lot of our people are going to school, have full-time jobs, and others are taking care of families. That's a lot to take on, but taking care of yourself needs to be a priority. Getting exercise is one of the great things in our lives that decreases stress. Making good decisions can also relieve stress. Don't get yourself into a financial bind. That's a huge stressor. You can also cope with stress by helping others. Whether you're looking after your friends, family, or military associates, helping other people is key to a successful life. By going out and helping other people, we tend to forget some of the big issues and stresses in our lives. Military leaders talk about balance quite a bit. Is this just a catchy buzzword? It's an easy thing to say, because balancing all the things in our lives is critical to reduce stress. When I went to medical school, I had a family to take care of and worked part time. And then there's medical school, which alone was overwhelming. I needed to find time to focus on my family, but studying was also very important. If I didn't do well in school, that added to my stress level. With all these things, I needed to find balance. It will always be important for our reservists to do the same. What's one of your top priorities as the MDS commander? We love taking care of the wing, but we want to do it in a more efficient way. We very much dislike seeing people waiting. That is painful for us. So we're working on different things that we can do in order to significantly decrease the wait time in the next three to four months. Sure, we only have two days a month to make sure everyone is medically qualified, but we understand that when Airmen are at the clinic, they're not doing their job--the job they also only have two days a month to complete. Stay connected -- Join the 419th on Facebook and YouTube