MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- With a staff of only five service members, the U.S. Army soldiers here cover a broad number of responsibilities on the air station.
Briefly and rarely, Marines may see a soldier pass by them while walking to the Crossroads or see soldiers conducting physical training activities outdoors, but many Marines and sailors here have no idea the contribution these soldiers make to the air station.
Being the only branch in the military providing veterinarian services, two soldiers stationed here carry out the animal care duties for the entire air station with a staff of one enlisted personell and one commissioned officer.
“One day I’m in Thailand inspecting water sources, and the next day I’m in the clinic vaccinating kittens and puppies,” said Army Capt. Kimberly Yore, chief of Iwakuni veterinary services.
Since Yore is the only Army commissioned officer on the air station, she is the officer-in-charge of both the veterinary and food inspection soldiers here.
Three of the four enlisted soldiers work in the food inspection office leaving just one to the veterinary clinic.
Army Sgt. April Johnson, animal care non-commissioned officer, said it would be nice if there was another enlisted person here.
The Army is the only military branch to offer veterinary care as a military occupational specialty, making the demand on the Army for veterinarians in the military very high.
With the recent change in the length of Army Veterinarian Corps training, enlisted personnel have 11 weeks to learn all the basics of being a veterinarian specialist, but in the past the course only ran for nine weeks.
“The course was very hard because you’re learning to be a technician in a course of nine weeks, which usually takes two to three years on the civilian side,” said Johnson.
The veterinary clinic provides a wide variety of services to air station residents including basic surgeries, dental cleanings, preventative medicine, vaccinations and de-worming.
They also provide veterinary services to the Military working dogs and provide information for public health concerns.
Even with the short amount of staff in the veterinary clinic, Johnson and Yore manage to ensure an adequate work flow in the clinic.
Johnson keeps a 24-hour phone line available to advise proper services to pet owners after work hours or to guide pet owners to nearby veterinarian facilities in case of emergencies.
“It really is about helping out the service members,” said Yore. “Many of our clients consider their pets to be like family members, and so much of my job is like being a pediatrician. So taking care of people’s pets is sometimes like taking care of people’s children.”
Not only does the veterinarian team provide petcare services on the air station but the team also assists during deployment exercises including Cobra Gold in Thailand and Balikatan in the southern Philippines.
“Were not just covering a wide array of things here in Japan; we actually help with global missions,” said Yore.
Although a vast amount of responsibilities are tasked to the veterinary soldiers, Johnson enjoys working with animals.
“I like the fact that you have to figure things out with animals,” said Johnson. “You have to actually use the knowledge that was given to you. You have to look for signs and symptoms of what’s wrong with them versus someone being able to tell you.”
Yore enjoys the experience and responsibilities that come with being an Army veterinarian.
“A veterinarian career is diverse, but (in) a military veterinarian career, we have our hands in just about anything,” said Yore.
Johnson said although the Iwakuni veterinarian clinic only has a staff of two, they are currently considered the number one clinic in the ongoing battle for the top spot between all Japanese district veterian clinics, and by next year the Iwakuni veterinarian clinic plans on taking the number one spot throughout the Pacific Region command. To contact the clinic, call 253-3588.