US Airmen, Soldiers declare food, water vegan kosher

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Donner
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
VIPAVA, Slovenia --  U.S. Air Force bioenvironmental and public health Airmen along with U.S. Army Reserve preventative medicine Soldiers tested their skills during the multi-day, hands-on portion of the U.S. Air Forces Expeditionary Medical Support training Sept. 18, here.

"It's very important to ensure the integrity of both the food and water supplied," said Tech. Sgt. Theodore Miller, 31st Medical Group, bioenvironmental technician. "If we get sick it degrades our force."

These Airmen and Soldiers are responsible for the integrity of the food and water received on their installations by inspecting sources to ensure they are safe and sustainable. In addition to inspecting off-bases food and water sources, base facilities must also be checked.

"We not only inspect the dining facilities but we also inspect restaurants or any location selling food to the Soldiers and Airmen," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Shannon Wick, 52nd Medical Group Public Health. "We even ask restaurants off base if we can inspect their facilities. If they allow us to and they pass we can recommend them to the base as a safe place to eat."

At home station, Airmen and Soldiers use these skills on a daily basis. However, EMEDS offers them another important skill.

"The exercise gives us all an opportunity to work in a joint environment," said U.S. Army Spc. Shannon Ruoff, 352nd Combat Support Hospital Preventive Medicine specialist. "In the Army we have one person doing the job of the [U.S.] Air Force's bioenvironmental and public health Airmen. This gives each of us an insight to how the other works and will benefit us all in future operations."

The U.S. Air Forces EMEDS training is just one aspect of Immediate Response 15, the 13-day multinational, tactical field exercise, which takes place across Croatia and Slovenia and includes military members from nine nations.