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Reservists lend hand, expertise at AF JROTC camp

Pair of 446th AW Airmen run first aid tent at Summer Leadership School

Col. Julia Scott, center, and Senior Airman Jaime Salunga, both Reservists with the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at McChord Field, tend to a Air Force JROTC cadet’s bug bites. /Tyler Hemstreet

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MASON COUNTY - Air Force Col. Julia Scott saw a wide range of grisly injuries during her time working as a chief nurse at a military base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, during her most recent deployment.

So no amount of twisted ankles, bee stings, open blisters, allergic reactions and high fevers could throw Scott off her game when it came to volunteering at the first aid tent at the Air Force JROTC Summer Leadership School at Camp Hahobas.

"This is great ... I love it," Scott said of the experience working at the five-day camp.

Scott, an Air Force Reservist with the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at McChord Field, is also school nurse at Prairie High School in Vancouver.

Dressed in her Air Force ABUs, Scott tended to injured cadets sent to her tent throughout the week, offering up band-aids with various cartoon characters on them for minor cuts.

"(Cadets) love them," she said of the band-aids.

While she is quick to offer aid to those that are hurt, when it comes to cadets looking to milk an injury for a minute to get away from all the activity, Scott lays down the law.

"I tell them that they need to get out and get back to their flight," she said with a laugh.

Fellow Reservist and Senior Airman Jamie Salunga, a flight medic in the 446th AES, joined Scott in the tent for the week.

Salunga, a student at Highline Community College, went through the AF JROTC program at Federal Way High School three years ago and still stays close to the program to this day.

"I love the program," she said. "I'll do anything to help it grow."

She enjoyed the time at Camp Hahobas and the opportunity she got to see some cadets she helped welcome into the program while she was there.

"I see familiar faces," Salunga said. "Watching these kids grow is pretty neat."

Salunga being a constant presence in the program helps cadets visualize themselves one day choosing an Air Force career, said Lt. Col. Randy Long, commander of Federal Way's AF JROTC program.

"They see Jaime and they are able to ask her questions and she's able to tell them about her experience in the Air Force," Long said. "It's neat because McChord is a great resource for us."

The interaction is also very positive for Salunga herself.

"(Cadets) are always asking me questions, and we're able to learn from each other," she said.

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