Jeter, David - United States Air Force

I spoke with Alden Hilton, who is the Chief of Aerospace Medicine Operations and Policy for the United States Air Force. He is also my uncle, which makes him very accessible for late night phone interviews. He got his bachelor’s degree in Public Health, joined the Air Force, went to medical school, and rose through the ranks to his current position, which is, basically, monitoring and improving the health of everyone in the Air Force. When I asked him what the five heath concerns were he gave some interesting responses:

Obesity

He described obesity as a major problem and explained that in the armed forces as our recruits come from society at large: as obesity becomes more prevalent in society more and more recruits also have this problem.  With obesity comes the inability to physically keep up with the rigors of the military lifestyle. Because so much depends on these soldiers being able to do what is asked of them (this is why, after all, we rely so confidently on our military), the problem of obesity really is a large matter of concern.

Nutritional Supplements

Many soldiers use muscle-building protein shakes to enhance their muscle-mass. Because these dietary supplements are, technically, neither food nor medicines, the FDA does not regulate them: anything can slip into the ingredients. Although most of the protein shakes on the market are harmless, some contain harmful drugs and steroid precursors. His concern in this matter is the adverse health effect inflicted by these harmful substances.

Hearing Loss

I probably should have guessed this one before he said it, but hearing loss is (obviously) a huge concern for the Air Force. Loud airplanes, loud guns, loud everything – I’m sure the fight against hearing loss is never-ending, regardless of how many protective measures are taken. Earplugs can only do so much, and I would venture that not all soldiers are 100% diligent in putting them in.

“Burn Pit” Exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan

On US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, standard procedure for getting rid of wastes (all wastes) is to burn them in on-base pits. This practice exposes the entire base, essentially, the entire base to whatever carcinogens (potentially) could be floating around in the smoke. The thing that I found most interesting, though, was his (Alden’s) perspective on the situation: this is an issue because exposed soldiers are expecting financial assistance in treating their cancers, so Alden is now faced with the task of determining whether or not their cancer was caused by the burn pits and whether the Air Force is obligated to help financially. The Air Force is being forced to protect itself from potential “gold-diggers”: people who are dishonestly blaming their cancer on the burn pits to get money. Congress has ordered that the Air Force compile a list of all potentially exposed soldiers.

Agent Orange

During the Vietnam War the American military developed a chemical (nicknamed “Agent Orange”) that was meant to kill vegetation (trees and underbrush) that was helping the enemy hide. The chemical worked: it killed everything. Not surprisingly, it had some horrifying effects on the people it fell on (Google this at your own risk) and the soldiers who handled it. Now, forty years later, the Air Force is still having to react to claims that Agent Orange caused the cancer of a veteran, etc.