Arzola, originally of Puerto Rico, is commander of surgical specialties flight at Wright Patterson Medical Center and chief of its urology element. Though his medical and military career has taken him from New York to Texas, it was his six-month deployment to Afghanistan that defined his love of military life.
How was your deployment? "I left December 8, came back on the 14th of June. I did urology work mainly for trauma on our guys. It was a six-month tour, stationed in Bagram Air Base."
“The camaraderie in the military has always been good, but it was unparalleled in the deployed environment, everybody’s just working hard trying to make it better for everybody who’s there and everybody we’re taking care of, so I always thought that was good. You shared like family, and it was just great.”
What is the most satisfying thing about your work? "I've been in the Air Force starting my 17th year now. I started out as a flight surgeon on spy planes. It was a neat mission, so I did that from 2001 to 2003, and then in '03 I did my urology residency in San Antonio, Texas from '03 to 2008, and then in 2008 I came here to Wright-Patt. It's really given me a solid start in my career."
“My commitment is over soon, and I’m actually interviewing now for jobs and there’s a chance I might end up in the local area. I’ve been to Virginia, North Carolina.”
What's your favorite memory of your service? "I had a neat visit with President Obama during the deployment. He visited us on the 2nd of May at Craig Joint Theatre Hospital. He was there on the anniversary of Osama Bin Laden's death signing a pact with Kabul. He swung by at about 3 in the morning. I got to shake hands with him."
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