Specialized medical unit going to Persian Gulf

A highly specialized team of doctors and technicians will be heading for the Middle East.

Eight members of a neurological team with the 249th General Hospital received notification of their deployment about two weeks ago, according to Lt. Col. Rick Gullickson, commander of the 249th. Seven of the members are from Fort Gordon and one is from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The unit will be attached to the Third Medical Command, he said. Their exact destination and the date of their departure will not be released, he said.

"They are a mobile team and could be moved around the battlefield," he said.

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The neurological team would be available to treat soldiers with brain and spinal injuries, said Lt. Col. David Floyd, a neurosurgeon on the team. "We are capable of doing neurosurgery of all types, and any other neurological treatment."

Another team member is Sgt. Avery Witter, the noncommissioned officer in charge and an operating room technical supervisor.

Sgt. Witter said he's excited to be headed to the Persian Gulf region.

"We're fighting for the greatest country in the world. I'll be glad to be with other soldiers and help them with neurological trouble," he said.

Lt. Col. Gullickson said he could not confirm whether other members of the 249th are going to be deployed. However, if all the members of the unit were deployed, he said, the 249th would have "the full capability of any brick-and-mortar hospital."

The 249th has about 700 members who work at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center and other stations across the southeastern United States.

Reach Charmain Z. Brackett at (803) 441-6927 or czbrackett@hotmail.com.