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Keesler medic receives Purple Heart

  • Published
  • By Steve Pivnick
  • 81st Medical Group Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Master Sgt. Kenneth Gestring, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron, was honored Tuesday with the Purple Heart for wounds he suffered while deployed to Afghanistan.

Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Kory Cornum, 81st Medical Group commander, pinned the award on Sergeant Gestring during a ceremony in the hospital's Don Wylie Auditorium as family, friends and coworkers looked on.

Sergeant Gestring, 81st MSGS anesthesia flight superintendent, was wounded Jan. 6 while assigned to the Combined Joint Task Force 82, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Mountain Warrior, as the senior medic for a provincial reconstruction team in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Background on the incident stated, "While on a dismounted combat patrol, his medical skills proved critical following an anti-Afghan forces sub-munitions attack. He provided care under fire without regard to his own personnel safety and injuries he sustained from the blast. He triaged and rendered treatment to nine other injured coalition forces and three Afghan National Police. His immediate response and swift tactical treatment during this mass casualty event saved their lives by preventing their injuries from becoming life threatening. Due to his superior medical skills, all coalition forces returned to duty with a full recovery."

Sergeant Gestring said he had been hit in the back body armor by five pieces of shrapnel and three more in the leg with two pieces ricocheting, one going through his calf and underlying skin.

After treating the other wounded at the site, they returned to the forward operating base, where he redressed their wounds. Once he had taken care of them, ensured they were situated and completed necessary paperwork, he immediately contacted his wife, Corina.

"I would Skype and video cam with her daily," he said. "If I didn't, she knew either I was on a mission or something was wrong. I was upfront with her, telling her I had been injured but that I was all right and had taken care of all the other personnel. She was worried, that's for sure. I tried to reassure her I was OK, although I was still limping. She seemed to handle it pretty well -- she's a strong woman."

The wound had resulted in some nerve damage, Sergeant Gestring explained, and the shrapnel was removed the next week.

Sergeant Gestring, a veteran of 24 years of Air Force service, came to Keesler in December 2008 and was selected for deployment shortly after arrival. After training for 2½ months, he left for Afghanistan in June, returning in March.
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