Air Force is Worsham family business

  • Published
  • By Steve Pivnick
  • 81st Medical Group Public Affairs
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  It's not unusual for a married active-duty Air Force couple to be assigned together. But there are three Worshams wearing blue at Keesler, all members of the 81st Medical Operations Squadron.

First Lt. Angelica Worsham is a physician assistant in the family health clinic. Her husband, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Worsham, is noncommissioned officer charge of the cardiac cath lab and a respiratory therapist with the critical care air transport team. Matthew's brother, Senior Airman Daniel Worsham, is an emergency medical technician who works with Angelica in the family health clinic. Their younger brother, Airman 1st Class David Worsham is completing contracting technical school at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and will be stationed at MacDill AFB, Fla.

Angelica, Matthew and their 4-year-old daughter, Isabella, arrived at Keesler in July 2007. Daniel joined them in 2009 for his first Air Force assignment. Matthew and Angelica, both enlisted at the time, met at Andrews AFB, Md., where they worked in the hospital intensive care unit. They have been assigned together for seven years.

Angelica, from Linden, N.J., enlisted in the Air Force in 1998 "to go to school." In addition to Andrews and Keesler, she has been assigned to Langley AFB, Va., MacDill and Eglin AFBs, Fla., and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. She considers the assignment at Andrews the most memorable, since, "That's where the magic all began!"

Angelica said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity. Having a support system and someone reliable you can trust is priceless, but we're sad that eventuallyit will have to come to an end."

Matthew and Daniel are natives of St. Augustine, Fla. Matthew entered the Air Force Sept. 18, 2001. "I was in the delayed enlistment program and went to basic training a week after the 9/11 attacks. My parents are former active-duty Air Force, so I had planned to join from a young age. I wanted the opportunity for education and training, as well as the ability to travel."

He has served at Andrews and Keesler and has six deployments to his credit, including Turkey, Haiti, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Matthew said, "I talked Daniel into enlisting more than three years ago. When he went to basic, he was guaranteed a medical job and placed Keesler as his No. 1 base selection on his 'dream sheet.' Luckily, he got the assignment."

He continued, "It is a true blessing to be stationed together. Often you don't get to see family unless you go home on leave. It's great for Isabella to have her uncle living so close. It's wonderful to be able to see each other every day while we work together in the hospital."

Matthew noted, "Every assignment brings great memories. Andrews is where I met my wife and had a beautiful daughter. All six of my deployments are special to me as they involved flying our critically-injured comrades home. Keesler gave me the opportunity to run a successful cath lab and the ability to be close to my brother again."

Daniel explained he enlisted in the Air Force in January 2009 because "I wanted to serve my country. My parents and older brother are Air Force veterans and I felt it best suited me."

In addition to his duties in the family health clinic, Daniel also trained for and served in the Keesler Honor Guard. He remarked that attending younger brother David's recent basic training graduation with his father and brother was a moving experience and being at Keesler with Matthew and Angelica "is awesome! Not only are we all assigned here, we are in the same squadron. To be able to go around the corner and see my brother isn't something everybody gets to do here every day. So we are pretty lucky to have the opportunity, not to mention, I get to watch my niece grow up!"