Task force provides remote assistance to wounded warriors        Susanne Kappler  Leader Staff

Almost 600 wounded warriors who live in remote locations are given the opportunity to recover close to home with the support of 18 Soldiers stationed on Fort Jackson. Task Force NARMC (North Atlantic Regional Medical Command) serves as a “remote installation” to three Community Based Health Care Organizations located in Boston, Virginia Beach, Va., and Rock Island, Ill.  “Their (the CBHCOs) mission is to coordinate the medical treatment, track the treatment, validate the information that is coming back from the physicians — the primary care managers — and make sure that the Soldier is recovering adequately,” said Col. Larry Heisler, commander of Task Force NARMC. The task force provides personnel, operational and logistical support, in addition to offering legal and chaplain services. “They (the CBHCOs and the wounded warriors) are not on an installation, but we provide that installation support,” Heisler explained. “Anything that takes an installation to support an activity is what we’re doing for those three CBHCOs.” Most of the Soldiers assigned to CBHCOs are in the Reserves and National Guard. They stay on active duty during their recovery and must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the program. “We do have a high percentage of people who have multiple injuries and do require a longer recovery. It’s best for them, both physically and mentally, to be home with their family and their support system,” Heisler said. “It’s very good to know that we are making that transition for these Soldiers easier, because their lives aren’t going to be the same anymore.” The territory for which the three CBHCOs are responsible covers 22 states, mostly in the greater Northeast, but ranging from Wisconsin to North Carolina. South Carolina is not part of that region, but there are historical and logistical reasons why the task force is operating here. “At one time, this organization managed all the medical CBHCO organizations on the East Coast, which included Florida and Alabama. So we had everything east of the Mississippi,” Heisler said. “A year and a half ago, the commands separated into the medical regions.” Since the support is remote and the infrastructure was already in place on Fort Jackson, it made sense to leave the task force here, Heisler explained. The Soldiers of Task Force NARMC are all in the National Guard, many of them — like Heisler, who is from Ohio — spending time away from their families to support the wounded warriors. “All the Soldiers who are in the CBHCO program are very proud of what they do and how they provide that service,” Heisler said. “There isn’t anyone who has regretted taking their time away from their own family to be with these Soldiers. It’s just a very rewarding program for everyone.”