Surgeon general visits Airmen Published March 1, 2007 By Airman Mindy Bloem Staff Writer POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Air Mobility Command's top medical leader visited Pope Feb. 21. Brig. Gen. Byron Hepburn, the AMC surgeon general, toured the Pope medical clinic and met with medical personnel. He was on a circuit visiting clinics under his command. While here, he talked about some important changes taking place at Pope, and he also discussed the direction he hopes to see military medicine move. He said one of the main concerns for many is the effect base realignment and closure will have on Pope. "The next couple of years will see significant changes, but our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible for our base personnel, so our quality of care doesn't suffer," said General Hepburn. Pope is working closely with the Army to establish a smooth adjustment to the switch, General Hepburn said. "We want our servicemembers and their families to be well taken care of throughout this process," said General Hepburn. In addition, since the Air Force is an expeditionary force, many medical personnel may be pondering the challenges military medicine will face in the next decade. "For the purpose of providing the best medical care, it is imperative to be engineering and acquiring new technology," General Hepburn stated. New technology would generate a more capable response in emergencies situations, he explained. The Air Force's medical teams must be ready for potential terror engagements anywhere. "Medical service is critical to the war on terror," General Hepburn said. Also, whenever there is an earthquake or hurricane, or some type of natural disaster, medical attention is needed quickly, he said. The clinic here is doing its part for the war by getting servicemembers the medical care needed for scheduled deployments. This helps to alleviate unnecessary anxiety they might have about deploying, said General Hepburn. "We make a promise to our servicemembers not to put them in harm's way without giving them the best medical care we can offer, and we are going to keep that promise," General Hepburn stated. The general said the medics are vital to the team mission. "I love the team spirit on Pope," he said. "I am always impressed with our servicemembers. They are the next 'great' generation."