Tennessee’s 208th Medical Company returns from overseas

SMYRNA, Tenn. (AP) — More than 50 Tennessee Army National Guard soldiers returned to Tennessee this week from a nearly yearlong deployment in the Middle East.

The soldiers are from the 208th Medical Company, based in Smyrna. It is composed of a range of medical professionals, including combat medics, dentists, physicians and behavioral health specialists, according to a news release from the guard.

Most of the company was stationed at Al Asad Air Base in Western Iraq where they operated a medical clinic for the nearly 3,000 soldiers and contractors stationed there.

“We were the primary medical providers in the area, and we treated everything from basic illness to serious injuries that occurred on and around the base,” said Maj. Heather Real, 208th Commander.

Tennessee guards members also managed a COVID-19 isolation facility in Kuwait and trained the Kuwaiti military in combat lifesaving techniques. Others traveled to bases throughout the Middle East providing soldiers with physical therapy and injury rehabilitation.