MARIETTA, Ga. – The commander of the Dobbins Air Reserve Base says the base has proved its worth in the past two months by playing a vital role in helping to transport three Ebola patients to Emory Hospital.
Col. Brett Clark, who is commander of the base that hosts the 94th Airlift Wing, said he wants to make Dobbins stand out among other bases across the nation to prevent it from being closed.
"I want us to be an absolute top-tier organization, and we're making a lot of headway there," Clark said.
On Tuesday morning, the base served as a landing spot for a plane carrying an American doctor infected with Ebola from Sierra Leone, where the patient, who has not been identified, walked from the plane to an ambulance.
"I'm really proud of the way we have done what we call a 'transload,' which is transporting the patient from the plane to the ambulance," Clark said.
Clark said the base worked to make the process of landing a plane, getting the patient through customs and coordinating the arrival of the patient with the Centers for Disease Control and Emory Hospital "seamless."
Of the four Ebola patients to arrive in the United States from Africa in the past two months, three of them have landed at Dobbins, Clark said.
"They sent one of the patients to Nebraska and now they're sending them back here, so maybe that's an indicator that they like the way we handle things over here," said Clark, who has been the commander of the base since November 2013.
Lt. Col. Jim Wilson, spokesman for Dobbins, said the medical evacuation procedures the base performed make Dobbins a valuable asset to the country. These skills could become important, Wilson said, in case Washington threatens to cut funding to the base.
"We are much more than a tactical airlift wing. We proved that (Tuesday) morning," Wilson said.
Local leaders are constantly fearful the Obama administration and/or a Congressional-level Base Realignment and Closure Commission might slash numerous bases, weapons, programs or military personnel to cut costs, Clark said.
"There's a lot of discussion about a BRAC, but it has to be approved by Congress," Clark said. "Congress controls funding and appropriations, so they make the decision on that, and right now Congress is saying, 'You're putting the cart before the horse by talking about BRAC, we're the ones who approve that.'"
Clark said it would be "naive" to think that Dobbins couldn't be subject to a funding cut or a closure in the future, but his goal is to make the base's services well-known, including transferring people with medical emergencies.
"My strategy as a base commander has been we are going to be 'second to none' to make sure that it is very painful for Congress to eliminate the services we offer," Clark said.
Dobbins is a Reserve base, but it could be called into active duty at any time. The base and its 2,500 employees were last called to active duty to serve a one-month tour in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The base has 16 squadrons of reservists in the Air Force Reserves, and it houses eight cargo aircraft, which can support troops or go on supply delivery missions inside a combat zone if called.
Clark spoke to the Cobb Young Professionals group Tuesday about the traits of a leader. Being active in the community is an important part of the base's mission, Clark said.
The event, put on by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, is a show of support for the base Clark said is essential to maintaining the value of Dobbins.
"The Chamber is on fire to support us," Clark said.
