Petsche Awarded Air Force Commendation Medal

An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse at Lockland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Julie Petsche stays busy.

A Captain in the United States Air Force, she was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for outstanding achievement earlier this year.

The daughter of Larry and Judy Petsche, she distinguished herself by outstanding achievement as a Clinical Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, 332d Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron, 332d Expeditionary Medical Group, 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

From March 5 through Aug. 4, 2008, while in Iraq, Captain Petsche delivered expert care to more than 200 critically ill military and civilian patients in need. She supervised fourteen medics in their support of more than 400 patient admissions and in their response to more than 135 arriving trauma patients. She served as unit shift leader during a mass casualty incident where she organized the Intensive Care Unit admission of 10 patients with multiple traumatic injuries and oversaw their timely stabilization.

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