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	Official U.S. Navy file photo of Sailors and Marines assigned to the 1st and 2nd Force Services Support Group (FSSG) at Camp Coyote, Kuwait, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sixty-nine members of the 2nd FSSG returned home to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Fla., May 31.
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Naval Hospital Jacksonville 'Devil Docs' Return Home
Story Number: NNS030603-29
Release Date: 6/3/2003 11:57:00 PM

By Loren Barnes, Naval Hospital Jacksonville Public Affairs

NAVAL HOSPITAL JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Sixty-nine members of Naval Hospital Jacksonville's 2nd Force Service Support Group (FSSG) returned home May 31 to Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Fla. Arriving aboard buses at approximately 1 a.m., after a nine-hour ride from Camp Lejeune, N.C., they were cheered by friends, family and shipmates waving flags and banners at the hospital entrance.

The 2nd FSSG was the first platform to deploy from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, shipping out Jan. 26. The unit includes members not only from the Naval Hospital itself, but also from the hospital’s Branch Medical Clinics located throughout Georgia and Florida.

The 2nd FSSG is a surgical company. It consists of several elements, including shock/trauma platoons, as well as surgical platoons.

Braving attacks on their convoys, sandstorms and harsh living conditions, and four months of separation from their loved ones, the 2nd FSSG’s “Devil Docs” delivered outstanding care to Marine forces in the field. They started out in camps in Kuwait and moved in-country with the Marines as Iraq was invaded.

The trials of the deployment just made the return that much sweeter. As she returned home, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Nathalie McKoy said, “Compared to what we went through, this feels like heaven."

Lt. Cmdr. Alicia Morrison said the living conditions were very rustic. “There was sand everywhere. I don’t want to go to the beach for a very long time,” she said smiling.

Lt. Danisha Robbins agreed that, “It was an incredible experience,” but added, “It is great to be home.” Greeted by her husband and two children, she said what got the deployed troops through was planning and looking forward to their return.

The deployment was also demanding on families back home. Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class James Nelms was greeted by his wife Dawn and their two children. Dawn said the separation had been trying. She said, “It was difficult explaining to her five-year-old why her daddy was gone, why he wasn’t back from work yet.” She said, “I got through it with a lot of family support from my parents back in Michigan.” She said now that he is back, they plan on “lots of relaxation and spending time with daddy.”

Eighty-four deployed Naval Hospital personnel already returned May 14 from serving aboard Casualty Receiving and Treatment Ships in the region.

Approximately 20 members of the 2nd FSSG continue to be deployed, assisting various medical units. They will return in small contingents as their mission requirements are fulfilled. Other hospital staff members are deployed with various Marine units around the globe, with Joint Task Force, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, or providing host nation medical support in Bahrain.

For related news, visit the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nhjax.

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