A TAVISTOCK Royal Air Force airman is working hard to provide critical and life saving medical services at the Basra military base in Iraq. Senior Aircraftsman (SAC) Jake Callender, 24, is an RAF medic and is normally based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire. The RAF medical team is providing complete, essential and life saving medical care to all deployed service personnel on operations in Basra. Jake said: ?I believe the job we do is important and I am really enjoying being a medic. We are the front line medical element. ?I am loving the experience I am gaining and the people I work with. Everyone pulls together and there is a great team spirit.? Currently deployed at the Contingency Operating Base, just outside Basra City, Jake is primarily employed within the medical centre where his duties include controlling the pharmacy supplies and issuing them to service personnel. He also assists in dealing with the broad range of injuries and illnesses experienced in operational theatres, from emergency casualties and their handling to domestic routine ailments. Jake joined the RAF in December 2001 after attending Tavistock College and completing a BTEC in public services in Plymouth. He was deployed to Iraq in early June. Although Jake enjoys the military life, he said he missed home ? in particular enjoying a few beers with his brother. Jake gave the following message to his family and friends: ?Everyone who knows me knows how I feel about missing them, so see you all soon and I hope you are all well.? Back in the UK, Jake enjoys rollerblading, snowboarding and Tae Kwon Do and is looking forward to returning to the UK to get back in the sea to carry on his passion for surfing.
