Published: 2009-09-20 17:40:53
Author: Dynamic Chiropractic | September 1, 2009
U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Eldridge, DC, CCSP, is heading to Afghanistan for a second tour combating the Taliban and other enemy combatants. During his first tour in Iraq, Dr. Eldridge became one of the first chiropractors to treat soldiers in combat situations. Dr. Eldridge received notice in June that he would be headed back to the Middle East for his second tour with the U.S. Army.
Dr. Eldridge, owner of the Rocky Mountain Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Clinic in Greeley, Colo., spent his first tour in Iraq during 2004-2005. His work with the TMC (troop medical clinic) in Baghdad, Iraq gave him the distinction of being one of the first chiropractors to treat soldiers in combat situations.
Dr. Eldridge serves with the 321st Military Intelligence Battalion as a Military Integrator/Maintainer. His primary role will be securing data and communications conduits in and around the military compounds in his area. Due to operational security, his exact location in country cannot be disclosed.
"I joined the military during the beginning stages of the Afghan war," says Dr. Eldridge, "And I am very excited that I will get to serve on this front and to help secure a free and Democratic Afghanistan. I am also looking forward to treating the troops in my unit and those units with whom we interact. Chiropractic is a much-needed addition to the military and I hope that I am able to add to the freedom of others by treating soldiers."
While the military does not have practicing chiropractors as part of its medical team, Dr. Eldridge's knowledge and expertise as a chiropractor will be used in a secondary role to combat the stress, fatigue and injuries that are a result of combat operations. A government program started in 1995, the Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Program(CHCDP), demonstrated overwhelmingly that chiropractic would be beneficial to our troops and that chiropractors would fit well with current health care providers.