Physician assistant deployed to Africa
by DONA FAIR USAF Hometown News Service

Lt. Col. Alana Conley

When most of us think of Africa, we think of exotic animals roaming wild in the jungle, safaris on the expansive savannah and hunters looking for their next kill - all images that have been portrayed on the Discovery Channel, in movies like "Tarzan" and "King Kong," or pictures we have seen in National Geographic.

However, for the daughter of an Amherst woman and sister of a Tonawanda woman, life in Africa is very different.

Army Reserve Lt. Col. Alana Conley, daughter of Joan Conley, Travers Circle, Amherst, and sister of Jayne Farkas, Irvington Road, Tonawanda, is one of more than 1,800 U.S. service members, civilians, coalition forces and partner nations taking part in the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

They are conducting unified actions in the combined joint operations area of the Horn of Africa, which includes a large portion of northeast Africa consisting of the nations of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The task force is on scene "to prevent conflict, promote regional stability and protect coalition interests in an attempt to prevail against extremism," according to military officials.

Conley, a physician assistant, has been deployed to this remote location since January.

"I'm with the 350th Civil Affairs Command, special functions team. I am both a civil affairs officer and physician assistant. My job entails doing pre-deployment site assessments, which includes assessing the medical capabilities of local hospitals and clinics.

"I also take a look at common diseases that our service members could be in contact with in the areas they would be training or working in. I look for different ways for us to provide medical assistance to locals here. In doing so, we help deter future negative influences in the region and gain the trust and confidence of the local people, and spread pro-American sentiment."

Living in tents, working in temperatures that reach an excess of 120 degrees or more for days on end, constant blowing dust and power outages are just a few of the many hardships that Conley and her fellow humanitarians must endure during their time here to accomplish this important mission.

"Our mission here is way ahead in deterring terrorists from gaining influence in the Horn of Africa. Through our positive influence in medicine, I hope we can make people's lives a little easier, and put smiles on the faces of children. I also hope we'll gain allies and friends," she said.

Even after working long hours every day, Conley and the other military members here still find time to spend some of their offduty helping those in need. They donate supplies to a local orphanage, help fix up their facility or just play basketball with the kids.

They also take part in conversational English classes, which help the locals develop their use of the English language. Volunteers also provide medical and veterinarian information to the Djiboutians, helping them improve their quality of life by teaching them how to prevent the spread of malaria and cholera, diseases which are very prevalent here.

By going out into the communities, Conley and the others see a way of life that no one in the U.S. could ever imagine.

"I have seen some remarkably strong and resilient people here. I've been impressed with local nationals who work for us and local physicians who really want to see their country improve in the health-care arena. I have seen people in a nearby village who do not have running water or electricity, express pride about their clean health-care clinic," said Conley.

From drilling wells to providing clean drinking water to hosting women's health awareness days, they are making a difference in a region often forgotten by the outside world.

"Living here has made me appreciate more than ever how lucky and happy I am to be an American citizen. I know we'll try to help as many people as we can here, and that makes me feel good," said Conley.