b'PERIO PEOPLEGeneral/DentistMeet the two-star general who happens to be a practicing periodontistIn the summer of 1992, Sharon Ruschwho had just earned her Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree from Case Western Reserve School of Dentistry and graduated from Officer Training School with the rank of Captainfound herself at a formal ceremony welcoming new officers to the Air Force. The special guest speaker at the event was a two-star general, whom she noticed staring briefly at her from across the room. When she was later introduced to the general,General Bannisters prior rank was Brigadier General, and her he asked, Captain, whats your last name? When sheposition was Command Surgeon, Headquarters Air Combat responded, he paused momentarily and then smiled. ThatsCommand (ACC) at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. In that role, R-U-S-C-H, isnt it? he asked. I flew with your father, andshe was responsible to the ACC Commander for the healthcare of I remember him showing me pictures of you. He was a greatover 81,000 active duty and civilian personnel located at 11 bases pilot and a great man. Her father had been shot down overand more than 300 operating locations worldwide. ACC is the the mountains of Laos and died three days before her sixthlargest of the Air Forces nine Major Commands and includes not birthday. only all of the Air Forces fighter jets but remotely piloted planes Meeting a two-star general who recognized a fellow pilotsand all cyber functions. General Bannisters primary focus was on daughter from a few pictures he had seen 20 years earlierhow to get the ground dental and medical forces to all combatant made me realize that the organization I was now a part ofcommands wherever they were needed. This required organizing, was so much bigger than me, she said. I didnt go into thetraining, and equipping all deployable teams to ensure maximum Air Force because of my father, but in many ways, Ive stayedreadiness around the globe.in the Air Force because of him. After my conversation withNot surprisingly, much of General Bannisters focus since early this two-star general, I decided that his would be the kind of2020 has revolved around the COVID-19 pandemic. About 65 leadership I would aspire to, and 29 years later, it still is. percent of Air Force dental personnel were involved in direct An aspiration becomes reality support of COVID operations across the globe, she said. One of Today, Sharon Ruschwho is now Sharon Bannisterisour Air Force periodontists commanded the 222-person FEMA herself a two-star general, having been promoted on JuneCOVID team charged with vaccinating the population of Houston. 4, 2021. As a two-star generalher official title is MajorThe nice thing about being a dentist in the Air Force is that every Generalshe serves as Director of Medical Operations in theday is a little bit different. Were always trying to figure out how U.S. Air Force Office of the Surgeon General at the Defensewe can best work together as a healthcare team to meet the Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia.requirements not only of the Air Force or the overall military, but of our country.My scope of responsibility is helping make policy to ensure aSeeing, and helping, the worldmedically ready force, said General Bannister. Im charged with ensuring that all Air Force personnel are receiving theBorn on Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, Dr. Bannister dental and medical care they need, even though they mightgreatly values the opportunities she has had working in and with be in a deployed location that may or may not have anyother countries. In the late 1990s, she spent a year as the Chief dentists or physicians present.Dental Officer at Lajes Field on Terceira Island in the Azores, about 800 miles west of Portugal.She was also deployed to Saudi Her responsibilities also include making sure appropriate careArabia in the mid-1990s and to Kyrgyzstan in 2011, where she is available for unique uniformed professions, such as pilotsdid public health outreach, helped to de-worm the population, and who might have back and neck problems near the flight line,provided health education to orphanages. She also worked with or determining the proper standards for when pregnant pilotsKyrgyz Ministry of Health and Ministry of Defense to teach the shouldand should notfly.public about Self Aid Buddy Care, an Air Force training program AAP Periospectives| 50'