Serving Through Medicine
Originally from Jamaica, Airman 1st Class Byron Richards moved to the United States in 2020 and enlisted in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard on Sept. 7, 2023. After meeting with a recruiter for the first time, he completed the enlistment process in just six days before joining the 171st Air Refueling Wing as an aerospace medical technician.
A husband and father of two boys, with a baby girl on the way, Richards says his family inspired him to enlist. He wanted to do something more for them while also challenging himself.
At the 171st, Richards helps keep Airmen mission-ready by conducting flight physicals, drawing blood, maintaining medical records, taking vital signs, and performing electrocardiograms and eye exams. Outside the military, he works as a medical technician in the pediatric emergency department at West Virginia University.
“Despite having only a few years in the Air Force, his clinical skills have progressed rapidly, and he has developed into an outstanding medic,” said Senior Enlisted Leader Chief Master Sgt. Niki Harris. “He is a vital asset to our clinic and embodies the drive we look for in our future medical leaders.”
Richards recently returned from training in Kentucky, where he helped provide free medical care to low-income communities. While gaining valuable hands-on experiences, the training also included emergency lifesaving care for military working dogs.
Richards says his favorite part of serving in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard is the people, the sense of community and family the 171st provides, as well as the opportunity to keep learning. “Devoting my time to serve the country was my way of giving back.”
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