By CPT(MD) Stephen Rice
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
06 September 2011
On September 6, 2011 Col. (MDDF) Walter Hettinger assumed command of the Maryland Defense Force’s 10th Medical Regiment from the previous regimental commander, Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Stanley Minken. Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Minken transitioned to a new position as the Medical Advisor to the commanding general of the Maryland Defense Force, Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Brian R. Kelm.
Dr. Walter Hettinger graduated from Kenwood High School in Baltimore County prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army where he rose to the rank of staff sergeant. While serving in the U.S. Army, Col. (MDDF) Hettinger studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California and specialized as a voice interceptor.
Following his military service, Col. (MDDF) Hettinger attended Johns Hopkins University where he received a bachelor’s degree in biophysics and also did graduate work in the same field. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University, Col. (MDDF) Hettinger attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine. While he was enrolled as a medical student, Dr. Hettinger received the prestigious Maryland Family Practice Scholarship and a Bureau of Indian Affairs Scholarship. While in his senior year in medical school, he received a commission from the U.S. Public Health Service as an ensign and worked at the Quinault Indian Reservation in Taholah, Washington. As a Native American member of the Yankton Sioux tribe this important mission was of special significance to Col. (MDDF) Hettinger.
After graduation from medical school Dr. Hettinger completed a family medicine residency and an obstetrics and gynecology fellowship in family medicine. Since his residency, Dr. Hettinger has worked in emergency medicine at hospitals from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to the Baltimore region. He is currently Board Certified in emergency medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Currently he serves as an attending physician at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson, Maryland.
While serving with the MDDF, Dr. Hettinger has coordinated various officer candidate and post deployment health assessment missions with the Maryland National Guard. In 2007 he also participated in an Air National Guard humanitarian mission to the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Col. (MDDF) Hettinger is the recipient of the Maryland Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), the Maryland Commendation Medal (three awards), the Maryland Defense Force Achievement Medal, the Maryland Emergency Service Medal (two awards) and the Maryland Humanitarian Service Medal.
The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer military unit providing professional and technical assistance to the Maryland Military Department. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 450 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland. For more information: www.mddf.maryland.gov.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Maryland Defense Force Mobilizes to Support State of Maryland Response to Hurricane Irene
By CPT(MD) Stephen Rice
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
05 September 2011
As part of the State of Maryland’s preparation for the effects of Hurricane Irene, elements of the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) mobilized to support the total force response of the Maryland Military Department. In total, eight MDDF units were engaged and 70 MDDF personnel contributed to the effort. These MDDF personnel accumulated 2,156 hours of service over four days and saved the State of Maryland $100,548.39.
MDDF Rapid Action Team (RAT) personnel were activated to augment the Maryland National Guard Adaptive Battle Staff at the Maryland Joint Operations Center. They served as liaison officers and provided twenty-four hour support for three positions that facilitated the coordination of relief and recovery efforts. In addition, the MDDF Operations and Training Unit established a Tactical Operations Center to manage MDDF assets in the field of operations.
Posted at the Easton Armory in order to provide direct support to Maryland residents that were in the path of the storm were personnel from the MDDF’s 121st Engineering Regiment, 10th Medical Regiment, Field Detachment Delta and Chaplain Corps. Field operations conducted by these units included structural damage assessments and tree removal to aid civilian transportation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The overall MDDF effort was augmented by leadership from the MDDF command staff, technical support from the Information Technology and Communications Unit and the activation of MDDF assets assigned to the Maryland National Guard County Liaison Team (CoLT).
Col. (MDDF) James F. Coleman served as the Officer In Charge of the MDDF mobilization. He proudly noted that, “Our officers and enlisted personnel throughout the state showed pride and professionalism in the performance of their duties.” Capt. (MDDF) Michael Behringer, the commander of the RAT expressed that, “This gave us a great opportunity to test and refine our operational integration with other elements of the Maryland Military Department for future emergencies.” Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Brian R. Kelm simply stated, “Our motto is that we are Ready When Called. This mobilization gave us another opportunity to show that we stand behind those words.”
The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer military unit providing professional and technical assistance to the Maryland Military Department. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 450 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland. For more information: http://mddf.maryland.gov.
Maryland Defense Force Public Affairs
05 September 2011
As part of the State of Maryland’s preparation for the effects of Hurricane Irene, elements of the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) mobilized to support the total force response of the Maryland Military Department. In total, eight MDDF units were engaged and 70 MDDF personnel contributed to the effort. These MDDF personnel accumulated 2,156 hours of service over four days and saved the State of Maryland $100,548.39.
MDDF Rapid Action Team (RAT) personnel were activated to augment the Maryland National Guard Adaptive Battle Staff at the Maryland Joint Operations Center. They served as liaison officers and provided twenty-four hour support for three positions that facilitated the coordination of relief and recovery efforts. In addition, the MDDF Operations and Training Unit established a Tactical Operations Center to manage MDDF assets in the field of operations.
Posted at the Easton Armory in order to provide direct support to Maryland residents that were in the path of the storm were personnel from the MDDF’s 121st Engineering Regiment, 10th Medical Regiment, Field Detachment Delta and Chaplain Corps. Field operations conducted by these units included structural damage assessments and tree removal to aid civilian transportation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The overall MDDF effort was augmented by leadership from the MDDF command staff, technical support from the Information Technology and Communications Unit and the activation of MDDF assets assigned to the Maryland National Guard County Liaison Team (CoLT).
Col. (MDDF) James F. Coleman served as the Officer In Charge of the MDDF mobilization. He proudly noted that, “Our officers and enlisted personnel throughout the state showed pride and professionalism in the performance of their duties.” Capt. (MDDF) Michael Behringer, the commander of the RAT expressed that, “This gave us a great opportunity to test and refine our operational integration with other elements of the Maryland Military Department for future emergencies.” Brig. Gen. (MDDF) Brian R. Kelm simply stated, “Our motto is that we are Ready When Called. This mobilization gave us another opportunity to show that we stand behind those words.”
The Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) is the State’s uniformed volunteer military unit providing professional and technical assistance to the Maryland Military Department. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 450 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland. For more information: http://mddf.maryland.gov.
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