The big debate & Air Force medical team on mission in Thailand

 If you're like me, the smallest decisions can go really fast for the biggest debates of your life. You can turn the smallest hill of matter into a big mountain of decisions just by sitting down and analyzing too much.

Seems familiar? Have you ever struggled to try to make small, low impact decisions and struggled to keep up? I certainly have that. It's so easy to make a small decision like "what should I eat for breakfast?" And make it a two-way discussion that can be much longer than normal breakfast hours. You start to wonder if you should have a healthy, balanced breakfast of toast and whole fruit or if you can enjoy (just this time) an unhealthy diet of packaged pastries and latte. Did you eat healthy enough the night before to reward yourself with a sweet breakfast? Do you plan to eat better for the rest of the day? These questions and more stress and unnecessary debate can add to your choices.

Those of us who are analysts by nature find it even more difficult not to turn everything into debate in our heads. Take buying for example. You'll find a good sweater for sale for ten dollars, but there is an even quieter sweater that you will definitely have to spend more on. The cutest sweater, however, costs forty dollars. What are you doing? People like me are starting to make mental lists of pros and cons on either side of what has been a big debate throughout your day. Are you saving money but losing the prettiest sweater? Or are you just splurging on something you need to buy? What good is being able to make choices like this when you can do big things out of small ones?

Is there anything we can do to keep ourselves from debating every decision we make every day? I just want to get bored of living like this. It's one thing to think about the choices you make, but it's another to work on your brain with breakfast chats or new sweets.

I believe I have only one piece of advice that has been tried and tried to provide to people who have the biggest opponent in any debate: stop it. When you feel like a silly debate about being in your head, stop it. Take a moment to settle your thoughts and discuss the importance of this decision. Chances are, it's not worth the time and energy you put into analyzing the option. You will find that at first eighty percent of what I submitted is not worth the big debate in my head. Eat unhealthy breakfast, buy the expensive sweater. Do what you want. Stop being so unsure of what it means.A United States. The Air Force medical and dental team and members of the Royal Thai Air Force took part in a humanitarian trip to a 72 Thairat school in Udon Thani on February 6, 2007.

This was the second civil action project and the first to be conducted in northern Thailand during the 2007 Cope Tiger Exercise. Cope Tiger is one of the most commonly known annual Thai-American exercises. “War games”, but which are in fact combined training missions. and humanitarian aid.

According to the Royal Thai Air Force, Captain Mathin Piyaamornmatha, people here do not have access to medicine because they are in the country far from the city and have no money.

"Today they see that the United States is friendly and has access to medicine," said Captain Piyaamornmatha.

Not only did the students and members of the local community receive medication, they also received foot massages, a haircut, a concert with members of the 23 Wing of the Royal Thai Air Force and a display of tarkaw (cross between volleyball and football). Among all the performances, medical teams from U.S. Air Force units in Japan performed dental and eye tests.

"We have the opportunity to relieve a small child from pain, which allows him to focus on what he has learned," said Captain Alan Neal of the 35th Dental Squadron at Misawa Air Base in Japan.

Captain Neal stated that this incident was not limited to extraction of teeth or examination of vision; it is a two-way street for division.

"It's about building a relationship of trust," said Captain Neal.

"It 's an opportunity for Thais to personally experience the kind of people that make up the U.S. military," said Chief Airman Joseph Reed, a satellite technician with the 18th Communications Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan. . "I hope they know that people in other parts of the world care about them and their future."

"Who knows? Our trip may inspire them to become dentists or further their education," said Captain Neal.

“It was an eye-opener,” said Chief Airman Hilary Easkin, a dental assistant with 35 Dental Squadron in Misawa AB. "I went away with respect for our work and our ability to help those people. They were very grateful for our help and we were grateful for their hospitality and the opportunity to help.

Thug Lt Col. Michael Akiona, 13th head of the Expeditionary Air Force and head of KC-135 control, notes that the gifts given to the school are a sign of friendship between Thailand and the United States.

"We look forward to Cope Tiger renewing our friendship," he said.

If you've ever been on a mission like this, you know you do feel better than the patients you've received.