MDNG Soldier Honored for Contributions in Flight Medicine
By Chazz Kibler
BALTIMORE—Maryland Army National Guard Lt. Col. Vincent Reed, a physician assistant assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-224th Aviation Security and Support Battalion, 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, received the Army Aviation Association of America (Quad A) Medicine Award at the Army Aviation Senior Leaders Conference at Fort Novosel, Alabama, on January 29, 2025. Reed was recognized for his service in flight medicine during a 2024 deployment on the Southwest border. This honor highlights a Soldier’s dedication to the health and well-being of military personnel and underscores the vital role of medical support in aviation operations.
Nominated by his peers for his contributions, Reed served as the battalion flight surgeon during Task Force Freedom and played a crucial role in supporting over 350 Soldiers across seven operational locations along the 2,000-mile border mission. The 1-224th was federally deployed to support the Customs and Border Protection’s mission along the Southwest border. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command and Joint Task Force North, 1-224th’s mission was to assist CBP by providing aerial detection and monitoring capabilities. Approximately 350 Soldiers provided mission-enhancing support to CBP’s border security operations to enable CBP agents to conduct their law enforcement missions more efficiently.
During the deployment, Reed traveled the entire 2000 miles of the Southwest border monthly to maintain the flight physicals, flying status, and medical readiness of the 350+ soldiers deployed with the battalion. Reed’s approaches to medical care and commitment to aviation readiness have made a lasting impact, ensuring that troops remained fit for duty in a demanding environment.
“What initially got me interested in military medicine was seeing all the Soldiers deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Reed. “So, I signed up in hopes that, at the very least, I would save someone on a deployment.”
Reed has been a physician assistant since 2001 and credits his training, education, and experience with helping him win the Quad A Medicine Award and become a better provider.
“Professionally, it’s always nice to be recognized for your efforts,” said Reed. “And personally, there’s a lot of personal sacrifice behind what I do. It takes away from my civilian job, and, more importantly, the time I spend doing things in the military takes away from my family.”
Reed’s sacrifices have not gone unnoticed. To be considered for a Quad A award, a Soldier must first be nominated by their peers.
“[Reed] has been a stalwart in aviation medicine for the 1-224th aviation battalion, the 29th ECAB, and Task Force Freedom by maintaining the medical readiness of the unit, the medical training of flight paramedics, and the medical qualification of aircrew members in all facets of a guardsman serving as an aviation medical provider,” said MDARNG Lt. Col. Andrew Bagwell, executive officer, 29th ECAB and award nominator for Reed. “He is a tremendous resource to our team and makes a difference.”
If the nomination write-ups are compelling, Quad A members of the award committee use the provided information to decide who will receive recognition for their efforts.
“You can go back and look at the number of persons who’ve been awarded individual awards over the years, and they will pop up later in their careers as being a part of great units because it’s indicative of what kind of person they are and how they perform their daily duties,” said retired U.S. Army Col. Scott Schisser, award chairman, Quad A. “When the unit takes the time to recognize one of their own, it speaks volumes about the unit itself and how they care for people.”
From September 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, Reed was the only active aeromedical provider in the MDNG, serving the entire 29th ECAB. Additionally, while preparing that same brigade for deployment to the Southwest border of the United States, Reed led the aviation medicine section during the battalion Aviation Resource Management Survey, which reviews a unit’s aviation resources and training efficiency. During the inspection, Reed’s section scored a 98% passing rate.
“My leadership style is to get buy-in from the people I’m working with,” said Reed. “I listen to other people to establish an environment of cooperation and trust and let them know that it’s not just me running the show, but it’s the whole team and their contributions that result in our success.”