Serving My Country in the USPHS

Good morning, District 27. Today is T-25 days until the General Election. I want to share a photo of me in my service dress blues. For 21 years, I served my country as an officer in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). This photo was taken at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, where I received the Indian Health Service National Director’s Award on November 9, 2009. You can click here to see photos from the ceremony: https://www.ihs.gov/nda/pastceremonies/20082009awardees/...

As a USPHS officer, I was actively involved in protecting our country during the war on terror. While based in Washington, DC, I responded to the post-9/11 anthrax attacks, including the incident in Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s office. The US Public Health Service played a central role in managing the crisis from the Secretary’s Command Center, providing critical information to the President and preparing for potential anthrax threats that could have disrupted major events, such as Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans or the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in February 2002. Many USPHS officers, including myself, were on readiness alert in case the anthrax spread to these venues or elsewhere. I was even required to receive the smallpox vaccine to prepare for any bioterrorism response. This is just one example of how USPHS officers served our country during the post-9/11 era.

Another example of USPHS officers serving our country occurred in 2005, when President George W. Bush detailed them to assist National Guard personnel in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. USPHS engineers, medical officers, and environmental health specialists were deployed to provide triage, inspect water and sewer infrastructure, and test the water supply for potability, supplementing government resources during the disaster response.

To learn more about how USPHS Officers continue to serve our country, I would encourage you to check out this link: https://www.usphs.gov/about-us

As a veteran, I am proud to have served my country. Sadly, the State of South Dakota does not recognize those veterans who served in the USPHS or NOAA. God willing, if I am elected to the state senate, I will sponsor legislation that honors and recognizes all active duty and veterans of the Uniformed Services. God bless.

NOTE: Anthony Kathol was a Commissioned Officer of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). The use of his rank, job titles, or photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the USPHS or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.