Heroes:
Physical therapist, 53, returns after year in Kosovo with the U.S. ArmyHAMPSTEAD — When Jon Breakey decided to join the Army at an older age, the military made it more difficult than he thought it was going to be."I had been blown off basically," he said.Breakey, owner of North Carroll Physical Therapy, said he decided to join the Army when he was 47 years old because he felt the need to give back."If one looks at the way most of the world's population lives," he said, "they can see we are extraordinary blessed."Now Breakey, 53, has been deployed three times with the Army, most recently for more than a year to Kosovo.Linda Breakey, Jon's wife, said he was deployed to Kosovo in September 2005 and returned home last Friday. She said she and their four children haven't seen him since July, when their youngest son got married.He came home for two weeks for the wedding, she said, and to give his associate Rick Meyer a break from the business.John Bareham and his wife, Louise, attended an open house for Breakey at the physical therapy center Wednesday.Bareham, who has known Breakey for more than a year, said he comes with his wife Louise when she gets treatments."They need medical people over there," he said. "People get sick and die."The Army is in Kosovo as part of NATO, he said. Breakey said the purpose of the mission is to help stabilize the position of Kosovo while the United Nations ultimately decides the final status of that area. It could be an independent sovereign state or it could remain part of Serbia but have a degree of autonomy because of the Albanians and Serbians, he said."We are there to keep the peace and try to establish and environment that is going to be helpful and be conducive to a normal life for everyone," Breakey said. "Regardless of ethnicity."Breakey, of the 2290th U.S. Army Hospital division, said he was mobilized with the 2290th unit, but his parent unit is the 339th Combat Support Hospital of Harrisburg, Pa.He said he ended up with the 2290th unit because when the Army picks units to be deployed, some soldiers are removed from one unit and put with another."I was part of Task Force Medical Falcon," Breakey said.The multinational Task Force Medical Falcon is part of Operation Enduring Freedom, he said. As a captain with the task force, Breakey worked with more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers — part of a force of 17,000 NATO troops stationed in Kosovo — providing physical therapy to soldiers.He said the hospital where he was stationed at was called Camp Bondsteel and it provided therapy to U.S. and NATO troops, as well as to some civilian contractors.Breakey said it is important to have physical therapists available for two reasons: it allows the physical therapist to act as an extension of the doctor, and it also multiplies forces. By providing physical therapy to the soldiers the Army can get people back to duty quicker, he said.And although no major incidents occurred while his unit was there, Breakey said, everyone was alert and on top of their game."It is a combat zone," he said. "We were always armed."During his time in Kosovo, Breakey also worked in Civil Affairs and was responsible for overseeing Medcaps, he said.Medcaps — Medical Civilian Action Programs — were one-day medical clinics where physical therapist provided services to those in need.Breakey said there were 34 Medcaps who saw about 7,000 civilians.