A just 'cause

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ken Salgat
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  In June of this year, Dr. Thomas Majcher (pronounced like "major"), was one of approximately 30 Air Force Reservists processing through the "newcomers" orientation here. He was unassuming, polite and engaging - no one ever would have suspected he was a recruiting coupe that demanded Congressional approval and the President's signature.

Dr. Thomas Majcher is now Lt. Col. Majcher. He serves as a Reservist flight surgeon assigned to the 308th Rescue Squadron. A specialist in anesthesiology, a peri-operative discipline, ("peri" meaning "all-around"), they deliver anesthesia to patients in virtually all health-care settings. Preparation of patients for emergency surgery is a mandatory, essential and critical skill that anesthesiologists have been trained to employ in the field.

Because of his in-coming rank, his age (53), and because of the fact he had never served in the military, he needed the two Executive decisions before entering the Air Force Reserve. However, his training and experience fulfilled a critical need for the Reserve and made him the perfect asset to help carry out the mission of the 308th Rescue Squadron, which is made up the Air Force's most elite personnel recovery Airmen - pararescuemen.

Pararescuemen (or PJs) are among the most highly trained emergency trauma specialists in the U.S. military and they must earn and maintain an emergency medical technician paramedic qualification throughout their careers; but that's not all. They are qualified freefall parachutists, SCUBA divers, mountain climbers and ground combat operators. Their medical and rescue expertise, along with their deployment capabilities, allow PJs to perform life-saving missions anywhere in the world. Their motto, "That Others May Live," is an affirmation to the commitment PJs make to saving lives and self-sacrifice.

Colonel Majcher was commissioned March 16, 2010; his wife, Linda's, birthday. With a resume the size of a typical phone book and medical credentials that rival a physician in a "House" episode, Colonel Majcher had no apparent reason to join the Air Force Reserve. However, some decisions are more the act of duty rather than necessity.

It was this dedication to duty that inspired Colonel Majcher, who resides in Colorado, to take the leap into becoming a Reservist in Florida.

"I'm proud that I'm serving as the flight surgeon for the PJs," said Colonel Majcher. "They are all heroes, and you have to respect what they do."

The trek from civilian to military service member encountered its fair share of bumps in the road.

A few years ago, he was invited to take part in a business community leadership tour that was organized by the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. It involved a training mission aboard a C-130 from Colorado to Florida's 920th Rescue Wing. The experience exposed him to the missions at both bases and marked the beginning of a journey that changed his life - and will help save the lives of others.

"I got really excited about the mission here," said Colonel Majcher, referring the 920th RQW. "That's why I decided to make the flight to Florida each month rather than serving closer to home."

Colonel Majcher is the father of six and a dedicated husband to his wife, Linda, of more than 30 years. He is successful, active in his community and a tireless lecturer to medical facilities throughout the country. And yet, he decided he needed more.

Colonel Majcher still has to go through commissioned officer training (two weeks) in December and the Aerospace Medicine Primary Course (eight weeks). The additional training, along with the fact that the newly minted colonel hops aboard a civilian airline for a four-hour trip to Cocoa Beach to serve the needs of the 920th RQW each month, are only part of the dedication he exudes.

His civilian credentials are nothing to sneeze at either. For the last nine years, he's been the Clinical Director, Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology, The Children's Hospital Associate Professor at the Department of Anesthesiology University of Colorado, Denver.
But his main passion is treating trauma victims. And although he will be away from his family, he is looking forward to being deployed ... early and often ... because it is what he loves.

"He (Colonel Majcher) is an invaluable additional to the squadron, and he brings unmatched resources and experience to the position," said Lt. Col. Kurt Matthews, 308th RQS Commander. "His skills are impressive, and we're lucky to have him on board."

Master Sgt. Michael McClafferty, an Air Force Reserve medical personnel recruiter who brought him into the Reserve family, said the critical need and the dire shortage of medical personnel, along with Colonel Majcher's exceptional resume and experience, made the decision easier for the top brass.

"His is a very unique situation because he's coming straight off the street (out of civilian life)," said Sergeant McClafferty. "All he wanted to do was serve, because at this stage he won't get a retirement package through the Air Force Reserve."

His wife was not sure what to make of her husband's decision to go into military service so late in his adult life, but Colonel Majcher said she probably wasn't all that surprised.

"She's used to hearing crazy things like that from me," said Colonel Majcher. "She knows I like to keep busy. And yes, I needed to ask her permission."

Staying active seems to be a family trait. Of his six children, three currently serve in the armed forces and the youngest, Leslie, 20, was recently accepted to the U.S Coast Guard Academy. Lauren, 27, is an Air Force Second Lieutenant attending medical school in Denver via an Air Force scholarship. Patrick, 25, is a Petty Officer Third Class in the U. S. Coast Guard at Nuclear Power School in Charleston, S.C. Allison, 21, is a first class cadet at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy (senior). And his other two children, Andrea, 28, and Erik, 23, are a banking branch manager in Indianapolis, Ind.; and a senior at the University of Colorado, Boulder, respectively.

In a somewhat surprising twist, the Air Force Reserve actually has brought the family closer together, said Colonel Majcher.

"I'm really sensitive to what she (Linda) is going through," he said, referring to his time away from home. "But since I joined the Reserve, we have actually spent more quality time together - more than we have in a long time."