December 1, 2004

Kellogg doctor tests the vision of U.S. pilots

Dr. Bradley Taylor is back to checking the eyesight of his patients after checking the eyesight of pilots who fly some of the military's biggest cargo planes.

Dr. Taylor, an optometrist in Kellogg's Ann Arbor and Brighton offices, recently returned from his second call-up in the Tennessee Air National Guard. From last February to September, he was stationed in Memphis serving in the 164th Medical Squadron of the Tennessee Air National Guard. In his new role as Chief of Optometric Services, Dr. Taylor (now a Lieutenant Colonel promoted from Major) provided vision care to the 164th Air Wing and the 155th Airlift Squadron.

Besides providing medical care, Dr. Taylor's squadron also is responsible for environmental and public health issues on the base, medical readiness, drug/alcohol testing and base safety programs.

Dr. Taylor's first call-up as a Kellogg faculty member came shortly after the tragedies of 9-11. He was called up in October 2001 and did not return to his wife and three teenage daughters until April 2003 – a 17-month tour of duty.

During this first tour, his unit supported the 155th Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard and Dr. Taylor spent time checking the eyesight of crews who flew C-141 transport planes. These planes were deployed to bases in Europe for missions in the Middle East.

Although his duties were similar during the 2004 call-up, the planes were very different. Crews now were flying the new C-5, the largest cargo plane in the world. The C-5 has 28 tires, can load from both ends and can hold up to three helicopters! "Things were really up-tempo with the conversion to the new plane," said Dr. Taylor. "It was very exciting to see the crews learning how to fly and maintain them."

Many of the troops Dr. Taylor cared for were sent overseas for various tours of duty. He would make sure they were healthy before they left and then check them upon their return to the U.S. Part of this was updating vaccines, especially for anthrax and smallpox, as well as documenting injuries and coordinating health care.

Dr. Taylor has been a member of the Tennessee Air National Guard for eight years. He brought his family to Michigan from Memphis in February 2001 in order to take a position as an optometrist at the UM Kellogg Eye Center.

When asked about his service, Dr. Taylor says, "I feel like it's an opportunity to make a small difference to help the cause. The more troops that are training, the more important our role becomes." Although it is more likely he would be assigned somewhere in the U.S. to fill in for regular reservists who go abroad than to be shipped overseas, he never really knows what will happen. "With the election being over, everything is fair game," he says.

Contact: Aimee S. Bergquist, 734.763.4660, aimeesb@umich.edu.