OCTOBER 20, 2023 – American Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s one-of-a-kind 1st Area Medical Laboratory recently supported Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) recruiting events at two high schools in New York City.
Sgt. Bashiru C. Alhassan, Sgt. Dennis Chantia and Spc. Stacy M. Radtke from the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-based 1st Area Medical Laboratory talked to students at the STEM events at Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology and Hempstead High School.
In addition to the 1st Area Medical Laboratory Soldiers, the “I Will Graduate” program also featured the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department.
As the U.S. Army’s sole mobile laboratory, the 1st Area Medical Laboratory performs surveillance, laboratory testing and health hazard assessments of environmental, occupational, endemic disease and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) threats to support force protection and Weapons of Mass Destruction missions.
The 1st Area Medical Laboratory is part of the 44th Medical Brigade and 20th CBRNE Command, the U.S. military’s premier CBRNE formation.
American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and allied operations.
Soldiers from the 20th CBRNE Command routinely participate Army recruiting events and describe their unique capabilities to potential recruits.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command supports Army recruiting efforts with everything from Explosives Ordnance Disposals technicians in bomb suits at recruiting events to Soldiers referring potential recruits in the communities where they live.
Alhassan said more than 700 students attended the STEM events at the schools in New York City.
“We took a few of our handheld analyzers to showcase our capabilities. We also set up a liquid sample dilution to demonstrate our extraction process,” said Alhassan. “The students were given the chance to interact with our setup.”
“The students were mainly interested in what we did on a daily basis,” said Alhassan. “We encouraged students to learn about STEM opportunities in the U.S. Army.”
Alhassan, a U.S. Army medical laboratory specialist, added that “we piqued the interest of many students, with a few declaring their intention to enlist.”
A naturalized citizen from Ghana who has served in the U.S. Army for five years, Alhassan said he joined the Army to make a difference and to serve his nation.
“Prior to joining the Army, I didn’t feel like anything I did made a big enough impact on people’s lives,” said Alhassan. “I joined the Army for the sole purpose of impacting other lives, while also serving this great nation that has given so much to my family and me.”
Story by Walter Ham
20th CBRNE Command