ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – A humble and unassuming man, Staff Sgt. Joshua Clark, medical readiness non-commissioned officer, 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard, worked diligently Aug. 14 to keep the Medical Humanitarian Civic Action Outreach Project running smoothly and efficiently during Khaan Quest 12, while providing a firsthand view of the exercise to Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh.

Khaan Quest is a regularly scheduled, multinational exercise sponsored by the U.S. Army, Pacific and hosted annually by the Mongolian Armed Forces. Khaan Quest 12 is the latest in a continuing series of exercises designed to promote regional peace and security. This exercise marks the tenth anniversary of this regionally significant training event.

The medical clinic has been set up in an elementary school in a dusty neighborhood of Ulaanbaatar. Outside, a line of approximately 300 people stood waiting for their turn to be seen by the medical providers. Inside, the halls of the school building were bustling with children, the elderly and people of all ages in between. Their ailments varied, but one certain thing was common among them – they were grateful for the services being provided to them.

In the middle of all the commotion stood Clark at the controls of the flow, as the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the clinic. He directed a staff of Mongolian, U.S. and various multinational personnel who are working to keep everything flowing so the physicians working in the rooms can see patients at a steady pace.

Clark is no stranger to leadership roles. In 2003, he was a team leader in the 173^rd Airborne Brigade out of Vicenza, Italy, when they made the last U.S. combat jump to date into northern Iraq.

“It was a peaceful landing, but it was still scary,” Clark explained. “It was a 500 ft. jump.”

When Clark left active duty service with the Army and joined the Alaska Army National Guard, he also changed jobs, becoming a medic. At the clinic in Ulaanbaatar, he was responsible for making sure all the contracts were done prior to the mission. These contracts included things like transportation, food, showers, laundry, getting the providers to the location, and ordering medications and supplies.

This role of responsibility even earned him the role of guide for the Secretary of the Army during his visit to Mongolia. When McHugh arrived, Clark showed him around the clinic, showing him the various services being offered to the community. These services included dental care, internal medicine, basic surgeries, pediatrics, optometry, basic labs and a pharmacy.

As they toured the clinic, McHugh asked Clark questions about how long this mission had been going on and if it would be beneficial to continue doing so.

“He saw the benefit,” Clark said. “He was happy that we were doing this.”

After the visit was over, Clark jumped right back into the job and kept the pieces moving, scheduling a meeting with the entire staff at the end of the day to discuss how things were going, what went well, and what could be improved on.

“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “Especially the pediatrics; the little kids come through, cute little smiles, very happy that they’re getting some treatment that they need. It’s a great feeling.”

Clark has served in the Alaska National Guard for four years, previously serving eight years on active duty in the Army. He currently lives in Chugiak, Alaska.