Chief Master Sergeant (Ret.) Harlan Mohler joined the Air Force as a medical technician in January 1958 at the age of 17. Mohler served from 1958 to 1987 in the medical career field and served in multiple locations to include Germany, Korea and Vietnam.
While in Vietnam, Mohler worked at the 22nd Casualty Staging Facility. Mohler said, “The job in Vietnam was a little more tedious than other jobs and it was difficult to serve in a war that’s not supported by home at home. It’s really difficult to see the youth of America lying out in front of you with horrendous wounds – arms and legs missing. Those are never pleasant things but it’s something you have to do.”
Mohler finished up his career at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he became the medical service manager. One of his greatest accomplishments was being selected to be a command nurse on the headquarters staff.
Growing up in the Air Force, Mohler was able to raise a family and be there to pin the rank of lieutenant onto his daughter. He said the Air Force exposed him to different cultures and shaped his world view, “I feel like I became more of a world citizen and learned that peace is better than war, love is better than hate, and that it would be nice if we could be like a box of crayons; a lot of different colors living in the same box, getting along.”