3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

AL ASAD, Iraq -- For the past year, Army units have been eating, breathing and living desert. Now, the Marines have landed.

But why did they bring a bug doctor?

Navy Lt. James J. English, entomologist, Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Unit 2, is not your ordinary Navy doctor. Leaving the enlisted ranks after more than eight years of active duty, he wondered what he could do to benefit the military with other than ordinary service.

"I looked back on my military career and asked myself if there was anything that I could do to help," said the 34-year-old Fayetteville, Ark., native. "While I am out here I am only concerned with bugs or animals that might cause a disease or have a significant medical impact on their surroundings."

"I have a Ph.D. in biology," he said. "I received my Ph.D. faster because the college board did not think it would have benefited me to go through a masters course."

Now, serving his country in the western area of Iraq, English has found solace in his job and his surroundings.

"I knew what the next 20 years as a professor or high school teacher were going to be like," he said. "Now, the job I have is predictable, but being in this area of the world is very unpredictable."

On any given day, Marines and Sailors here can catch English making treks through pools of standing water to inspect for disease carrying flies and mosquitoes.

"There are things out here that most people would not think twice about looking at," he said. "But on the inside of those small puddles and pools of water are little creatures breeding and carrying diseases than can disable a Marine or Sailor and keep them out of the fight. My job is to help prevent that from happening."

With several forward operating bases and forward arming and refueling points to take care of, English and his fellow FDPMU-2 members have got their work cut out for them.

"Lieutenant English is just one entomologist in this field," said Lt. Cmdr. Jim Herbst, a Patchogue, N.Y., native. "But he is dealing with a large group of Marines and Sailors and half his job is getting to them."

One key factor to having an entomologist in the area is the extended knowledge of what diseases can be carried by what bugs.

"Mosquitoes can carry a wide variety of disease," he said. "I must be able to convince the Marines and Sailors that having their sleeves down all the time is actually helping them."

English also believes the presence of the FDPMU has more of a human-interest impact.

"The military is trying to cut down on using chemicals to treat for insect problems because most can be treated with simple protective measures," he said. "If there is a shower that is running water out on the dirt, the water contains soap which does not allow for mosquito larvae to mature."

English is just one of 11 that was sent to Iraq from the FDPMU-2, a team sent to an operational area to assess and determine ways to prevent or slow the spread of disease.

"As an enlisted person, you do what you are ordered," he said. "The challenge out here it getting the Marines and Sailors to do what you ask them so they can help themselves."