Central Texas Heroes: John Bustamante

Many civilians may wonder what a typical day is like for members of the U.S. military serving overseas.

It's obviously different for everyone depending on their job and where they're located.

But here's one thing you probably never thought about: catching snakes.

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class John Bustamante is from Killeen.

And he recently participated in a preventative medicine course at Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan.

It was part of an exercise displaying what should be done in a variety of medical situations.

But during this preventative medicine exercise, Bustamante and others were learning how to remove dangerous snakes that pose a physical threat, causing medical problems.

You can imagine all the places around the world members of the U.S. military go where venomous snakes exist.

Instructors taught sailors how to safely pick them up using a tool and relocate them so no one gets hurt.

Bustamante was removing a habu snake.

There were also courses on food and water sanitation and setting up mobile medical facilities.

Bustamante is a corpsman with the Third Medical Battalion.

KWTX wants to recognize all of our servicemembers overseas, and show appreciation for the sacrifice of time away from families all year long and especially during the holidays.

Thank you also to families of loved ones serving away from home for their sacrifice and strength.

If you would like to share your story of military service, send a message to justin.earley@kwtx.com.