It did not take long to gain insight into Kellan’s volatile personality. Our only ambulance had been involved in a flight line collision with a fire truck shortly before my arrival. The damage was easily repaired but because the vehicle was more than ten years old, the motor pool cited Air Force regulations that prevented them from returning it to active service. In defiance of a personal request from the Command Surgeon they painted it a bright canary yellow and began using it as a shop van. This became a huge bone of contention for us, especially since we had no other form of transportation.

One day the vehicle showed up in front of our dispensary driven by an unsuspecting young airman who had been sent to pick up medication for an officer in the motor pool. Our corpsmen notified Kellan and he went berserk. Pounding and kicking the sides of what had once been our ambulance, he screamed wildly at the driver, demanding that he leave immediately. The poor kid who had no idea of the story behind the doctor’s bizarre behavior departed in shock. Despite actions very unbecoming of an officer, Kellan won points with our personnel that day. They now knew he had their backs and shared their frustration.