Aeromedical Evacuation News

5/9/2012 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- There is nothing typical about an aeromedical evacuation mission. Recently one crew of aeromedical technicians was notified prior to take-off that, aside from six patients, their aircraft, a C-17, would also be needed to transport three aircraft engines and two pallets of cargo.

"That for us is the 'fog of war,'" said Lt. Col. Bryan Castle, 379th EAES Crew Director. "That is the time we're trying to organize the aircraft so that it's useable for our patients and to ultimately perform the mission."

Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are on alert day and night to help patients in need throughout the region. Each month the squadron moves approximately 120 service members and civilians.
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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The team of nurses, medical technicians and litter carriers wait for the C-130 Hercules aircraft to arrive, ready to receive, in-process and prepare patients to go forward to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for further treatment.

The team is part of the contingency aeromedical staging facility, a modular staging facility designed to support worldwide expeditionary missions. Patients are staged at the CASF for approximately 24 hours where they’re provided medical attention while waiting for transport to a higher level of medical care.

“We provide 24/7 operational support to all scheduled and unscheduled aeromedical evacuation missions at Bagram Air Field,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Kimberly Boswell-Yarbrough, a native of Plattsburgh, N.Y., CASF flight commander. “We provide ground transportation and manpower for all AE patients to and from the aircraft, Craig Joint Theater Hospital or CASF.”
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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - Air Mobility Command is working jointly with other U.S. military services to improve emergency care for service members critically injured in combat by employing newly-developed Tactical Critical Care Evacuation Teams.

These are three-member teams, each comprised of a highly-trained emergency medicine physician and two certified registered nurse anesthetists or critical care nurses, now providing point-of-injury care and treatment during tactical evacuation of severely-injured troops in Afghanistan. Although only one such team is currently deployed to Afghanistan, more are expected to deploy in May.

"TCCETs provide initial emergency trauma care and resuscitation capabilities beyond those of field medics and flight medics," said Brig. Gen. Bart O. Iddins, AMC command surgeon. "Providing more advanced trauma care and aggressive resuscitation at the point-of-injury and throughout the evacuation process greatly increases the likelihood of patient survival from injuries deemed critical and immediately life-threatening, but potentially survivable."
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A new picture category has been created for any of you that would like to add your JRTC AE pictures. Head over to http://www.aerovacworld.com/gallery/...ry.php/cat/611 and upload your pics to share with the AE community.

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