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Gen. Mike Minihan, Commander of Air Mobility Command, visits the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station June 8, 2024.

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Aeromedical evacuation flight brings patients to higher-level care

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Mary Davis
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  When servicemembers are hurt in Afghanistan, they can count on highly-trained aeromedical evacuation teams to give them care en route to a higher level of care.

The 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight handles the task of flying patients to Craig Joint Theater Hospital where they can receive more advanced medical care or obtain a flight to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

The team consists of 46 medical and operation support personnel, said Lt. Col. Sherry F. Hemby, 455 EAEF commander.

"The men and women of all armed forces can rest assured if they get injured, they will receive the best care possible and be transported to a medical facility that will meet their needs," said Colonel Hemby who is from Alexandria, Va.

The aeromedical evacuation flight has four crews with five people per team. AE teams consist of a medical crew director, a flight nurse, a charge medical technician and two aeromedical evacuation technicians. If a patient needs intensive care treatment, a Critical Care Air Transport Team is assigned to the mission and additional nurses or medical technicians may be added by the guidance of the chief nurse, said the commander, who served seven deployments during her 19 years as an Air Force Reservist.

The team's journey begins with a message from the Combined Air Operations Center to the unit's duty controller requesting medical evacuation support.

"Once I receive the message, I alert the on-duty AE crew," said Senior Airman Shaun Zelasko, mission duty controller from Buffalo, N.Y. "Timing is critical. The crew has one hour to arrive and two hours to prepare equipment, accomplish paperwork, receive briefings and begin their flight."

The challenge for Airman Zelasko is ensuring everything is accomplished quickly.

"Putting the pieces together can be overwhelming, but knowing people's lives are on the line makes us move that much quicker and more cautiously," he said.

AE teams have the difficult task of rapidly checking their equipment and configuring the aircraft prior to take off. The teams primarily fly on C-130 Hercules, but are also known to fly on C-17 Globemasters and KC-135 Stratotankers. Medical technicians must know the space constraints, electrical limitations and oxygen requirements of each airframe.

"The teams also receive flight physiology training to see how diseases and injuries react in flight at higher altitudes," Colonel Hemby said.

Once the plane is configured with stanchions and brackets, medical equipment is loaded and pre-flight equipment checks are made, so the team can begin flying to its first destination. While several AE flights occur weekly, each mission is different. Depending on patient requirements, the team may have up to seven stops to receive patients. These stops can be dangerous in some areas, so extra security may be required, the commander said.

"We are in a war zone, so every aircraft is a potential target," Colonel Hemby said. "For some designations, we carry a Fly Away Security Team, which consists of security forces that protect us while on the ground."

The medical crew director is in charge of the entire mission from paperwork to patients and everything in between. The director coordinates the loading and off loading of injured servicemembers and double checks all equipment to ensure the flight goes smoothly.

"I always have to anticipate more patients, potential problems with equipment, electrical and oxygen," said Capt. Greg Sell, an Air Force Reservist from Elma, N.Y. "It's also important to stay in contact with the pilots as well, because sometimes we have to troubleshoot changes in a patient's status in flight. If there are problems we cannot correct, we may have to divert the flight to the nearest medical facility."

Back home, Captain Sell cares for heroes of past wars in the critical care unit of the Veterans Administration hospital.

"Here, I'm able to take care of present-day heroes that come from the field," he said. "I'm glad I can be a part of this team."

Staff Sgt. Laura Zulkosky is an AE technician and an integral part of the team as well. She and the two other medical technicians assist the flight nurse and medical crew director with patients, configure the aircraft and take care of patients' luggage.

"It's a difficult job, because you sometimes may work an 18-hour day - that can really take a toll on you over time," said the Air Force Reservist from St. Paul, Minn. "The job is very rewarding because you know that they will receive a higher level of care either at Bagram or a stateside hospital."

Many of the nurses work in emergency departments and intensive care units in their civilian jobs. The AE technicians work as emergency medical technicians, paramedics or emergency room technicians and bring a wealth of knowledge to the fight. If patients can get into the AE system, they have a 98 percent chance of survival, Colonel Hemby said.

"I am extremely proud of my team. They train at home station, and when they get downrange, they give excellent care to their patients," the commander said. "Our team consists of reservists and active-duty personnel. They come together seamlessly and complete the mission."