Aeromedical Evacuation "Jamboree" is success

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Gerald Sonnenberg
  • 932nd Airlift Wing
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  After a few days to breathe, Air Force Reserve Command aeromedical evacuation personnel are proud of their work at the AE Jamboree 2008.

Scott Air Force Base's flight line was buzzing with activity Aug. 15-17 as members from six Air Force wings converged for an Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) Jamboree. 

Scott's 932nd Airlift Wing (AW) and 375th Airlift Wing hosted the Jamboree which brought together Aeromedical Evacuation Squadrons (AES) from across the country to conduct training and familiarization with aircraft not typically flown at their home stations.

Along with the 932nd and 375th AE Squadrons, the AES units represented were from the 934th AW in Minneapolis; the 94th AW at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga.; the 452nd Air Mobility Wing (AMW) at March ARB, Calif.; and the 349th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB, Calif.

The 932nd AES' Maj. Mike Nelson was one of the primary organizers of the Jamboree. "It was a pleasure working with our active duty counterparts, Air Force Reserve Command, and the Numbered Air Forces in organizing what has turned out to be a hugely successful AE training event," he said. "We train like we fight and the performance of our AE crews, the Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team (AEOT), and our support folks over the last 48 hours has again proven that our wounded warriors will always be in good hands."

First Lt. Brent Bettis, one of the 932nd Aeromedical Evacuation Operations Team members, added that "Everything went smoothly. The units worked together cohesively."

The aircraft involved were one C-17 Globemaster, one KC-135 Stratotanker, and two C-130 Hercules aircraft. The training first involves taking the various AES members on board aircraft and giving them hands-on instruction into their capabilities, configurations and egress or evacuation procedures. Then, the crews fly missions on the "new" aircraft.
However, before the missions took place, "patients" had to acquire various wounds through the artistic efforts of individuals like Master Sgt. Wendy Lee from the 375th Medical Operations Squadron and Staff Sgt. Erica Willis of the 375th Dental Squadron. 

It was amazing to watch the transformation, much like being on a movie set.

They used various amounts of putty, paint, makeup, and fake blisters and bones to create sometimes realistic-looking burns and compound fractures. Then it's time to load up the buses and be transported to the aircraft.

Senior Airman Morgan Strong of the 349th AES primarily works on the C-17. On the first day, her training took place on a C-130 belonging to the 934th AW along with several other 349th members.

"The differences between the two types of aircraft that standout are the configuration, the power, and the therapeutic oxygen delivery," she said. She also noted that there is less room to move around in the C-130.

During the mission, Airman Strong and the AE team members on the C-130 went through a series of scenario's to include a patient with psychological issues and one simulating one of the more common injuries soldiers have coming out of combat zones--head trauma.

According to Capt. Jessica Martinez-Pompa, a member of the 934th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and MCC (Mission Clinical Coordinator) on the training mission, "In this scenario, he (the patient) had loss of consciousness. A patient with head trauma might be stable on the ground, but when the aircraft reaches altitude, oftentimes the brain begins to swell creating a seizure," she explained. "In this case, the team knew what to do and did a good job."

There have been four AE Jamborees since 2006, but this is the first such event to be co-sponsored by and including both active duty and Reserve AE elements. For each event, planners from Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), 4th Air Force, 22nd Air Force, and various host units have incorporated lessons learned into the subsequent jamborees.
"This is an awesome concept," said Col. Carol Mellom, Chief of Aeromedical Operations for 22nd Air Force.

"AE people do this because they love it. We're medics. We can work in a hospital on the ground. And when patients need transport, our hospital is from point A to point B. There was a time when Air Force units really only worked on one specific airframe. After the war began, units didn't always have their aircraft, so they developed universal qualification," she said. "We have CBTs (computer based training) on each type of aircraft, but to touch them is different. We train them to be operators. That's the beauty of this (training). Of all the training we do, this gives us the most bang for the buck."

"This jamboree owes its success to the planning, preparation and hard work expended by members of the 932nd AES and 375th AES," said Lt. Col. Wesley Kilmer, 932nd AES commander. "It is truly a capstone event that pulls together the technical knowledge acquired from the universal qualification CBTs, into practical hands-on experience. My hat's off to the participating squadrons for making this yet another successful jamboree, and to their home wings which provided the airlift that was key to making this work."