Volunteerism at heart of medical evacuation mission

Published Jan. 2, 2007
By Lt. Col. Jerry Lobb
908th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MAXWELL AFB, Ala. -- Nurses and aeromedical technicians from the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base have been transporting wounded, injured and sick service members home from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., since September when Air Force Reserve Command took over primary responsibility for stateside aeromedical transportation. Since early December they have been joined in the effort by 908th aircrews, maintenance people and aircraft.

Operating from three hubs, located at Andrews AFB, Scott AFB, Ill. and Travis AFB, Calif., members of the 775th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron care for service members as they are transported to medical facilities near their homes or permanent duty stations.

"The 775th stood up Sept. 21 and we started flying missions that day," said the unit's commander, Col. Allen Gilbar. An active duty unit, 375th AES Provisional, handled the duties prior to September when Air Force Reservists took over responsibility for the mission and the unit was redesignated. The provisional squadron stood up in March 2003 at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 775th is aligned under the 375th Operations Group and is headquartered at Scott AFB, with Detachment 1 at Andrews AFB and Detachment 2 at Travis AFB.

"We are providing the patients we're transporting the best care available anywhere with some of the best nurses, medical technicians and support staff our nation has to offer," said Colonel Gilbar, who hails from the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. "The overall experience level of our nurses and medical technicians is very high. Many of our nurses have 20-plus years of experience. Some were working in high level trauma centers the week before reporting to us. Their attitudes are fantastic since they volunteered and are doing a job they very much wanted to do," the colonel added.

Performing this mission with volunteers represents a change in the way the Air Force Reserve does business and is in keeping with the command's new vision.

Colonel Gilbar says, "As General Bradley (Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, commander, Air Force Reserve Command) says, 'We are no longer a strategic reserve, we are now an operational command, filling our requirements with volunteerism instead of mobilization.' This operation supports that concept. We are staffing an active duty squadron on a rotational basis, with one active duty crew assigned to us. The benefits of reserve management of the squadron and mission are that we provide the flexibility and predictability to make things work for reservists and their civilian employers."

Eighty people are assigned to the 775th; 75 are reservists and five are active duty. Those reservists come from units across the command, including major participation from the following units, 315th AW, Charleston AFB, S.C.; 439th AW, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.; 514th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J; 908th AW, Maxwell AFB; 445th AW, Wright-Patterson AFB; 433rd AW, Lackland AFB, Texas; and the 349th AMW, Travis AFB, Calif. The volunteers are on duty for a year, rotating 60 days at Andrews, Scott or Travis and then 60 days at their home units.

Many of the same units also support the mission with aircraft and personnel -- people like Maj. Ron Baumgardner, a navigator with the 908th AW's 357th Airlift Squadron, who said, "There is no better feeling than flying medevac and humanitarian missions that directly impact my fellow compatriots in a positive manner. I would fly 'til I die if I could.'"

Maj. Kim Coleman, a flight nurse with the 908th AW, was one of several people who voiced similar sentiments. "I left active duty after 8 ½ years to get back into aeromedical evacuation because there is not a better, more satisfying job in the Air Force," she said. Since there are few positions available in the active force, nurses and medical technicians usually are only allowed to serve a single tour in the aeromedical airlift. However, in the AF Reserve they can fly throughout our career.

Another 908th AW flight nurse, Lt. Col. Sharon Andrews, a critical care nurse from the Chicago area, said she finds her reserve position so rewarding she regularly commutes more than 700 miles each drill weekend from her home in Illinois to perform her reserve duties at the Maxwell AFB unit.

"I feel a real sense of purpose in my mission as an aeromedical technician, said 908th AW member Master Sgt. Tom Haney. "What greater honor is there than taking care of our heroes and bringing them home?"

Senior Airman Jeanne Zellmer an aeromedical technician from the 934th Airlift Wing on her first deployment, said, "Although I'm sorry that I will be away from home over the holidays, I am excited to be able to get out and help patients get closer to home. It is satisfying to know I have the skills to provide great patient care, but actually getting out and doing it is awesome!"

Maj. John Crotty, officer in charge of 775th EAES Detachment 1 at Andrews AFB, explained that the aeromedical crews were formed to create the best blend of clinical and aircrew experience. "Each crew is a mix of people from different units, with different primary aircraft, C-17s or C-130s, so no matter which platform they fly on, they have at least one expert on that system. At first the crews from each of the bases wanted to fly together and resisted the 'NFL Draft' as they called our system of making crew assignments. However, now that the first group is coming back for their second 60-day rotation, they want to fly with their 'drafted' crews. They've learned a lot from each other as to how things are done at Maxwell, Westover, Charleston, etc., and they can take that fusion of experience back to their home stations."

Approximately 60 percent of the Air Force's aeromedical evacuation capability resides within Air Force Reserve Command. The Air National Guard provides about 35 percent with the remaining 5 percent coming from the active duty force. This was determined to be the most cost effective method of offering wartime capability with minimum peacetime cost. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)