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Aeromedical evacuation crews practice to stay proficient

  • Published
  • By Capt. Wayne Capps
  • 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AB, Germany --  As the war in Afghanistan passes the 10-year mark, the need for trained, proficient Aeromedical Evacuation crews is as important today as it was a decade ago.

The 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron continues to care for wounded patients, while simultaneously training new flight nurses and medical technicians. "The job of the Aeromedical Evacuation is to preserve the fighting strength," said Lt. Col. David Ball, a flight nurse with the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Joint Base Charleston. "We have people all over the world and sometimes they get hurt. Those people need medical care." On a recent training mission planned for Ramstein AB, Germany, the Aeromedical Evacuation crew simulated a C-17 full of patients and ran scenarios to increase their proficiency in everything from medical advances to standard procedures.
 
"Everything we do here on the aircraft in training is what we do in the real world," said Senior Airman Carly Dennison, a medical technician on the training flight. "It is important for us to be up to par as we go over new equipment, the process of getting people on and off the flight and work with new people in the squadron." The crew converted the C-17 Globemaster III into a usable medical facility, quickly processing mock patients.
 
"This is a wonderful aircraft for aeromedical evacuation. When they built this aircraft they thought of us. We can convert a C-17 from a cargo plane to an ambulance in a span of 30 to 45 minutes," said Ball. He also stressed the importance of keeping skills honed as an aeromedical evacuation member. "In the same way that a pilot has to do proficiency flying, we have to do it as well," he said. "Some of the things you do at altitude are very different from the way you do it on the ground. Imagine putting in an I.V. in dark conditions bouncing around in the back of an airplane." 

Dennison and Ball both enjoy their job and find it rewarding. Dennison sees it as her way of giving back and Ball sees his position as the most rewarding job of his life. "There is nothing better than to be able to go someplace and say to someone who is hurting, I am here to take you home," said the colonel. "That is the best job there is."