Airmen conduct ground breaking aeromedical evacuation mission
by 1st Lt. Cammie Quinn
43rd Airlift Wing, Public Affairs
6/29/2010 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Members of the 451st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron executed the first U.S. and British aeromedical evacuation mission to airlift non-validated casualties June 9 in Afghanistan.
In the early afternoon of June 9, insurgents shot down a HH-60G Pave Hawk, killing four pararescuemen and injuring three others. The helicopter crashed as the Airmen, assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., were performing a medical evacuation mission in Helmand province of Afghanistan.
When the news hit that an American helicopter was shot down, and four Airmen were killed and three injured, a solemn and serious mood filled Camp Bastion, Major Moniz said.
"You put your head down, and you try to get through," said Staff Sgt. Ben Johnson, the NCO in charge of medical logisitics. "It wasn't until I stopped, sat down and thought about it that I realized we didn't just lose a helicopter, we lost an American helicopter and American servicemembers. They were shot down and the enemy got away."
Despite the situation, Sergeant Johnson said he knew the pararescuemen would be rescued and the EAES team would be a big part in that.
"The rescue procedures run like clockwork," he said. "There's a chain of reactionary events; a helicopter goes down, and more go after it. It's comforting to know that if guys go down, we'll find them. I know if there are survivors, we'll find them. If there is anyone to blame, we'll find them."
The next few steps Major Moniz took to transport the Airmen led to a ground-breaking first for American theater aeromedical evacuation procedures.
Typically, before an EAES team is able to transport patients, it is required to go through a process of validating and approving patient evacuation. If a patient's condition is grave, a critical care air transport team is assigned, and, along with an aeromedical evacuation crew, sent to perform their mission.
"We were anxious when we got the call," said Tech. Sgt. Kristin Cooper, a member of the 451st EAES. "You never know what injuries the Airmen have incurred."
"It was an honor to assist in transporting the (pararescuemen)," she added. "Not only because they are our friends, but because we knew they would get the best care possible."
In what could normally take up to 24 hours, Major Moniz was able to coordinate all the necessary elements to support and launch an urgent aeromedical evacuation mission in only 90 minutes.
After confirming aircraft availability, the aeromedical evacuation operations team contacted the theater tasking agent requesting permission to build their own plan. All medics know, 'time is tissue', thus the AEOT also asked for permission to utilize on-site assets and to move the American injured intra-theatre without going through the lengthy patient validation process, Major Moniz said.
Permission was granted on all accords.
"From there, the mission took a life of its own when we realized two of the victims were being (medically evacuated) at one time," he said.
An American CCATT and aeromedical evacuation crew, flew alongside a British critical care air support team as they delivered life-saving and condition stabilizing care in the attempt to rescue the two PJs onboard, Sergeant Cooper said.
American CCATT supported one patient, while a British CCAST supported the second. The group of medics operated out of an HC-130P Special Operations search and rescue fixed wing aircraft.
Col. Barbara Jones, the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron commander said she is proud of the members deployed from her squadron, and she is not surprised by their ability to break the mold.
"Our members have a lot of combat experience," she said. "They are confident, competent and capable and everywhere we go, we break the glass and push the envelope, because we have that levoe of understanding with the system."
Upon the successful completion of the mission, a second mission was launched to evacuate the third casualty.
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