Polish Aeromedical Evacuation team visits Ramstein

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Trevor Rhynes
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  Team Ramstein's 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron had the opportunity to show off its mission to another allied Air Force this week.

A six person team, made up of two doctors, two nurses and two paramedics from the Polish 8th Air Base in Krakow visited Ramstein to get an overview of how the U.S. Air Force's AE process works. The visit aimed to the allies better oversight in creating their own AE mission.

The tour included visits to see a C-21 in its AE configuration, to see patients loaded into a C-17 Globemaster III, a visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and a AE flight training mission.

"The polish team was very open minded, eager to learn and was very impressed with how we perform our mission," said Tech. Sgt Elizabeth Araujo with the 86th AES who served as the interpreter for the visit. "They are the first Polish AE crew, so they have to be this involved in order to set up their own rules and regulations."

The first AE team has a lot of work to do in order to create a fully functional AE unit.

"Currently, the Polish AE mission is carried out by the six personnel who came on this visit," said Polish Kapitan Marcin Kura, a doctor on the Polish AE team. "We manage everything from fielding a call about a patient, to providing care and transportation, to unloading patients."

The Polish team looked forward to this trip, saying that it also strengthens their alliance with the United States.

"This trip was very beneficial," said Major Zhigniew Maciol, the head doctor for the Polish team. "Now, we have contacts who can provide support and open the door for our side to become more familiar with the AE mission that we provide as a NATO contribution."