Winner of the Commemorative Air Force Dolly Vinsant Flight Nurse of the Year Published Sept. 13, 2007 By 86th AW/PA RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Captain Kristen Zebrowski demonstrated great flexibility flying on multiple USAF airframes with varying requirements. Her dedication and sacrifice while knowingly putting herself in harms way make her one of your strongest Dolly Vinsant Award candidates. Displaying her concern for the welfare of patients and crew was highlighted most recently during an alert mission to central Africa with the transport of four special operations soldiers, one critically wounded. Captain Zebrowski was alerted in the middle of the night to airlift four Army Special Forces Soldiers operating in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Africa. The soldiers were wounded when a sandstorm collapsed their tent crushing one soldier to death. As Medical Crew Director, Captain Zebrowski led her crew and a Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) on to a C-17, helped remove cargo and configured the aircraft for the urgent mission, with little clinical information. During the 5.5 hour flight, the crew prepared for the worst, ready to accept patients knowing one was unstable. As the patients arrived, a quick assessment revealed three injured but stable patients and one critical; sustaining injuries to his leg, pelvis, spinal cord and abdomen. He appeared unstable with extremely low blood pressure, was in renal failure and severe respiratory acidosis. Captain Zebrowski overcame many obstacles in the treatment of this patient directly assisting CCATT with resuscitative efforts. After recognizing a cardiac arrhythmia, she administered life saving medications, blood products and initiated advanced monitoring for the patient. Additionally, after take-off, it was noted the patient might not survive the 5.5 hour return flight to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany. Captain Zebrowski made several phone patches to the validating flight surgeon working with various agencies to establish divert alternatives in case the patient needed immediate surgery. After considering the few options, she directed the crew to do everything possible, as the best chance of survival would be at LRMC. Captain Zebrowski worked with CCATT for the entire flight to keep the patient alive. She and her crew arrived at LRMC with all four patients stabilized. Five days later, Captain Zebrowski took that same critical patient to the United States on a scheduled C-17 mission for definitive care. Her heroic efforts led her crew from an unstable area of operations, assisted by CCATT and armed security aircrew, to save the life of this special operations soldier. This is one example of the multiple missions Captain Zebrowski has led during the Global War on Terror. Captain Zebrowski has the unique responsibility of performing medical care on four different airframes while operating in Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia and the United States. There are several additional stories of Captain Zebrowski's exemplary care to the injured in challenging situations. Her deployed direct support of OPERATIONS IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM have led to the safe transport of hundreds of wounded soldiers and ally foreign nationals. She transported an Afghani boy back to Afghanistan after atrial-septal defect repair was accomplished in the US. This required monitoring of his cardiac and respiratory status in-flight while overcoming language barriers with the boy and his family. Her assessment skills were demonstrated on an alert mission to San Antonio Texas that moved six burn patients from LRMC. She provided intravenous fluids and pain medications throughout the 12 hour flight. She was alerted to fly to Bagram AB, Afghanistan to pick up a patient with 92% burns. The aircraft had a maintenance issue and another C-17 had to be configured. Cargo was off-loaded from the other airframe, creating a flying hospital in 15 minutes in a combat zone. Captain Zebrowski was challenged with the need to transport six ventilated patients, as well as several other patients requiring oxygen. Her thorough knowledge and experience on aircraft led her to identify enough therapeutic oxygen systems to guarantee safe transport. Over the course of the last year, Captain Zebrowski has flown 18 combat missions moving 15 urgent, 36 priority and 242 routine patients totaling 83 combat hours. All of this experience is being used to shape the next generation of flight nurses by recently naming her as officer in charge of aircrew training. Captain Zebrowski has represented the spirit of Lieutenant Dolly Vinsant by volunteering at great personal risk, flying missions in order to bring help to the ill and injured. Captain Zebrowski receives my strongest endorsement for the 2007 Dolly Vinsant Flight Nurse of the Year Award.