AMC aeromedical evac missions bring Total Force partners together

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jonathan Stock
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
In the Air Force today, the phrase "Total Force," the multi-component of active-duty, Reserves, and Guard forces in the military, is a way of life for many Airmen.

In the Air Mobility Command aeromedical evacuation community, every day entails a combination of Total Force AMC assets and communication challenges in order to save lives.

Since October 2001, nearly 56,000 Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen owe their lives to a Total Force effort that spans the globe. These are the men and women who have been aeromedically evacuated in support of the long war against extremism for both battle and non-battle injuries.

"Almost all AE missions out of Ramstein (Air Base) involve the Guard, Reserves and active duty members working together," said Maj. Trevon Miller, 183rd Airlift Squadron C-17 aircraft commander from the Mississippi Air National Guard, Jackson, Miss.

AMC aeromedical evacuation missions are coordinated multiple times a week to fly into a designated theater, such as Iraq or Afghanistan, and take patients out of the warzone to get the appropriate level of care for the individual. The flight schedule often includes a routine layover at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to drop off patients at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and pick up patients needing further attention while en route to the patient's next level of care in the United States.

Each mission requires multiple units from locations around the world to make the patient transfer as smooth as possible.

Since 2005, Major Miller has participated with his Guard unit on a steady stream of AE missions acquired through AMC to support war-time requirements. His unit currently has three AE missions and one cargo airlift mission each week.

"An AE mission is more satisfying as there is more investment than carrying a bunch of pallets," said Major Miller. "This may be the best mission out there, since it's something worthwhile to get these [people] back home that have made a sacrifice."

An example of the value in using the Total Force package in AE missions is Maj. Carolyn Newhouse, 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, flight nurse, flight instructor at McChord AFB, Wash. She is also a nurse practitioner at a local urgent care center in Tacoma, Wash. As an Air Force Reservist having flown more than 100 missions to help patients during their transition, she understands the vital role AE crews and pilots must share to complete the mission successfully.

"It is both the pilots' and AE crew's responsibility to keep communication flowing between each other in order to move patients safely," said Major Newhouse. "We discuss the number of patients for weight concerns due to takeoff and landing procedures, altitude restrictions due to patient's health, and any patient specifics in order to protect both the aircrew and patients while in flight."

Gaining valuable experience while working alongside Guard and Reserve units is active-duty Capt. Norman Ellis, 43rd AES flight nurse at Pope AFB, N.C.

"The active duty units cannot complete the mission alone and have a great opportunity to learn while working with veteran Guard and Reserve units," said Captain Ellis.

As a flight nurse deployed with the 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight at Ramstein with Major Newhouse, Captain Ellis believes the relationship between the AE and flight crews remains strong because of the mission, although each comes from a different background and has different responsibilities while at home.

Unity and teamwork are the main principles being instilled in today's Airmen. The men and women who make the AE mission happen know first-hand just how much cross-organizational experience helps to complete a mission with a purpose.