459th AES, 439th AES members take blended mission to St. Croix

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amaani Lyle
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs Office
ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS --  The odds of a patient suffering a stroke, another paranoid delusions and still another patient weathering heart trouble are steep for one flight.

But the overlap of events were necessary ingredients in an intense overseas aeromedical evacuation mission conducted by two Air Force Reserve Command medical units April 18-20.

The 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron conducted a rare "blended" training mission to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, with the 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. The comprehensive mission included an overseas sortie, an air refueling mission with F-16 fighter jets and a simultaneous check ride to help keep flight nurses, medical technicians, boom operators and maintenance specialists at the top of their game.

"A mission of this kind is somewhat rare, but very effective in making sure all aeromedical evacuation members are universally qualified," said Lt. Col. Vanessa Mattox, 459th AES commander.

Colonel Mattox explained that Westover ARB members gain unique experience from this mission, since there is no KC-135 at the Massachusetts base. "We worked with Westover efficiently, effectively and respectively, which fostered a great exchange of ideas," the colonel said.

By stopping at Westover ARB to pick up 439th AES members, the 459th Air Refueling Wing maximized training dollars by integrating best-practice techniques, saving on fuel costs and familiarizing AE members with working in diverse environment.

"Aside from finding easier ways to do things and set up equipment, I get to see faces," said Senior Airman Mary Elizabeth Young, 439th AES medical technician. "This was absolutely invaluable because I'll definitely see these people on other missions."

Airman Young participated in a 60-day tour for patient evacuation between Balad Air Base, Iraq, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany.

"To do the real mission and put the training I get here to use ... I can't even describe the experience," she said.

A medical crew typically consists of a Medical Crew Director, one flight nurse, a Charge Medical Technician, 2nd Medical Technician and 3rd Medical Technician. For this mission, all needed to think on their feet and follow check lists to simulate subduing a psyche patient who tried to open the doors of the plane in flight. Another patient showed signs of stroke, while a heart monitor had to be attached to another patient.

The orchestration of a training mission of this magnitude requires careful planning at quarterly allocation conferences in various locations. The AE squadrons have their own schedulers who network with other units to develop the most efficient and comprehensive training possible.

"We try to make sensible and effective training decisions; we'll see people from units with the C-130, KC-135 and the C-17," said Senior Airman Carl Stewart II, 459th AES medical technician and scheduler. "I learned at the conferences that there are about five units that don't have aircraft assigned to them, so I try to make them the priority for inclusion on our missions."

Airman Stewart said by the same token, he looks for units with aircraft other than KC-135s who could pick up his fellow squadron members at the unit's home station, Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Master Sgt. Nancy Clegg, 439th AES medical technician and scheduler, said even the scheduling itself is part of the training.

"To set up a mission like this requires a lot of interaction at 'jamborees,' where schedulers from different units break out to create exercises, so I was happy to help familiarize Airman Stewart with what goes into the planning and logistics - he's a natural now."

While this is not the first or last training mission of its kind, Airman Stewart and Sergeant Clegg echoed Colonel Mattox in that they hope to see blended AE survival training on future missions.

"We'd like to step it up a notch and get people in the water for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training," Airman Stewart said.

Training of this intensity evokes principles learned not only in aeromedical technical school, but in SERE training and flight school. The exercise would call for working directly with members of life support.

"We've completed several check rides with no hiccups, and we hope to do much more with (Air Force Smart Operations) in mind," Colonel Mattox said.