JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. -- Technical Sgt. Larry Minor, an aerospace medical technician with the 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron here, remembers the first time he had to carry a patient on a litter.
“I’m not going to lie, it was scary,” he said. “I was a little nervous because you don’t want to drop anybody. It’s a lot of adrenaline because you are actually seeing your warriors come back from overseas hurt, and you are taking care of them to get them back home.”
When overseas patients are medically evacuated, members of the 459th ASTS will transport them from the aircraft to wherever they are headed next.
That’s why Minor trains the Airmen in his squadron on how to properly use a litter to transport a patient on and off an Ambus.
An Ambus looks like a regular school bus on the outside, except it is painted white and has a red cross on the side. On the inside however, instead of seats there are slots that hold up to 12 patients secured onto litters.
It is the way medics transport patients to and from aircraft on the flight line.
Litter carry was just one of the four training stations held at the en route patient staging system exercise here over the May unit training assembly. The other stations gave training on chemical gear wear and use, ERPSS and tracers – the system used to track patients wherever they are in the world.
The mandatory training for the squadron took only two hours to complete, and the results were extremely valuable.
“Considering we are only here for two days a month, it’s awesome that we can get this done within two hours. Then we have time to get the rest of our stuff done,” said Senior Airman Morgan Mahan, a 459th ASTS ground medic.
When transitioning Airmen to their next medical facility, it is important to 459th ASTS members to try to prevent further injury.
“This training is important because we handle patients. We take care of people – real, live people,” said Maj. Jennifer Brothers, a 459th ASTS exercise planner. “You don’t want to cause harm to patients who are being transitioned. The most important thing is getting our troops home – lives are at stake.”
Minor echoed those sentiments and expressed his sincere desire to see his fellow service members return home safely.
“When you see that mission, it will give you a perspective of what is really going on in the world and what the real mission is – getting our warriors home safely from overseas,” said Minor.