Medical training

U.S. Air Force Capt. Chantel Armstrong, right, and Staff Sgt. Shawn Raquet, left, with the 43rd AES, simulate a patient receiving care during a medical emergency, July 10, 2016 The crew accomplished more than 400 medical training events on the training mission aboard a C17 Globemaster III. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jasmine Zielomski)

Medical training

U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert Holland, 514th AES, left, Staff Sgt. Gregory Izzi,43rd AES, middle, and Staff Sgt. Brianna Heck, 375th AES, right, transfer a patient pretending to suffer from a spinal injury, July 8, 2016, on a flight to RAF Mildenhall, England. The crew accomplished more than 400 medical training events on the training mission aboard a C17 Globemaster III. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jasmine Zielomski)

Medical training

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Sean Quarterman, 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, left, and Staff Sgt. Rocco L. Morello, right, practice chest compressions on a child, July 7, 2016, on a flight to Naval Station Rota, Spain. The crew accomplished more than 400 medical training events on the training mission aboard a C17 Globemaster III. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jasmine Zielomski)

Medical training

Several U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 514th AES, 375th AES and 43rd AES, conduct a pre-flight brief and review checklists, July 8, 2016 on a flight to RAF Mildenhall, England. The crew accomplished more than 400 medical training events on the training mission aboard a C17 Globemaster III. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jasmine Zielomski)

Teamwork and patient care in the sky

Published July 13, 2016
By Senior Airman Jasmine Zielomski
514th Air Mobility Wing

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --

More than 30 Aeromedical Evacuation Technician’s from three different units integrated forces in overseas training flights to Naval Station Rota, Spain and Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, July 7.

The 514th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron teamed up with the 43rd AES, Scott AFB, Illinois and 375th AES, Pope AFB, South Carolina, on a training mission that gave the squadrons a unique learning opportunity.

It was an integration of reserve and active duty forces, and they were able to accomplish the mission while gaining a different perspective by working with the other units, said Capt. Robert Holland, a flight nurse assigned to the 514th AES. The Airmen they worked with used experience from their civilian jobs which brought something new to the OSTF.

AES technicians donned their oxygen masks and tanks while still providing care for patients when the crew practiced an aircraft emergency,

“During a simulated-in-flight emergency the other units learned that we put on O2, whereas they don’t, he said. “They were like oh this makes sense, so they were able to gain perspective and learn how we do things.”

The OSTF allowed for more time to do more in-depth training since it was a longer flight.

“We accomplished more than 400 events which included medical and aircraft emergencies,” said Maj. Dennis Castro, 514th AES. “The flights were longer than what we normally train on during the unit training assemblies, so we were able to swap out crews to cover more tasks.”

This training simulated real-world-events and situations that can happen in a deployed environment, which proved to be great training for some of the Airmen who participated.

“This training mission helped us get ready for deployment because when we deploy we will be working with people from many different units,” said Staff Sgt. Brianna Heck, 375th AES technician. “That’s the thing about AES, it requires you to be flexible and adapt to different situations.”