House of Representatives resolution honors aeromedical evacuation Airmen

Published Oct. 1, 2010
By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- On Sept. 28, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring the Airmen who support and perform aeromedical evacuation - a core competency of Air Mobility Command.

House Resolution 1605, according to the Library of Congress, recognizes "the service of the medical and aircrews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States," and, "commends the personnel of the Air Force for their commitment to the well-being of all our service men and women."

Aeromedical evacuation, or AE, has been a long part of the U.S. military aviation and AMC history. In one of the first AE missions in February 1918, Airmen modified a JN-4 Jenny to carry an injured pilot from Gerstner Field, La., to get medical attention, according to the book, "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime: An Illustrated History of the Military Airlift Command, 1941-1991." That was during World War I, and the mission has grown exponentially ever since.

Today, AE missions can be performed on nearly any AMC aircraft platform -- to include airlift aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules and air refueling planes like the KC-135 Stratotanker and the KC-10 Extender. Officials say this allows for greater flexibility and facts show AMC can re-task missions already in execution in theater when necessary through the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center) based at Scott AFB.

The House resolution highlights how, since Sept. 11, 2001, "the aeromedical evacuation system has moved over 81,000 patients, including almost 14,000 battle-injured Soldiers." AMC statistics further show that during that since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, aeromedical evacuation crews have flown 32,148 sorties and performed 159,232 patient movements.

In 2009, AE crews performed 19,025 patient movements -- a number equal to the approximate number of people who could fill New York City's Madison Square Garden (a 20,000-person capacity). The resolution highlights how wounded warriors now have a 98 percent survival rate and are returned to the U.S. in three days or less. During Desert Storm, the survivability rate was 75 percent, and it took 10 days to move wounded patients to the U.S. In Vietnam, it took about 45 days for casualties to return home.

"Whereas yielding a survival rate of 98 percent for wounded service members by adopting a new strategy of rapid evacuation from the battlefield, critical care air transport teams provide care that has resulted in the lowest mortality rate of any war in United States history," the resolution states.

The Total Force Enterprise is also recognized in the resolution. "Aeromedical evacuation is a Total Force effort which includes active duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard members," the resolution states. "Whereas there are 18 Air Force Reserve squadrons, 10 National Guard squadrons and four active duty squadrons."

Furthermore, the resolution highlights deployed AE personnel. "The Air Force has up to 500 aeromedical evacuation, aeromedical staging, aeromedical liaison, support, communications and command and control personnel deployed to Afghanistan, to Iraq, in Europe, and in the United States, as part of the team providing care and helping ensure that wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines get safely home to their families."

The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson of California and co-sponsored by 76 other U.S. representatives. By passing this resolution honoring the AE community, it also becomes a matter of official history in the Congressional record and in the Library of Congress.