Pope AES participates in DoD's largest medical exercise

Published Aug. 7, 2008
By Emily Smith
43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron is known for being a component of the United States Transportation Command and providing aeromedical evacuation for U.S. troops using cargo aircraft. What they are lesser known for is their work at sea. Recently, a four-man AES liaison team embarked on a mission with Global Medic 2008, the largest medical exercise in the Department of Defense. On June 9, the team, comprised of Capt. Joshua Leslie, Capt. Sharon Frazier, Tech Sgt. Lance Power and Senior Airman Jordon McPherson, left for an 11-day mission on the USNS Comfort.

The USNS Comfort is one of two hospital ships belonging to the Military Sealift Command, a fleet of ships not owned by the Navy, but operated by civilian mariners. In 1976, the ship started out as a super oil tanker. When it was purchased by the Navy in 1987 it was converted into a large hospital ship. Today is stands 894 feet long, 10-stories high and when operating a full capacity, has room for over 1,000 patients.

The ship is geared toward combat trauma and mass casualty, although it is fully equipped for surgical, OB, physical therapy, pediatrics, internal medicine, dental and veterinary practices. Essentially, it is like taking the full medical capability of Womack Army Medical Center and putting it out to sea.

Since its inception as a medical ship, the Comfort as deployed in Operations Desert Shield, Storm, Sea Signal, Noble Eagle and Iraqi Freedom. It has also aided in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and it recently returned from a four-month humanitarian mission and South and Central America.

Global Medic is an exercise focused on medical interoperability in a joint environment, meaning branches work together to get injured soldiers to the best medical treatment available. There are unique medical capabilities in each of the services, and Global Medic gets them to work together toward a common goal. In conjunction with the USNS Comfort and the exercise, more than 2,000 personnel from all four military branches were involved in the mission in Georgia, Wisconsin, California and South Carolina. AES participated in this exercise 14 miles off of the coast of Charleston.

AES' role in the mission was to communicate between the Air Force and the Navy to get patients clinically and administratively prepared for flight on Aeromedical Evacuation missions. Because many medical units throughout all military branches are unaware of how the AE system works, it was necessary for AES to get involved with Global Medic.

Captain Leslie views the experience as worthwhile and incredibly informative. "Personally, I thought it was amazing to be aboard a hospital ship and see what capabilities they have," Captain Leslie said. "Many people don't realize they exist, and to be on one is truly eye-opening. It was nice to be out on the ocean and to get away from land-based hustle and bustle."

To be a part of the mission, AES had to endure extra training. "We had several drills where the ship was on fire, or the ship was sinking or there was a man overboard," Captain Leslie explained. "We all received training on how to put on our life jackets, oxygen masks, how to get to our assigned life raft and so on. Once, we had to walk blindfolded from our rooms to the top deck in case smoke filled the inner compartments during a fire, [limiting our sight]."

Throughout the eleven-day excursion, AES and their counterparts were faced with real-world scenarios where they learned to work together to best accommodate the needs of their patients. "We were all working toward a common goal," Captain Leslie said.

For more information on Global Medic, visit www.dmgf.org.