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AMC evacuates injured South Korean student; Patient Support Pallet used for first time on KC-10

  • Published
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --   Air Mobility Command supports more than 24,000 worldwide patient movements on nearly 2,500 aeromedical evacuation missions annually, yet not one has ever been a scheduled KC-10 Extender mission that is until now.

In a special request by the South Korean government to the U.S. State Department, a South Korean college student, paralyzed as a result of an accident while on vacation in the United States, was aeromedically evacuated from March Air Reserve Base, Calif., to South Korea.

According to officials with U.S. Forces Korea, the humanitarian request for computer science major Shin, Hyong Jin was initiated following a direct appeal from Korean National Assemblyman, Yu, Jae-gon, to Army Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, USFK commanding general. United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approved the aeromedical evacuation.

Normally, the KC-10 Extender, which has been in the Air Force inventory for more than 20 years, is used for moving small numbers of passengers (up to 65) and small amounts of cargo (up to 170,000 pounds) while conducting air refueling missions. While the 59 KC-10s in service today have the capability to support aeromedical evacuation missions, not one has ever been flown with the patient support pallet installed on the aircraft.

In the past, KC-10s were used to support unscheduled aeromedical evacuation missions. And when they were, patients were floor loaded without the Patient Support Pallet, a specially configured pallet used specifically for aeromedical transport thats capable of sustaining the patient during flight, said Lt. Col. Judy Daly, Aeromedical Evacuation Division chief at Scott Air Force Base.

Because this particular AE mission was the first scheduled mission to use the PSP on board the KC-10, we had to work hard to ensure the configuration and equipment were safely loaded and positioned on the aircraft, said Tech. Sgt. Mark Major, noncommissioned officer in charge of the AE Allocations Division. Multiple AMC Standardization and Evaluation divisions, the KC-10 Special Programs Office, and an expeditionary AE detachment from Andrews Air Force Base, (Md.,) provided exceptional support to ensure all medical equipment was safely connected to the aircraft, a process that takes aircraft electrical power and converts it to standard 110-volt household current using special fittings and adapters.

According to Col. Charles Stiles, a Tanker Airlift Control Center Current Operations director, while the KC-10 had to be specially configured for this mission, it was still the most suitable aircraft available.

We took advantage of opportune airlift, said Colonel Stiles. This particular KC-10 was already scheduled to transport General LaPorte. We were able to redirect the aircraft to March to pick up the patient. It was the right aircraft at the right time.

The mission began at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., during the early hours of Sept. 24, and transitioned through Andrews AFB, Md., where General LaPorte boarded as previously scheduled, and the patient support pallet was loaded. From there the mission continued to Offutt AFB, Neb., and on to California where Mr. Shin and his mother, Lee, Won-Ok, were picked up.

General LaPorte was able to provide personal escort to the special passengers, something he felt was very important to the family.

This is Americas present to the Korean people, General LaPorte said, referring to the Korean Chusok holiday, an important holiday focusing on family and cultural heritage.

The mission ended after landing late in the evening Sept. 25. Three of the Air Force attending medical experts, who were part of the Critical Care Air Transport Team, accompanied the patient to Seouls Samsung Hospital.

According to the senior AE member on board the aircraft, all those involved in the mission KC-10 air crew, aeromedical evacuation crew, and the CCATT instinctively worked together to make the mission a success.

We are proud of fact that our military has the aircraft and the capabilities to make a mission like this happen, said Maj. Nancy Mikulin, Medical Crew director. I dont know too many other air forces, if there are any, which can do this. This was a long-range mission that required air refueling. Everyone, active duty and Reserve alike, worked together to provide the patient the critical care he needed.

And that care didnt go unnoticed by the patients mother.

Ms. Lee expressed gratefulness every time she spoke to a crew member, said Major Mikulin. She seemed overwhelmed the U.S. government would do this for her family, especially during a Korean holiday (Cho Suk) that celebrates family ancestry and life.

With the first scheduled PSP configured AE mission now in the past, the KC-10 has proven itself worthy of future AE missions.

Now that all the aircraft waivers and paperwork required to use the PSP on the KC-10 are completed, the aircraft becomes a viable asset aeromedical evacuation mission planners can tap in to, said Sergeant Major. Im confident this mission was the first of many to come.

 

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