Aircrews take wounded warriors home

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Ann Peru Knabe
  • 440th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) --  Almost three years have passed since aircrews in the 440th Airlift Wing here started flying special missions known as Integrated CONUS Medical Operations Plan missions.
 
These ICMOP missions are designed to get injured servicemembers home as quickly as possible after arriving in the United States from overseas. Most of the returning patients were supporting operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.
 
In late 2005, Col. Jay Flournoy and Lt. Cols. Bobby Oates, Jeff Paulus and Dennis Beatty, all 440th AW Airmen, drew up a plan that would use the talents of the wing's 95th Airlift Squadron aircrews returning from overseas activations in support of the war on terrorism.
 
The plan involved a strategic agreement with the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., for the wing aircrews to fly the missions. The initial plan was so successful that TACC representatives expanded the effort and made agreements with other Reserve and Guard units.

Today, the 440th AW aircrews continue to fly a steady flow of those returning wounded soldiers back home to locations around the country.

Lt. Col. Rick Larson, a 95th AS navigator with 24 years of service, estimates 80 percent of the 440th's TACC missions are in support of ICMOP. He said these missions provide some of his most memorable flying moments.

"These patients are courageous," he said, recalling injuries ranging from explosive burns to amputations. "At times it can be frightening when you see the devastating injuries, but we have an amazing level of sophistication in the military medical corps." 

Colonel Larson said the most gratifying part of the wounded-warrior flights is the reunion of family members with a wounded servicemember.

"There are always tears, smiles, hugs and sighs of relief," he said.

The medical missions' success depends on the aeromedical Airmen who take care of patients in the back of the aircraft during the flight. A typical aeromedical crew comprises seven Airmen. If duty calls, the loadmasters step in and help.

"The patients' stories are compelling," said Senior Master Sgt. Dan Hirn, a 95th AS loadmaster entering his third year of TACC mission support. "I remember one patient was a young kid from Georgia. He was a Katrina refugee...  His family had lost everything during the hurricane ... so he joined the Air Force for a new life and then an (improvised explosive device) blew his foot off.  But he still had a positive attitude."

He was moved enough to keep in touch with the young Soldier. 

Sergeant Hirn said loadmasters see all kinds of patients, and it's not unusual for those loadmasters to assist with on-loading and off-loading of patients.

"Sometimes we are the only direct communication between the medical crews and the aircrew flying the plane," he said. "When we have a patient go into respiratory distress, we need to let the rest of the aircrew know so they can make alternate landing plans if necessary."

Sergeant Hirn estimates he has flown more than 100 TACC missions in the last two years. Although eligible for retirement, the Wisconsin farmer recently was given a one-year extension to continue on the TACC missions.

The 440th's role supporting TACC missions includes more than ICMOP.  Aircrews from the 95th AS also fly presidential support missions and Joint Airborne/Air Transportability Training missions.

Lt. Col. Dave Polachek, a 95th AS pilot, said a JAATT mission was his most memorable TACC work.

"We were supporting the basic airborne course at Fort Benning, Ga., at the basic airborne training school at Lawson Army Air Field," he said. "The other C-130 (Hercules) was down for maintenance, and this meant we had to fly the missions of two aircraft with one plane."

For more than 12 hours, Colonel Polachek's crew flew JAATT missions nonstop, with "quick turns" between dropping up to 55 paratroopers at a time. They would pick up Soldiers, fly to the drop zone, airdrop the paratroopers, return to the airfield and pick up more troopers, and repeat it all again.  They flew a total of 13 sorties that day.

"We dropped more than 715 Soldiers that day," he said. "These Soldiers were training to be airborne rangers, special ops and other critical roles. Most of them were headed to the AOR in the coming months."  

The crew dropped a total of 1,735 troops in three days and they were awarded a certificate of appreciation and a challenge coin from the Army commander of the airborne course.

Staff Sgt. Garrett Campbell, a 440th Maintenance Squadron electrician, said his most memorable flight was involved a 4-month-old baby on a heart and lung machine.

"You have no idea where TACC missions will take you," he said. "Last spring we had a mission that took us to Greenville, S.C., where we picked up the baby. We flew the baby to Lackland AFB, Texas. There were more than 30 people on that flight trying to help this little baby make it. The last I heard, the baby was doing great. Now that's an exciting mission."

During the past year, 440th AW crews have seen an increase in TACC missions involving presidential support. During these "Phoenix Banner" missions, the crews haul limousines, secret service agents and armored vehicles as part of advance presidential party support.

"The success of the TACC flights is due entirely to the efforts of all the individuals who fly and support the missions," said Lt. Col. Stephen Chafe, a pilot who directs many TACC missions. "To date, more than sixty 440th AW Airmen have supported the mission. This includes flight crew, maintainers, life support and administrative specialists."

Comment on this story   (comments may be published on Air Force Link)

View the comments/letters page