Total force team saves lives

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shanda De Anda
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  A total force unit here supports joint missions to help save the lives of the coalition forces on the frontlines.

The Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and active-duty nurses, medical technicians and others who make up the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron are on a mission: To transport injured and ill U.S. and coalition forces to locations where they can get the medical care they need.

“We do everything that we can do to make sure that the people we treat have every chance at recovering from their injuries and being reunited with their families,” said Lt. Col. Mary Brandt, the 455th EAES commander, who has been in the Guard since 1986.

The transport teams here work with teams at Kandahar, Afghanistan. The teams also provide patients’ the medical attention needed to stabilize for, and during, the more than eight-hour flight to Germany.

Working together improves their performance by combining each person’s experiences and backgrounds into accomplishing the mission.

“(Guardsmen and reservists) bring a lot to the table because our nurses contribute years of experience, and some are emergency room nurses,” said Tech. Sgt. Jessica Leigh, 455th EAES who has 10 years active and Reserve experience. “(Their) civilian experiences...help augment the active-duty experiences.”

The teams also work closely with the Army to help prepare patients for flights at their medical facility here.

The working relationship between Army and Air Force medics is a positive one, Sergeant Leigh said.

“Our personnel here will work their shifts for the unit and on their off time volunteer at the Camp Lacy medical facility,” Colonel Brandt said.

This also helps subsequent deployments because the Army medics are here for a year at a time and it helps maintain a joint force continuity.

Internal continuity for the squadron is also a significant factor in mission success. It is addressed by staggering deployment windows to ensure a combination of local experience with incoming people.

The blurring of lines between services is a key contributor to the squadron’s success.