Kadena medics gain knowledge while deployed

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Aeromedical nurses and technicians here are helping save hundreds of servicemembers’ who are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Aside from tending to the sick and wounded, these Airmen are gaining invaluable experience working in a multiservice operation, and treating injuries many people only see in war zones.

“This deployment has made me a better nurse,” said Capt. Jackie Dillon, a flight nurse with the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. “I’ve also gained a lot of leadership skills.”

Captain Dillon, together with medical technicians Tech. Sgt. Enrique Ferreira and Staff Sgt. Chuck Lane, recently returned from a four-month deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Their mission was to support aeromedical operations in theater.

Although the Airmen operated from a tiny remote airfield in Kandahar, their mission had a huge effect on the survival of patients.

During their deployment, Captain Dillon said they flew thousands of miles moving people out of field condition medical facilities to military bases in Europe. The length of their missions varied from short hops around the country to long jaunts to Germany.

During air evacuations, the Kadena Airmen, with direction from doctors, administered required medications, checked vital signs, provided IV’s and handled medical emergencies. Some patients, like those hooked to a ventilator, required constant care in the air.

The Airmen said at times, by the time they finally got a chance to rest, they had been on their feet for more than 24 hours.

“It was physically draining and dangerous work,” Captain Dillon said. “You have to know what you’re doing.”

She said all of their missions were performed in combat or a contingency environment. There were times aircrews found bullet holes on the aircraft after returning home.

The medical contingency crew at Kandahar was made up of active-duty Airmen, guardsmen and reservists. And many of the medics had never worked together before, learning to communicate with one another was extremely important, Captain Dillon said. Communication among the medical crews, ground crews and aircrews was also very important.

“You do whatever needs to be done,” Captain Dillon said. “You make sure everyone is doing their job safely and correctly. It’s a team effort.”

And with the effort came difficult and unique challenges.

Sergeant Ferreira said he was astonished by the variety of injuries they saw in Afghanistan. They treated patients hurt by mortar fire, guns, mine explosions and accidents. During one aeromedical mission he treated a patient with a foot blown off, another with open chest wounds and a Soldier hit by a rocket-propelled grenade that sheared his thigh.

Sergeant Ferreira said he will forget the time a special operations Airman, badly hurt by enemy fire, was wheeled inside their facility. The patient did not know where he was. He thought he was still with his squad while they were transporting him to Germany. He kept trying to get up to go back out and find the rest of his unit, Sergeant Ferreira said.

“You can’t duplicate these kinds of injuries during training,” he said. “You can practice on a mannequin all day, but you don’t really have the sense of urgency like we did there.”

The team also got the chance to handle aeromedical equipment they had never used before.

“We found out which and what kind of equipment is more effective on certain aircraft. We also discovered better ways to transport patients in combat situations,” Sergeant Ferreira said.

Based on the team’s experience in Afghanistan, the Kadena unit has streamlined some of their aeroemdical equipment and evacuation procedures.

Not only was the team able to use new equipment, they also flew on aircraft they had never flown on before. It is important for aeromedical Airmen to know egress and emergency procedures on other types of airplanes, Sergeant Lane said.

“Our responsibility is not just the patients. We’re part of the crew, and we make sure we can lend a hand in case they need help,” he said.

“We’re glad we went to Afghanistan -- we really made a difference there,” Captain Dillon said. “To help people who are willing to give their lives to protect freedom is one of the most satisfying things we’re ever done.”