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Afghan Air Force Dedicated to Medical Assistance

  • Published
  • By MC2 Dave Quillen
  • 438th AEW PA
KABUL, Afghanistan --  A strong sign of the strength of an organization would be in the way it takes care of its people. The Afghan Air Force (AAF) can now speak to its own strength with the recent development of dedicated medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions. Beginning in September of 2010, the AAF transitioned from purely opportune MEDEVAC missions to scheduled or dedicated flights. This is a giant step forward in providing the necessary medical attention that Afghan soldiers are entitled to in their service to country.

"Previously we'd fly passenger missions to Kandahar and take opportune MEDEVAC's. Now with the culmination of a major effort by NATO Air Training Command Aero-medical Advisors, the AAF can create a scheduled and dedicated MEDEVAC pick-up at the base in Kandahar every week - something the hospital there and in Kabul or Bagram can expect and anticipate" explains Lt. Col. Douglas L. Magoffin, 538th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, An-32 Pilot Mentor, NATO Air Training Command - Afghanistan (NATC-A).

The first of such missions was flown on Sep. 8, 2010. The AAF's An-32 fixed wing transport carried three Afghan National Army soldiers from Kandahar to Kabul, all of whom had been caught in attacks with improvised explosive devices. Of the three transported, one had suffered severe burns to his face and chest. The mission demonstrated the importance of the AAF's capability to bring wounded soldiers back from the front lines to the larger medical facilities in Kabul or Bagram which are better suited to provide long term medical care.

As Magoffin attests, MEDEVACs are of the utmost importance and the most rewarding as a pilot, whether American or Afghan, and he sees it as a valuable addition to the AAF's capabilities.

"MEDEVAC missions are the most rewarding, knowing we are bringing wounded warriors to better care facilities and possibly helping to save a life. Getting a dedicated, scheduled MEDEVAC flight from Kandahar to Kabul is a major step forward for the Afghan Air Force. I'm sure the Afghan pilots feel what we feel to an even greater extent. These are young Afghan soldiers they are transporting; members of their own military."