Iraqi flight surgeons go to Europe’s annual FS conference

Lt. Col. C.R. Ramirez, 332th Expeditionary Operation Support Squadron, explains tracking the functioning status of aeromedical evacuation equipment to Iraqi Air Force flight surgeons, Major (Dr.) Abdulrazzaq and Lieutenant (Dr.) Hazem at Joint Base Balad, Iraq March 11 2009. The Iraqi flight surgeons traveled to the annual United States Air Forces in Europe Flight Surgeon Conference at Ramstein Air Base, Germany where they shared life-saving lessons with the other doctors at the conference and learned life-saving information that they will now be able to share with their fellow Iraqi doctors. Colonel Ramirez is deployed from Travis Air Force Base and is a native of northern California (Courtesy photo)

Iraqi flight surgeons go to Europe’s annual FS conference

Capt. James Enderby, 86th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, shows the Iraqi Air Force flight surgeons, Major (Dr.) Abdulrazzaq and Lieutenant (Dr.) Hazem the bioenvironmental engineering evaluations of the maintenance shops at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany March 13 2009. The Iraqi flight surgeons traveled to the annual United States Air Forces in Europe Flight Surgeon Conference at Ramstein AFB, Germany where they shared life-saving lessons with the other doctors at the conference and learned life-saving information that they will now be able to share with their fellow Iraqi doctors. (Courtesy photo)

Iraqi flight surgeons go to Europe’s annual FS conference

Tech. Sgt. Ruben Rodriguez, 86th Maintenance Squadron, talks about the air mask that he uses when going inside the fuel tanks of a C-130 Hercules to the Iraqi Air Force flight surgeons, Major (Dr.) Abdulrazzaq and Lieutenant (Dr.) Hazem at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany March 13 2009. The Iraqi flight surgeons traveled to the annual United States Air Forces in Europe Flight Surgeon Conference at Ramstein AFB, Germany where they shared life-saving lessons with the other doctors at the conference and learned life-saving information that they will now be able to share with their fellow Iraqi doctors. (Courtesy photo)

Iraqi flight surgeons go to Europe’s annual FS conference

Published April 13, 2009
By Col. (Dr.) William W. Dodson III
MNSTC-I CAFTT Surgeon

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- History was made March 11 to 21 thanks to some strong support from the Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq for the Coalition Air Force Training Team initiative.

Iraqi Air Force flight surgeons, Major (Dr.) Abdulrazzaq and Lieutenant (Dr.) Hazem, traveled to the annual United States Air Forces in Europe Flight Surgeon Conference held at the high security North Atlantic Treaty Organization complex at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

Prior to the start of the conference, the Iraqi flight surgeons participated in seven sessions of partnering where they learned current procedures from their counterparts in workplace operations. Two of the partnering sessions took place at the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and at the separate patient staging facility at Balad AB, Iraq. The doctors also visited Iraqi patients at the Air Force Theater Hospital, who were excited to talk to doctors in Arabic. Another partnering session took place on a C-17 flight, which not only had the standard Air Force crew of medics and nurses, but also had a Critical Care Air Transport Team of physician specialist.

The partnering sessions at Ramstein included visits to the Flight Medicine Clinic, the Public Health section, the Bioenvironmental Engineering unit, and at a C-130 fuel tank systems maintenance hanger, because flight surgeons are also in charge of the occupational medicine care of maintainers that may be at risk to hazardous exposures.

Colonel Dodson started his introduction of the Iraqi flight surgeons by stating, "It's been an honor to be working with doctors Abdulrazzaq and Hazem, they are true professionals," before turning the floor over to the Iraqi flight surgeons, who were to brief on the results of the investigation of the fatal Iraqi Mi-17 helicopter crash that occurred in March 2008.

The Iraqi flight surgeons delivered their briefing flawlessly and received applause from the 120 attendees from 26 countries, including, Maj. Gen. Bruce Green, Air Force deputy surgeon general, Brig. Gen. Douglas Robb, Air Mobility Command surgeon general, and many other leading medical personnel from all service branches of the countries attending.

In the end the Iraqi flight surgeons shared life-saving lessons with the other doctors at the conference and learned life-saving information that they will now be able to share with their fellow Iraqi doctors, which will ultimately come full circle.