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Pride resonates from aeromedical evacuation crew

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kali L. Gradishar
  • U.S. AFCENT Combat Camera Team
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  Each mission is said to be unique in its own capacity, but for the 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight, the love of their mission is apparent through the stories they share and their noticeable passion for what they do.

The majority of the medical crew serves with the Air Force Reserve, some from the 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and the 36th AES, Pope AFB, N.C. Together, the flight nurses and aeromedical evacuation technicians strive to provide servicemembers the best possible medical care in the air - and most will tell you how fond they are of their mission.

Maj. Lisa Mayo, 332nd EAEF flight nurse deployed from the 459th EAS, is on her third deployment and has been on a number of missions in her 12 years in the career field. For her, each mission has been significant in one way or another, she said.

"I think all of them tend to be meaningful - bringing these Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines back," Major Mayo said, "whether it's to Germany, the U.S., or (bringing servicemembers from an out-of-state medical facility) to their individual states closer to home. There is a lot of meaning in that as well."

When she isn't deployed or working with her Reserve unit, Major Mayo works in the trauma intensive care unit as a critical nurse at Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, Va.

"I've always enjoyed being in the Reserves - it always kind of gave me something other than my civilian job," the flight nurse said, and "I've really enjoyed the aspects of being an officer in the military and the camaraderie that you have being in the military."

"I always tell people that I feel like I have the best of both worlds professionally as a nurse. I'm very satisfied with what I do," she said.

For another flight nurse with the 332nd EAEF, it took a few years longer to find that being a flight nurse was her niche.

"I've done 10 years of neonatal, 10 years of recovery room, (as well as) emergency room and ICU," said Maj. Marty Maddox, a reservist from the 36th AES at Pope AFB. "I'm an old nurse, but I'm a new flight nurse. I've been a flight nurse going on two years now."

"This is my second chance at life," she said. "I've been a nurse for a lot of years. I've always wanted to be a flight nurse... so basically I'm living the dream."

Originally Maj. Maddox was most interested in working in the neonatal ward. After doing an internship in college, she worked in neonatal until Operation Desert Storm. At that point in her career, she was advised to become readiness qualified and start working with adults, she said. After applying her skills to a number of different nursing skills in and out of the military purview, Maj. Maddox has finally found herself in a position she feels is right where she should be.

For Maj. Maddox, this is really kind of living the dream for her, agreed Maj. Mayo, a New Jersey native.

"We're picking up the wounded, getting them to Germany, and then from Germany we get them back to the states," said Maj. Maddox, a grandmother of two soldiers. "It's something that makes a difference. I love it."

Senior Master Sgt. Tony Stout, 332nd EAEF superintendent and aeromedical evacuation technician, echoed that sentiment.

"It's an honor to be allowed to come here and deploy - to be able to do the job that I've trained for so many years to do and to bring our wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines home to their families in the best condition possible is beyond words." he said.