Safe and secure

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Tech. Sgt. Todd Baldwin, from the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, secures a litter in the C-17 Globemaster lll, here Aug. 4. Multiple litters were loaded onto the aircraft, full of medical equipment for the patients' flight to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Sergeant Baldwin is deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and hails from Spartanburg, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Airflow on

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Tech. Sgt. Corey Hellman, a reservist deployed from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., hooks up the oxygen hose to a respiratory machine during an aeromedical evacuation, here Aug. 4. Sergeant Hellman is from the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and plays a vital role in fulfilling missions to support Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Let there be air

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Senior Airman David Brooks, from the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and a native of Nashville, Tenn., secures an oxygen hose in order to hook it up to a patient's respiratory machine, here Aug. 4. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Lifesavers

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Tech. Sgt. Corey Hellman (left), a reservist deployed from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., hooks up the oxygen hose to a respiratory machine while Maj. Aalok Shah (right) ensures all the equipment works properly before departing on a mission, here Aug. 4. Maj. Shah is deployed from Travis AFB, Calif., and hails from Atlanta, Ga. Both Sgt. Hellman and Maj. Shah are from the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and play vital roles in saving lives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

Reservists lead the pack for Aeromedical Evacuation

Published Aug. 4, 2009
By Capt. David Faggard
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- With the increased U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan hitting about 68,000, there could be a hidden cost of wounded; and an increase of qualified medical personnel is surely not far behind as one would expect fighting to intensify.

Major Cynthia Camp, an Air Force Reservist deployed from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., is the commander of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and she loves saving lives, lots of them.

She used to be a combat medic; now she calls herself a bean counter, but for this Air Force Reservist she's absolutely critical to Coalition war efforts in Afghanistan - and she's shattering records like they weren't even there.

In July 2009, the number of wounded transported by her Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron has already exceeded 2008 and is a third higher than 2007. And although these numbers are tragic, the Major offered some comforting words.

"Although the number of our wounded is rising, so is the survival rate of our patients," the Major said. "As tragic as it is, we're seeing people make it and they're getting the care they need much faster."

Her squadron provides care for the injured, civilian Afghans, and the occasional high-profile public image - and the work appears not to be slowing down.

"We're the busiest we've been in years," the Major said detailing the capabilities of her airborne Intensive Care Unit and Clinic. "We can go anywhere and make a difference."

With more than a thousand pounds of supplies, machines and equipment, Maj. Camp's team travels into harm's way often landing in the remote corners of Afghanistan where they are needed most.

They use multiple aircraft from the Air Force inventory, to include Air Mobility Command's massive C-17 Globemaster III and air-to-air refueling aircraft, like the KC-135 Stratotanker. But the workhorse of this war will best be known as the C-130 Hercules. This tactical airlifter unit, comprised of active duty Airmen, Guardsmen and Reservists lands anywhere in any conditions with a team of medical professionals at the ready.

At the helm of these teams is another Air Force Reservist who is an Emergency Room nurse in Massachusetts -- Lt. Col. Diane Murphy the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron's senior flight nurse. She lauds the squadron's efforts and works side by side in the squadron that they call "family."

"Aeromedical Evacuation can rise above and provide care in any environment," she said referring to her flights. "We save lives and I'm proud to be serving alongside the best."