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Aeromedical Evacuation team saves lives

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joshua Jasper
  • 455th AEW/PA
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --   A team of 17 National Guardsmen, and 9 active duty personnel, all of who volunteered to deploy here from locations across the globe, have been quietly saving the lives of Coalition warriors injured in the line of duty. 

The 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight is the only Air Force medical unit in Afghanistan with the mission of transporting injured warriors, as well as injured Afghan civilians and enemy combatants, from anyplace in Afghanistan to the medical care they need via fixed wing aircraft. 

"Our goal is to get people here within 12 hours and to Germany within 24 hours of the time they suffer their injury," said 1st Lt. John Rinaldo, a flight nurse here who also works as a telemetry nurse back at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. 

"With such an important mission, they [Coalition forces] need to know that there is a system in place to get them immediate care if they are injured," he said. 

Since May 2007, the personnel of the 455th EAEF have cared for and transported 508 patients. Since they are the only Air Force AE flight here, their operations tempo is fairly high. Up to twice a day, they load nearly 800 pounds of medical equipment aboard a C-130 to care for the wounded during transport from Forward Operating Bases across Afghanistan. 

"The hardest part about this job is transporting injured personnel that we know will have change of life challenges, depending on the severity of their injuries," said 455 EAEF Commander Lt. Col. James Bruhl. "The most rewarding part is knowing that we are there when they need us in the most timely manner possible, with a skill set that provides the best chance of recovery."