Flying Critical Care Team displays capabilities during open house

by Airman 1st Class Daniel Lile
14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs

4/11/2014 - COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Medical personnel from Keesler AFB, Miss. and Air National Guard personnel from Jackson, Miss. , joined to display critical care aeromedical transport teams in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft to the public during the Columbus Air Force Base open house April 5-6. Aeromedical and critical care teams specialize in transporting injured or sick service members when they are unable to fly commercially.

Today, if a wounded American presents with a pulse at a combat hospital in Afghanistan, they have a 99 percent chance of surviving. The combination of rapid surgery near the battlefield to stabilize wounded service members, coupled with early evacuation using flying intensive care medical capability such as CCATT has been responsible for saving thousands of American lives over the past decade.

"A CCAT team consists of three medical personnel and includes a critical-care physician and nurse and a respiratory therapist," said Lt. Col. Heidi Stewart, 81st Medical Group, Keesler AFB, Miss. "We provide care for the most critically-injured service members requiring transportation."

In the past when a military member was injured, they would be kept at their current location until a near full recovery. This proved to be ineffective and inefficient; CCAT teams were created as a solution.

"When a military member is injured or sick and needs transportation, we will send an aeromedical team like the ones from the Mississippi Air Guard on a mission to transport that person to higher level medical care," said Col. Allen Kidd, 14th Medical Group Commander at Columbus AFB. "If that person is critically ill, a CCAT team will join the aeromedical team."

A very important part of helping injured service members is getting them back home to their families as soon as possible; with CCAT teams service members get home faster than ever thought possible.

"Back in the Vietnam era when service members got injured they would stay in-country until they almost fully recovered, then come home," said Stewart. "Now if a service member is injured downrange we could have him or her back home within 72 hours. This new capability has saved many thousands of lives."

Since aeromedical teams often don't know what aircraft they will be flying in, they must adapt to the situation.

"We fly with any aircraft of opportunity, which is what makes us so flexible. This airshow was unique because we demonstrated aeromedical and critical care evacuation capabilities on many of the major types of aircraft we fly, including the C-17, the C-130 Hercules and the KC-135 Stratotanker, but also on the HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter," said Stewart.

During the 2014 Columbus AFB Air Show and Open House, medical personnel from both Keesler AFB and 172nd Airlift Wing at Jackson combined for an aeromedical display on multiple aircraft to show the public the capabilities and versatility of their medical teams. The Mississippi Air Guard has been a important player in aeromedical evacuation for wounded service members for the past decade.

"We're out here to show the community and the citizens of Mississippi that active duty, guard and reserve Airmen can come together and get a bigger bang for the buck," said Stewart. "We have a great working relationship and this event is a good opportunity to show that off."

The Wings Over Columbus Heritage to Horizons Open House and Air Show provided a stage to showcase the Total Force Aeromedical capability that uniquely resides in the state of Mississippi.

"This airplane is ready to go. All we need is the gas and a tasking," said the 172nd AW's Lt. Col. Kem McEntyre.