Wyoming Air Guard members exchange aeromedical evacuation knowledge with Tunisian partners

By Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley

153rd Airlift Wing

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Two Wyoming Air National Guard members flew to Bizerte, Tunisia May 22-24 to participate in the Medlite 2012 exercise in an effort to help Tunisian military medical personnel train for the aeromedical evacuation of large-casualty events.

The three-day exercise consisted of lectures, round table discussion of mass casualty scenarios and a full scale exercise.

The Wyoming National Guard has been a partner state with Tunisia through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program since 2004.

“The Libyan crisis really woke up the Tunisians to logistics of how to handle mass causalities,” said Air Force 1st Lt. Shane Ryan, a flight nurse with the 153rd Airlift Wing. “In Tunisia, the medical corps is it for life flights including water, desert and civilian rescues; they don’t have a civilian system in place like America does.”

A variety of topics were covered during the first two days by both U.S. Air Force and Tunisian military participants. Ryan and Air Force Maj. Janice Weixelman, a flight surgeon with the 153rd AW, presented power point presentations on equipment utilized by aeromedical evacuation teams, duties of a flight surgeon in a combat environment, and the echelon of aeromedical evacuation levels for a combat environment.

“It was very educational and worked out well,” Ryan said. “I still had all the regulations and [Air Force instructions] in my head from flight school this past August.”

The first two days also incorporated various demonstrations, such as the aeromedical evacuation procedures of the Tunisian HH-3 helicopter, raising and lowering of both personnel and littered patients into a hovering helicopter, and familiarization with equipment used to transport patients.

Military doctors, nurses and nursing students got hands-on training on day three with an exercise scenario involving a simulated airplane crash with 33 casualties, 13 dead and 20 injured.

Participants processed the exercise wounded and deceased through a casualty collection point and sent off to transport via helicopter to the Aeromedical Staging Facility.

The casualty collection point was set up to receive patients from the crash site where doctors and nurses with four litter attendants began their assessment of the severity and number of injured. Initial first aid and triage were also accomplished before patients were placed into ambulances and transferred to the first aid station.

The exercise helped participants get a better understanding of the complexity which can occur with a disaster situation.

“The ability of personnel to interact with each other, as well as understand the role of the counterparts improves the capacity of a team to prepare for more than just their own sequestered role,” Weixelman said.”

 “The majority of participants had never had the experience of working in or around helicopters or [a] C-130 [Hercule]s” she said, “this exercise gave them an invaluable opportunity to understand the complexity and extent of aeromedical evacuation.”

 “I definitely learned way more than I taught and it was an honor to be able to be a part of this exercise,” said Ryan.

Wyoming Air Guard members exchange aeromedical evacuation knowledge with Tunisian partners

By Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley

153rd Airlift Wing

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (6/14/12) - Two Wyoming Air National Guard members flew to Bizerte, Tunisia May 22-24 to participate in the Medlite 2012 exercise in an effort to help Tunisian military medical personnel train for the aeromedical evacuation of large-casualty events.

The three-day exercise consisted of lectures, round table discussion of mass casualty scenarios and a full scale exercise.

The Wyoming National Guard has been a partner state with Tunisia through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program since 2004.

“The Libyan crisis really woke up the Tunisians to logistics of how to handle mass causalities,” said Air Force 1st Lt. Shane Ryan, a flight nurse with the 153rd Airlift Wing. “In Tunisia, the medical corps is it for life flights including water, desert and civilian rescues; they don’t have a civilian system in place like America does.”

A variety of topics were covered during the first two days by both U.S. Air Force and Tunisian military participants. Ryan and Air Force Maj. Janice Weixelman, a flight surgeon with the 153rd AW, presented power point presentations on equipment utilized by aeromedical evacuation teams, duties of a flight surgeon in a combat environment, and the echelon of aeromedical evacuation levels for a combat environment.

“It was very educational and worked out well,” Ryan said. “I still had all the regulations and [Air Force instructions] in my head from flight school this past August.”

The first two days also incorporated various demonstrations, such as the aeromedical evacuation procedures of the Tunisian HH-3 helicopter, raising and lowering of both personnel and littered patients into a hovering helicopter, and familiarization with equipment used to transport patients.

Military doctors, nurses and nursing students got hands-on training on day three with an exercise scenario involving a simulated airplane crash with 33 casualties, 13 dead and 20 injured.

Participants processed the exercise wounded and deceased through a casualty collection point and sent off to transport via helicopter to the Aeromedical Staging Facility.

The casualty collection point was set up to receive patients from the crash site where doctors and nurses with four litter attendants began their assessment of the severity and number of injured. Initial first aid and triage were also accomplished before patients were placed into ambulances and transferred to the first aid station.

The exercise helped participants get a better understanding of the complexity which can occur with a disaster situation.

“The ability of personnel to interact with each other, as well as understand the role of the counterparts improves the capacity of a team to prepare for more than just their own sequestered role,” Weixelman said.”

“The majority of participants had never had the experience of working in or around helicopters or [a] C-130 [Hercule]s” she said, “this exercise gave them an invaluable opportunity to understand the complexity and extent of aeromedical evacuation.”

“I definitely learned way more than I taught and it was an honor to be able to be a part of this exercise,” said Ryan.

International Surface Warfare Officers School Fosters International Relations

By Surface Warfare Officer School Public Affairs

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- Fifteen naval officers graduated from the three-week Combat Information Center Watch Officer (CICWO) course during a ceremony at the International Surface Warfare Officers School (ISWOS) on board Naval Station Newport, R.I., April 1.

The officers were from Colombia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia, Trinidad-Tobago, and Uruguay. More than 150 allied nations send military students through selected courses at training centers and schools throughout the Naval Education and Training Command domain.

"The mission of ISWOS is simple; create the foundation for building trust through knowledge sharing for the purposes of international partnership and global security," said Lt. Cmdr. Jody Mandeville, director of the Surface Warfare Officer School International program. "The program is designed to foster international cooperation and prepare officers to serve at sea through professional education and knowledge sharing, and falls in line with the chief of naval operations' guidance for 2011, of establishing international relationships to increase security and achieve common interests in the maritime domain."

During their stay, students were immersed in the school's mission of preparing officers to serve at sea. The course emphasizes multi-threat warfare, combat information center equipment, special maneuvering, and navigation.

Students were taught how to plan, coordinate, and manage the supervision of all combat information center operations and training during routine peacetime steaming.

The school's high-tech conning officer virtual environment (COVE) and full mission bridge simulators gave the students a greater understanding of ship handling.

The students shared the same facilities and instructors with American students, and like their American counterparts, used the same modern classrooms and high-tech virtual reality trainers. The technology, along with hands on training, is used to broaden the scope of the students surface warfare knowledge, and ranges from basic seamanship to complex maritime operations.

Social and cultural events are included in the curriculum. Each student was assigned a sponsor to introduce them to American culture and foster personal relationships. During their free time the sponsors hosted students in their homes, took them to movies and gave them opportunities to experience American culture in an informal setting.

Students also participated in field service programs designed to promote an understanding of American society, its institutions, ideals and overarching commitment to basic principles of human rights. Trips included lectures at Salve Regina University, social gatherings with international students attending the U.S. Naval War College, and a Newport history and mansions tour.

Obama: Brazil Offers Example for Freedom Movements

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2011 – Noting that the movements in the Middle East and North Africa demonstrate a universal yearning for freedom, President Barack Obama today held Brazil up as an example of how “a call for change that starts in the streets can transform a city, a country and the world.”

Speaking during a visit to Rio de Janeiro, the president made no mention of coalition military operations under way to enforce a U.N.-endorsed no-fly zone in Libya and halt Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s brutal crackdown on protestors there.

Instead, the president spoke more broadly about the common thread behind struggles unfolding throughout the region and their implications for the future.

“We see a revolution borne out of a yearning for basic human dignity in Tunisia. We have seen peaceful protestors pouring into [Cairo’s]

Tahrir Square

– men and women, young and old, Christian and Muslim,” he said.

“We've seen the people of Libya take a courageous stand against a regime determined to brutalize its own citizens,” he continued. “Across the region, we have seen young people rise up - a new generation demanding the right to determine their own future."

The change they seek, he added, must be driven by their own people.

“But as two nations who have struggled over many generations to perfect our own democracies,” the president said, “the United States and Brazil know that the future of the Arab world will be determined by its people.”

Obama pointed to Brazil -- a nation that has emerged from two decades of military dictatorship to become a thriving democracy and economic powerhouse -- as a model for Libya and others. Brazil offers proof that “a dictatorship can become a thriving democracy," he said.

The president recognized Brazil’s progress toward overcoming poverty and disease at home, and its work as a global partner fighting narcotics trafficking, promoting nuclear security and assisting the African continent.

He also praised Brazil for providing vitally needed assistance and support to Japan following its devastating earthquake and tsunami.

“We will pray with them and stand with them and rebuild until this crisis is passed,” he said.

“When men and women peacefully claim their human rights, our own common humanity is enhanced,” Obama said. “Wherever the light of freedom is lit, the world becomes a brighter place. That is the example of Brazil.”

Obama urged Brazil to join the global call for universal rights.

“These are not American or Brazilian ideas. They are not Western ideas,” he told the audience. “They are universal rights, and we must support them everywhere."

Air Force Flies More Egyptians Home

By Lisa Daniel

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2011 – The Air Force today airlifted 175 Egyptians home from Tunisia to Cairo in the latest U.S. transport of refugees fleeing the turmoil in Libya, a Pentagon spokeswoman said today.

The Egyptians had been in Libya and fled to Tunisia when violence broke out last month between groups seeking political reforms and forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. They stayed several weeks in camps in Djerba, Tunisia.

Two Air Force KC-130 aircraft flew the Egyptians from Djerba to Cairo today. Air Force and Marine Corps aircraft now have returned more than 1,100 Egyptians to Cairo at the request of the Egyptian government since March 5, Navy Cmdr. Wendy Snyder said.

The Air Force KC-130s are based out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, but are staging at Naval Station Souda Bay, Crete, for transporting the evacuees, Snyder said.

More than 250,000 people have fled the fighting in Libya since it began last month, United Nations officials said, with about 6,000 people leaving Libya each day.

Chairman Tackles Tough Issues at Virtual Town Hall

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2011 – Civil unrest in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, Somalia piracy, the U.S.-Pakistan relationship and North Korea’s nuclear posture were among the topics Navy Adm. Mike Mullen took on during a virtual town hall meeting that will air March 14 on the Pentagon Channel.

Questions came in to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from service members, spouses and veterans who posed them online via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Skype.

Mullen taped his answers yesterday in a session that marked the third edition of the Pentagon Channel’s “Ask the Chairman” program, which began in 2009.

“What happened in Egypt really started in Tunisia, and is an incredibly rare and significant change,” Mullen said in response to a question from Spc. Steven Wolf of the Army National Guard.

“We’ve had a long-term relationship with the Egyptian military. We continue to stay in touch with them, and they’ve done the right thing as they move through a time of incredible change after a long time of no change whatsoever,” the chairman added.

Over a week that began Feb. 20, Mullen visited U.S. troops and military and government leaders in seven Persian Gulf nations.

“Every country in the region is concerned [about the recent political turbulence],” the admiral said. “We have to be careful to discriminate between countries -- make sure we don’t broad-brush this and apply solutions equally in every different country.”

Mullen said he believes the current unrest in some Middle East and North African nations “is fundamentally about the internal challenges that many of these countries have” in recognizing that their citizens seek a better way of life, including freedom and economic opportunities.

The United States is “very focused” on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and recognizes the outcomes are uncertain, the nation’s top military officer said.

“The landscape is clearly changing and we certainly look to stay engaged in this critical part of the world for the extended future,” Mullen said.

Navy Reserve Cmdr. Peter Dunn asked whether the military could be more effective against increasingly violent incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia if the activities were treated as acts of war rather than as crimes. Mullen said the criminal approach to the “growing concern” of piracy presents challenges, but that the United States is on the right path in a situation that increasingly is global.

More than 30 nations’ ships are in the area, Mullen said, and many, including Russia and China, have added to the counterpiracy capability.

Mullen said the pirates principally are based out of Somalia, and that for the United States to go ashore in a country is “a huge step.” The pirate activity “is a criminal regime” that is getting better at what it does, he added.

“It really is a crime,” the admiral said. “I don’t see it as an act of war in any way, shape or form. … It’s a very complex problem that we continue to try to work together with as many nations as we can.”

A question submitted via Facebook by Gerald David concerned Pakistan and how that government might be persuaded to be more forceful in engaging internal terrorist threats.

“I’ve traveled to Pakistan over 20 times to work on establishing a relationship of trust with the Pakistani military,” Mullen said. “We left them for 12 years -- from the early 1990s to about 2002 -- and we’re working on reestablishing that trust.”

Trust is critical not only between U.S. and Pakistani militaries and intelligence agencies, the chairman said, but also between the citizens of the two nations.

“We abrogated that in the 1990s,” he said, “and so we’re working hard to re-establish it in a very dangerous part of the world where there clearly are an awful lot of terrorists.”

Mullen said he’s always mindful of the thousands of service members that the Pakistani military have lost and the tens of thousands who have been wounded.

“They’ve sacrificed greatly to support their own citizens in Pakistan and they’ll continue to do that,” he said. “They’re working with us much better than they have in the past, but they do have significant internal terrorist challenges. … We’re working hard to come together in a much more integrated fashion to focus on the terrorist threat that affects both of us.”

A question about global strategic threats involved North Korea and the steps being taken in the United States to protect against nuclear aggression. Mullen said that although North Korea is “a very difficult challenge,” other nations in the region are dependable allies.

“We’ve had a relationship with the Republic of Korea in the south for over 60 years, and I find that relationship to be exceptionally strong,” Mullen said.

The United States also has strong relationships with Japan and Australia, and growing relationships with the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“There’s no question that the leadership in North Korea has acted irresponsible at times. They are very provocative,” Mullen said. “But … the Republic of Korea’s President Lee [Myung-bak] has made it very clear that he is going to respond to provocations in the future.”

Mullen said he worries because some estimates indicate that North Korea will have a nuclear capability in a few years “that they can put on an [intercontinental ballistic missile] and actually reach the United States.”

The international community “needs … to take steps to ensure that the provocative behavior ceases and does so in time to avoid any provocation that could include the use of nuclear weapons,” Mullen said.

Air Force Transports Refugees Back to Egypt

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2011 – Two U.S. C-130s will transport Egyptian refugees from Tunisia to Cairo today, Defense Department officials said.

“The aircraft should be on the ground in Djerba now,” said Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan, referring to the Tunisian island where crews are picking up the refugees. “The plan is for them to transport 150 Egyptians who have fled the fighting in Libya back home.”

These will be the ninth and 10th flights taking Egyptians to their home country. The effort began over the weekend, with 640 Egyptians flown home. One of the C-130s flying refugees today is an Air Force transport from Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, and the other is a Marine Corps airraft from Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily.

The 10 flights are in addition to two flights that brought humanitarian assistance to refugees who traveled out of Libya to Tunisia. The two sorties delivered 2,000 blankets, 40 rolls of plastic sheeting and 9,600 10-liter plastic water containers.

No other sorties are planned, nor have any been requested, Lapan said. Still, he added, U.S. Africa Command planners remain ready.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy will represent the Defense Department at a White House meeting today on the situation in Libya, Lapan said.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is in Brussels, Belgium, where he will participate in a meeting of NATO defense ministers that begins tomorrow. Libya will figure prominently in those discussions, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier this week.

U.S. Military Aircraft Fly Egyptians Home from Tunisia

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 6, 2011 – U.S. military aircraft flew 640 Egyptians home today and yesterday from the Tunisia-Libya border where the refugees fled to escape the violence that continues between government forces and rebels in Libya.

Three U.S. Air Force C-130Js and one U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 flew two daily rotations from Djaerba, Tunisia, to Cairo, Egypt.

U.S. Africa Command is overseeing the effort as part of the ongoing U.S. and international response to the evolving humanitarian emergency in that region.

“For passenger evacuation, four more flights today are moving 328 passengers to Egypt,” Africom spokesman Kenneth Fidler said in an e-mail.

Most of the passengers were men who had been working in Libya before violence flared on Feb. 17 when Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi cracked down on protesters demanding government reform.

Yesterday's four flights moved 312, Fidler said.

The last military flight today left Djaerba in the late afternoon carrying 82 Egyptian nationals for a flight to Cairo that was expected to last 3.5 hours.

Also yesterday, Fidler added, two U.S. Air Force C-130s from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, delivered humanitarian commodities less than 24 hours after President Barack Obama announced U.S. military support to the international effort.

Donations from the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance warehouse at Leghorn Army Depot in Pisa, Italy, included 2,000 blankets, 40 rolls of plastic sheeting and 9,600 10-liter plastic water containers.

The C-130J crews have used Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Greece, on the island of Crete, as a hub and crew-rest location. Crews of the Marine Corps KC-130s have used Naval Station Sigonella, Italy, on the island of Sicily, as a hub for their role in the operations, according to Africom officials.

Thousands of Egyptians have returned home from the Tunisia-Libya border on aircraft and ferries belonging to or chartered by governments from around the world.

On March 4, Naval Forces Europe-Africa, which coordinates U.S. Navy support to Africom, established the joint task for Odyssey Dawn to provide tactical command and control for emergency evacuations, humanitarian relief, and future Africom missions in support of the U.S. government response to unrest in Libya.

Africom announced its airlift progress and the establishment of Odyssey Dawn in tweets from the social networking site, Twitter.

The airlift and humanitarian effort is part of a larger U.S. government emergency response that Obama ordered last week.

“The United States, and the entire world, continues to be outraged by the appalling violence against the Libyan people,” he said during a March 3 press conference.

“The United States is helping to lead an international effort to deter further violence, put in place unprecedented sanctions to hold the Gadhafi government accountable, and support the aspirations of the Libyan people,” the president said. “We are also responding quickly to the urgent humanitarian needs that are developing.”

On the same day, Obama approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help move Egyptians who have fled to the Tunisian border to get back home to Egypt.

Air Force Joins Effort to Help Libyan Evacuees

By Air Force Master Sgt. Jim Fisher

17th Air Force Public Affairs

DJAERBA, Tunisia, March 4, 2011 – The U.S. military’s contribution to an international effort to end the suffering of Libya’s evacuees began in Italy today when two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft picked up humanitarian aid and headed to Tunisia.

The 37th Airlift Squadron, from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, stopped in Pisa, Italy, where they picked up cargo from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The team then flew the aid to Djaerba, Tunisia, near where tens of thousands of Libyans and foreign nationals have fled due to the recent political uprising in Libya.

Air Force Lt. Col. Charles “Doc” Schlegel, commander of the 435th Air Mobility Squadron, is leading a contingency response team working with aircrews from the 37th ALS on the humanitarian missions. He said his team is excited to partner with 17th Air Force to support the State Department.

“We know that there are a lot of folks that are currently displaced, that will hopefully soon be able to return to their home countries and, hopefully, we can expedite that and bring humanitarian assistance to people who need it,” Schlegel said. “The 17th Air Force did a great job coordinating with the agencies here, making sure the stuff was ready and could be quickly delivered to people who are in need. This is being driven by the State Department and we are ready to support any requests they have.”

Alberto Chidini, coordinator of the Army’s Camp Darby humanitarian Assistance program near Pisa was on the flightline for the pickup in Italy, making sure the humanitarian cargo was ready to load. It’s important for people to be willing to help in situations like the one in Libya and its border regions, he said.

“I’ve seen the reports. Everything is lacking,” Chidini said. “The situation is very bad and our people are ready to react. It’s important because this could happen to anyone and hopefully someone is ready to help. In this case, [it’s] us.

“It makes you feel good, it makes you feel proud,” he added.

While waiting for further requests, the team from Ramstein stayed focused on the task at hand, delivering 2,000 wool blankets, 40 units of plastic sheeting and 9,600 water containers to Djaerba. After finishing the first day’s work, the teams regrouped to plan more assistance missions for the days ahead.

U.S. Military Aircraft to Deliver Libya-related Aid

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2011 – Two U.S. military aircraft will deliver humanitarian supplies to Tunisia today and return tomorrow to transport Egyptian refugees from Libya, a Pentagon spokesman told reporters today.

The C-130s out of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, will deliver six pallets of aid supplies, including 4,000 blankets, 40 rolls of plastic sheeting, and 9,600 10-liter water containers to Djerba, Tunisia, according to Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan.

“Those two aircraft stopped in Italy, where they picked up humanitarian assistance [supplies] from the USAID … warehouse,” Lapan said.

The planes will return to Tunisia tomorrow to relocate Egyptian refugees back to Egypt, he said.

The request for aid came from the Egyptian government, through the U.S. Embassy to the State Department and to the Department of Defense, Lapan said.

The flights are part of U.S. Africa Command-led Operation Odyssey Dawn, which is providing humanitarian assistance to people fleeing Libya in the wake of recent political uprisings and violence there.

A number of NATO countries and international organizations also are contributing aid, Lapan said.

President Barack Obama announced yesterday that the United States would give humanitarian aid and send military and civilian aircraft to assist refugees leaving Libya.

U.S. Military Aircraft to Aid Egyptians Leaving Libya

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2011 – President Barack Obama announced today he has approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help Egyptians who have fled to the Tunisian border get back home to Egypt.

Speaking from the White House, Obama said the United States and the world continue “to be outraged by the appalling violence against the Libyan people.”

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered U.S. Africa Command to take the lead for defense planning regarding the situation in Libya, according to a Pentagon statement. The DOD will continue to work in close coordination with the State Department and other agencies as needed.

Since Feb. 17, Libyan citizens have protested against Col. Moammar Gadhafi, who has ruled Libya since 1969. Gadhafi’s forces have since engaged in increasingly violent clashes with protesters throughout the country, while Libya’s military forces are divided between the two sides. An estimated 180,000 people have fled Libya, many gathering along the border with Tunisia.

“The United States is helping to lead an international effort to deter further violence, put in place unprecedented sanctions to hold the Gadhafi government accountable, and support the aspirations of the Libyan people,” Obama said.

The United States also is responding to the urgent humanitarian needs that are developing, he said.

“Tens of thousands of people, from many different countries, are fleeing Libya,” the president said. “We commend the governments of Tunisia and Egypt for their response, even as they go through their own political transitions.”

The president also has authorized the U.S. Agency for International Development to charter additional civilian aircraft to help people fleeing Libya return to their homes.

“We’re supporting the efforts of international organizations to evacuate people as well,” the president said. “I’ve also directed USAID to send humanitarian assistance teams to the Libyan border, so that they can work with the United Nations, [non-governmental organizations] and other international partners inside Libya to address the urgent needs of the Libyan people.”

The United States will continue to send a clear message that the violence in Libya must stop, and Gadhafi must go, the president said.

Libya’s ruler “has lost legitimacy to lead, and he must leave,” Obama said. “Those who perpetrate violence against the Libyan people will be held accountable. And the aspirations of the Libyan people for freedom, democracy and dignity must be met.”