Observations of a deployed flight doc

  • Published
  • By Col. Patrick Storms
  • 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq --  After, we waved goodbye to the 494th Fighter Squadron and a handful of our fellow medics at their deployed base in the Middle East last September, we then mounted up for the final leg of our trip to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. Once there, we met up with the other half of our Lakenheath expeditionary medical squadron team, now one-week veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Medics rarely deploy as a complete unit. Instead they deploy in bits and pieces and assemble a disparate group of medics from several bases into a functioning team while we are "in the fight." Luckily, in this instance, every medic at Kirkuk hailed from the 48th Medical Group. Having at least a passing acquaintance with everyone in our unit gave us a huge home field advantage, easing us through some of the awkward "Where are you from again?" moments. The team assembled as we entered the fray.

The fray didn't waste much time. The day after we briefed our mass casualty plan, we had to put the plan to work with our first mass casualty. The day after we briefed our massive transfusion plan, we received a patient requiring massive transfusions. We decided maybe we needed to stop briefing plans for bad stuff. Actually, what these events showed is that planning works. By going through these scenarios in advance, confusion and turmoil at the moment of truth were minimized. We worked well as a team, but teamwork doesn't just happen, it requires planning, practice and flexibility.

Teamwork also requires leadership manifested through visibility, accessibility and command presence. In another remarkable stoke of luck or providence, we were commanded by our own 48th MDG commander, Col. Robert Miller. Our life lesson in leadership was delivered in spades. Colonel Miller led from the front, put his wings to work and flew out medevac casualties in over ten combat missions, pushed aside roadblocks to success, and implemented morale programs that were the envy of the group. It's hard to grouse about the risk of deployment when your boss spends more time outside the wire than almost any else in the unit.

Stepping off the plane in Kirkuk that first time, I was greeted by the reality that the base didn't have any assigned flying units. So what does a flight doc do when there aren't any flying units? Answers: provide operations support, oversight to traditional team aerospace activities, medical evacuation support, and assist with the Iraqi Air Force.

I spent more time in the control tower and radar approach control facility during the course of this deployment than I had in my Air Force career to date, and the immersion was eye-opening. The professionalism, dedication and work ethic of Staff Sgts. Brandie Washington and April Brown, both 48th Fighter Wing Airmen, were inspiring. The aversion of the controllers to going "off status" was as compelling as any fighter pilot I've encountered, and in a minimal manning environment it was key to keeping airfield operations flowing smoothly.

Even without jets on the ramp, important facets of Team Aerospace must be tended to. Industrial hygiene activities, environmental hazard assessment and mitigation, food and water vulnerability assessments, food sanitation inspections and force health management activities are as compelling in a "no jet" environment as they are at home station. Adding to it, however, was the assessment of potentially contaminated improvised explosive devices, a new spin to our weapons of mass destruction preparedness. Our Liberty Medics, Maj. Juan Leon, Capt. Ian Rybczynski, Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Moore and Staff Sgt. Brandy Willingham, did the 48th FW proud through their ongoing display of professionalism, customer focus and competence.

Air Force flight surgeons are used to working within the aeromedical evacuation world, but the "Dustoff" - or medevac--environment of casualty evacuation is a thrill ride of a different sort. Our critical care aeromedical transport teams are multi-person teams of professionals with hundreds of pounds of equipment, ready to transport the sickest casualties through the unforgiving environment of the air. In the Dustoff world, those same casualties had to be sustained for an hour or more by a single flight surgeon, an Army medic, and a handful of medical equipment and supplies. When I went through medical school I never envisioned performing CPR in a helicopter, racing over the landscape of Iraq, in an effort to save the life of a wounded American hero. A lifetime of medical training and experience is acutely focused in the confining environment of a Dustoff helicopter, and the remarkable skill of the Army Dustoff team cannot be overstated.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this deployment was the chance to work with the new Iraqi Air Force as they take their first fledging steps. Nothing confirms the value of a flight surgeon as a fully-vetted member of a flying unit more than seeing a unit without a flight medicine presence. Basic medical clearance issues, grounding management and medical operational risk management are aspects we routinely take for granted as a basic part of flying safety. Without these resources available to the IAF, the operational impact was felt. The need for assigned, language-competent, culturally-aware flight surgeons as an integral member of a flying unit is clear, and will be the key to the IAF's successful growth and development.

The greatest challenge of this rotation was one over, which I had little or no control: the job of continuing to pursue our aeromedical mission at RAFs Lakenheath and Mildenhall with even tighter manning and unchanging demand. Faith in the leadership, skill and flexibility of my squadron during this deployment allowed me to focus on the tasks at hand, confident they would meet the considerable challenges head-on and prevail. Their superb performance during this rotation validated my confidence in them, and is a source of ongoing pride.

Watching Kirkuk shrink into the distance as I flew out in January was a sight I had looked forward to since my arrival. While I miss nothing about the environment, the risk and the occasional deadly scorpion, I do miss the tightly-focused sense of purpose and the power of highly-motivated Airmen. My fondest memories are those involving the agile application of combat medical airpower and the value of superb leadership in the deployed environment. The men and women of the 48th MDG served the Liberty Wing and our Air Force proudly in the inhospitable environs of Iraq and at our other multiple deployed locations, as well as in the green fields of our UK home.