45 AES deploys to save lives part three: AES—saving the physically, mentally wounded

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Adam C. Borgman
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Public Affiars
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When most people hear aeromedical evacuation, they think about the flight doctors on a C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III or KC-135 Stratotanker, but there is more to the men and women of an aeromedical evacuation squadron when they are deployed and mission focused. 

The mission of AE units is to evacuate wounded warriors to medical facilities, so higher levels of medical attention can be provided. In these cloud-topping hospitals, the mission requires medical professionals who provide care in a non-standard environment -- where anything can happen.

On a standard mission there can be anywhere from 10 to 15 patients with injuries ranging from minor, to severe or unseen; without these AE experts, many of these service members would not return home or not be able to come home the same person they were when they left for deployment.

"The deployed environment can be very stressful and sometimes the battle-scars are not always physical," said Senior Master Sgt. Kelley Latham, 45th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, unit deployment manager, who was acting first sergeant while deployed earlier this year. "Sometimes when these men and women are having a hard time processing what they experience, they will be referred for examination.

"This doesn't mean they will be leaving the fight for good or looked down upon, just like the men and women with visible wounds; we will take them to facilities outside the fight to ensure their safety and then bring them back to the forward operating base they are assigned."

It is not only the patients suffering from physical injuries that are evacuated from these deployed locations, in many cases patients who may be suffering from or show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder will be sent to evaluate their ability to continue the fight. The men and women of AE dedicate themselves to the mission exemplifying the Air Force core values: Integrity, Excellence and most of all, Service Before Self.

"This is a humbling job for sure," said Staff Sgt. Brittany Bennett, 45 AES, health services administrator. "I love what we do when we are deployed; it is why we train so hard. Having a hand in these men and women being able to get home is rewarding to me."

This is part three of a five part series. Learn more about the 45 AES and what it takes for them to complete their mission in parts four and five.