Yokota, Kadena Airmen save life in real-world AE mission

  • Published
  • By 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Airmen saved the life of a critically injured fellow Airman in a display of rapid response and seamless coordination for an aeromedical evacuation on Oct. 28. To execute the mission, Airmen from the 374th Medical Group, 374th Operations Group, assisted by members from the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and U.S. Pacific Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT), sprang into action following an on-base motorcycle accident in the early morning hours of Oct. 27.


The injured Airman was able to dial his Wingman, who remained on the phone in the middle of the night to keep the member conscious as he rushed to location and called 911. Yokota Air Base's Emergency Medical Services dispatched medics and transported the patient to the base's urgent care facility.


“It was all hands-on deck, and we exhausted every skill, resource, option, and connection to ensure our teammate was taken care of,” said Col. Richard McElhaney, 374th Airlift Wing commander.


As the base medical clinic coordinated to move the patient to an off-base hospital, it became clear the Airman's condition was critical and immediate action was required to save their life.


The medical staff at Yokota performed lifesaving emergency surgery and established an interim intensive care unit to stabilize the patient.


"We had to stretch our capabilities by immediately building an ICU and shifting our medics to 24-hour operations to support the needs of the patient," said Col. Gregory Richert, 374th MDG commander.


As the situation unfolded, multiple teams in the 374th Airlift Wing coordinated an aeromedical evacuation mission to transport the patient to Kadena Air Base, Japan. Due to the patient's critical condition, the CCATT from Kadena was mobilized to provide specialized care during the flight.


The PACAF CCATT is a highly trained and skilled three-person medical team responsible for picking up patients and transferring them to a higher echelon of care wherever that may be, whether it’s within the Pacific region or stateside.


The 374th Operations Group played a crucial role in facilitating the patient's transport, flexing its airlift capabilities on multiple airframes. A C-12J Huron assigned to the 459th Airlift Squadron transported the CCATT and their equipment to Yokota AB, while a C-130J Super Hercules was re-tasked to transport the patient and medical teams to Kadena Air Base.


“No one complained about the hours worked or checked their duty description when asked to support,” said McElhaney. “It was a herculean lift getting the member out of Yokota to higher-level care at the speed of need. The team leveraged their training, took initiative, and saved a life…I couldn’t be more proud.”


During this mission, the CCATT worked in tandem with the 18th AES members who were rotationally deployed to Yokota. The 18th AES is the sole aeromedical evacuation unit in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, supporting 24/7 patient movement capabilities for internal and external theater missions.


“Our main priority is caring for our patients and getting them safely from point A to point B,” said Maj. Kristen Dowdy, 15th Healthcare Operations Squadron physician and emergency medicine physician. “The personnel here were essential to keeping this patient alive.”


The combination of leveraging Yokota-based aircraft and a co-located AE presence expedited the successful intra-theater transfer.


The CCATT and 18th AES team transported the patient for ongoing care and recovery; an outcome that Staff Sgt. Michael VanHorn, 18th AES aeromedical evacuation technician, said was possible due to the expeditious and professional work of Yokota and Kadena personnel. From Kadena AB, the member was then aeromedically evacuated to Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, for follow-on care.


“Our job is to take care of people however we can, it's embedded in us as medics and medical professionals,” said VanHorn. “The combined efforts of all involved showcase how capable we are at executing a patient movement of any severity in such a short amount of time.”

 

Note: Correction made to the location of Tripler Army Medical Center.