Putting M.A.S.H in the Air

  • Published
  • By Capt. Matthew Bates and 2nd Lt. Andre Bowser
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. --  When 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Airmen simulated combat life-saving training May 19 and 20, the site was similar to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH -- with wings.

A Rhode Island Air National Guard C-130 aircraft served as a flying hospital along with an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the Massachusetts Army National Guard - otherwise known as a combat ambulance.

Westover medics simulated delivering patients by helicopter for immediate triage between a mass casualty site in the Base Hangar and a mock medical facility in Dogpatch training area a mile away northwest on the base; they also took to the sky above the Pioneer Valley simulating medical treatment aboard an aircraft.

Lt. Col. Karen Gardner, ASTS commander, said she wanted a chance to simulate real world scenarios to help the newer Airmen learn just how challenging it is to perform their duties in a combat environment.

During Saturday's portion of the training, the unit took turns transporting simulated patients from the hangar to Dogpatch aboard the Army helicopter. Once they touched down at Dogpatch, the overgrowth of golden grass, shrubs and dust might have made things appear as they would a world away in the austere terrains of mountains and deserts.

"I definitely noticed that the terrain was not flat," said A1C Kelly Hoadley, on her first time being in a combat-like setting. "So I had to watch my step when I was transporting the patient," she said, adding that on a scale of one to 10, she gave the experience a nine for its realism.

The unit of medical professionals deploys to contingency aeromedical staging facilities in combat environments where the mission is to prepare for and receive critical care patients immediately after injury and provide for their rapid transport for higher levels of care, said Maj. Bob Driscoll, exercise commander.

Maj. Driscoll, a firefighter near Boston in his civilian life, said the training was a prime opportunity for experienced members to pass on the life-saving skills to younger members in the unit.

"We have a lot of new people, and what we're trying to do is to take our seasoned service members and to bring them together in a learning environment," he said. "We want the new members to know that now is the time to ask questions and to make mistakes -- because we don't want that to happen in real life." Col. Michael Miller, 439th Operations Group commander, said for a highly-mobilized unit the training is essential.

"Several members from Westover are deployed in combat areas and are actually putting to use this hands-on type of training every day," said Col. Miller, who commands all of the flying units on base. "We're simulating a combat environment so that our medical professionals get experience with the triage practices and skills needed in an actual combat scenario."

Lt. Col. Rene Bloomer said she helped come up with some of the scenarios encountered by the medical specialists.

"Some of the scenarios are based on real-life experiences I had because we want to give the younger Airmen a taste of the real world," said Lt. Col. Bloomer, who works as a cardiac nurse for the Veterans Administration in Albany, N.Y. "We really want our people to get an idea of what we have to do in the AOR (area of responsibility)."

Maj. Driscoll said more than six members of his unit are deployed worldwide providing medical treatment to service members and civilians in conflict areas.

"We have more members headed out the door this month," he said. In 2008, nearly 60 servicemembers from the unit deployed to the Middle East to provide medical treatment to troops. "This unit deploys a lot, so we have to be ready," Maj. Driscoll said.

On Sunday, servicemembers practiced transporting and providing care to mock patients on the C-130. Close to two dozen cadets from the Civil Air Patrol's 143rd Composite Squadron in Waterbury, Conn., arrived en masse as mock mass casualties.

The medical unit, which consists of reservists from throughout the country, including nurses, doctors and other medical professionals, wrapped up the exercise Sunday afternoon with many newer medics raving about the real-world applications.

SrA. Robert Bacon, a medical technician in his civilian job, said he provided the same expertise during the weekend's training.

"But this is my first time ever doing something like this in my life," he said, adding that learning how to transport patients properly during aerial evacuations can come with grave consequences for any errors.

"There really is a little bit of a science to something as simple as carrying a litter up to a helicopter."