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18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron returns from Antarctica

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angelique Perez
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Kadena's 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron traded in the sub-tropical warmth of Okinawa for the sub-zero cold of Antarctica to conduct 21 medical evacuation missions over a three-month period. 

Six Kadena Airmen deployed to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, experiencing life at the bottom of the world while supporting the continent's only urgent care clinic. Five of the six deployed medics recently returned to Kadena. 

From the clinic, the Kadena Airmen provided medical care for a community of more than 1,650 scientists, researchers, support staff and security personnel. The McMurdo Station Clinic also provides advanced treatment for Scott Base, New Zealand's scientific research facility on Antarctica. 

In temperatures of sixty below zero and round-the-clock daylight, the Airmen provided aeromedical evacuation capability for seriously injured patients from Antarctica to Christchurch New Zealand and Tasmania, Australia. 

This was anything but a standard deployment, according to the members of the team, who were required to complete cold weather training for Antarctica's Operation Deep Freeze. 

"We had less equipment and definitely less crew," said Tech. Sgt Leslie Green, an 18th AES medical technician. "We had to make do with what resources we had. We flew with minimum people because we had to keep the clinic staffed while we were gone. It worked ... it was just an adjustment." 

The team ran McMurdo Station Clinic and maintained weekly flight line medical care and sick call for aircrew and maintainers. The clinic averaged 40 patients per day, and the nurses and medical technicians were on call 24/7. 

They worked alongside civilians that provided the dental, x-ray, laboratory, physical therapy and general medicine care for the camp. Patients requiring critical care that could not be provided on-site were flown by the 18th AES to Christchurch, New Zealand, for further treatment. 

"I learned that it is very beneficial to be open-minded and not set in your ways," said Tech Sgt. Jaime Faison, an 18th AES medical technician. "We left what we knew behind and adopted their ethic, often times chiming in on ways to improve processes and ways to make things run smoother."

Team lead Capt. Sam Millar said the frequent training exercises and air evacuation missions conducted by the 18th AES at home station prior to deployments prepared them for medical operations in Antarctica.

There were several emergency medical evacuations that stood out for the Kadena medics. One was a patient who was run over by a large truck, fracturing his pelvis, skull and ribs. He required immediate evacuation to save his life. The 18th AES transported the patient to New Zealand where he is recovering now. Another patient needed emergency brain surgery for a tumor. 

"This was life-changing," said Tech. Sgt. Green. "I would go back, if I could." 

Even as the team coped with sub-zero temperatures and a new operating environment, they still managed to bring Air Force tradition into the mix. Sergeant Green had the opportunity to be promoted at the South Pole, a milestone that she called the most amazing event in her life.

"We started off in the freezing cold," said Sergeant Green. "It got warmer [down to 20 degrees]. Then it got colder."

The deployment wasn't all work. The 18th AES Airmen said they witnessed breathtaking polar ice-caps, the active volcano Mount Erebus and observed seals and penguins during recreational hikes. 

"I feel great being able to say, 'I went to Antarctica and helped over 300 people - leaving my mark on the ice.' I would definitely do it again," said Sergeant Faison. 

Capt. Millar said the Antarctica deployment is not an experience his team of medical professionals is likely to forget. 

"As seasoned aeromedical evacuation crewmembers, the austere environment on the ice required our medics to apply skill and experience to adapt to the limited resources available," said Capt. Millar. "Antarctica was a phenomenal experience for the six of us who deployed."