KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- U.S. Air Force Airmen and U.S. Navy Sailors worked together
to outfit a C-17 Globemaster III with life-saving equipment May 13, 2017, at
Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Airmen and Sailors prepared the logistics and materials for
a specialized life-support omnibed system that was put into a Globemaster III
for the first time. The bed was required to transport a 16-month-old burn victim
from United States Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan, to Travis Air Force Base,
Calif., where he will be transferred to a civilian hospital for treatment.
The system traditionally used by the Air Force, known as
VERIFY, was too small for the child, who was also not large enough for a
regular hospital bed. Airmen assigned to the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation
Squadron here worked with Sailors to come up with a solution that would allow
the child to survive the more than 10-hour flight back to the U.S. The answer
was to secure a “Giraffe” omnibed system, used in neo-natal intensive care
units, into a Globemaster III.
“The child was too large for all of our normal equipment,”
said 1st Lt. Kristen Hawkins, 18th AES staff duty officer. “The ‘Giraffe’ is
large enough, but it’s usually used in hospitals, not aircraft.”
The “Giraffe” system had never been used on a C-17 before
and required extensive planning and coordination between units across Kadena,
as well as help from the Navy, to ensure everything was ready for use.
“One thing I feel is important to mention is the whole team
approach,” said Lt. Col. Leslie Wood, 18th Aerospace Evacuation Squadron chief
of west Pacific Air Force critical care air transport team. “Not only do we
have multiple units coming together, but multiple services. We wouldn’t have
been able to get this piece of equipment if the United States Naval Hospital
hadn’t been willing to release it to us.”
Working with multiple units and branches can take extensive
work and coordination, but saving a life adds a sense of importance and
urgency.
“When you approach a mission like this, you have
to think of it as one mission, one fight,” said Wood. “You have resources in
different units and services that, if you can put them together, will help
accomplish your mission with optimal safety and effect.”