Medical readiness gets boost with new trainers Published May 25, 2007 By John Ingle 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Every mission in the Air Force is like a portion of an engine - each component is contingent upon the other. A behind-the-scenes mission that literally means the difference between life and death increased it's capability with two new pieces of training equipment at the 381st Training Squadron's Medical Readiness Flight. Medics coming through Sheppard before deploying will now be able to train on Boeing 767 and UH-60 Blackhawk mock ups. A ribbon cutting ceremony officially marked the arrival of the equipment at Sheppard. The trainers have already been in use by medics set to deploy. Col. Nancy Dezell, commander of the 882nd Training Group, said the use of civilian aircraft during wartime contingencies has increased over the past several years as two airframes - the C-141 Starlifter and C-9 Nightingale - were retired from service. Under the Defense Production Act of 1940, civilian aircraft can be activated for military use when needed. "During Desert Shield and Desert Storm, more than two-thirds of the troops and one-fourth of the air cargo were transported by civilian airlines," she said. "(Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom) saw 21 percent of the military passengers transported to the war front by civilian airlines." Before the two mock ups came along, medics had to conduct a little on-the-job training in the field to get familiar with the airframes. Colonel Dezell said that doesn't have to happen any more. "We are proud that we are the next best thing to being there in the (area of responsibility)," she said, "and that we are training medics to save lives in the AOR, including their own." Tech. Sgt. Brian Westington, a medical readiness instructor, said the $1.7 million Boeing 767 and $190,000 Blackhawk project enhances medics' abilities in joint operation environments. "It's the United States military," he said, adding it's not just the Air Force in the fight. "It's important to get hands-on training with" equipment that is used by sister services. Brig. Gen. Byron Hepburn, the command surgeon for Headquarters Air Mobility Command, said the efforts of perhaps the most noble of missions begin at Sheppard with training. "These two platforms," he said of the 767 and UH-60, "are going to be pivotal adjunct to this campus." The general said more than 40,000 war wounded have been transported from the theater, including 2,000 critical patients. He said moving patients in critical status 20 years ago wouldn't have happened. With today's technology and skill level of Air Force medical personnel, America's war wounded are able to be moved at all hours of the day, in low-light conditions in the most austere environment. Often times, General Hepburn said, the medics are under attack. All of those pieces to the puzzle make proper training tools essential to bringing Americans home. "We have no room for error in execution of this mission," he said, adding later that "realistic training is vital." Brig. Gen. Richard Devereaux, commander of the 82nd Training Wing, said the addition of the 767 and UH-60 are examples of the level of technology and investment that is being placed back into the training pipeline to ensure a successful completion of the mission. "We are training Airmen who are going to war," he said. "They will deploy. They will be out there in the fight." Medics were using a UH-1 Vietnam-era "Slick" that is no longer used by the Army for medical evacuations. The need for an updated helicopter trainer for medical evacuations was identified in training deficit reports. The UH-60 Blackhawk is 17-feet long and has a litter carousel that rotates for easy loading and unloading of patients.