934th takes on ICMOP mission

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Josh Moshier
  • 934th Airlift Wing
Minneapolis, St. Paul --  Every single day, in every nook and cranny of the world, Airmen from the 934th Airlift Wing are helping in the fight in the Global War on Terror. From the streets of Baghdad, to the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, to the scorched earth of the Horn of Africa, the Flying Vikings are doing their part. 

While deploying to foreign lands such as these is the typical image many Americans have of our armed forces' role in GWOT, and while those stories are the ones that lead the nightly news, the fight doesn't begin and end overseas.
The 934th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron recently deployed as the lead unit to the 775th Expeditionery AES, a total force squadron with Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard and Active Duty components. 

The squadron has a total of 79 personnel who man a Command Cell located at Scott AFB, Ill. and three Detachments; Det 1 at Andrews AFB, Md. Det 2 at Travis AFB, Calif. and Det 3 at Scott AFB. The Detachments are composed of AE crews which manage in-flight care and safety for patients aboard fixed wing AE missions or intratheater fixed wing airlift and aeromedical evacuation operations teams responsible for managing flight crews, equipment and supplies. 

The 775 EAES is tasked with the Continental United States patient redistribution mission, returning our wounded warriors from OIF/OEF to their home bases after they arrive to CONUS from Ramstein AB, Germany. This is part of the Integrated Continental United States Medical Operations Plan (ICMOP).
Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Knowles, 934 AES technician explained, "This is not a new mission for the 934 AES, since they deployed 21 members to the newly established 775 EAES in April 2003 when the command responsibility rested with the 375 Provisional AD unit." Command responsibility shifted to the Reserve Command in September 2006 and will transfer back to the AD in September 2008. 

Col Cherie Roberts, 934 AES and 775 EAES commander said, "I am very proud of the dedication and commitment that our members have shown to the ICMOP mission over the past year and a half while also preparing and successfully completing a heavy inspection cycle including HSI/UCI and ORE/ORI."
The 934 AES has been one of the units with primary ICMOP responsibility since August 2007 and have deployed 65 lines in support of ICMOP since January 07. In addition to 16 deployments to the AOR the AES has filled 36 lines at Ramstein AB Germany. This team transports injured soldiers from the AOR to Ramstein GE and on to CONUS. It's conceivable that a serviceman could be transported each leg of his trip by a member of the 934 AES. 

"We are honored to be able to transport our wounded warriors back home and witness their courage and steadfastness to the war. Our squadron has maintained a high ops tempo over the last eighteen months and I believe the gratification that we receive from caring for these soldiers has reinvigorated our squadron, heightened our training awareness and added to our retention," said Colonel Roberts.
While the scope and magnitude of the mission is obvious, a further credit to the 934 AES and its members is how smooth and efficient the deployments took place. Needing to be in place as early as April 9, many Airmen were required to in-process from April's 

Operational Readiness Inspection in Gulfport, Miss., and simultaneously out-process for their various ICMOP destinations.
Chief Knowles, who participated in the ORI and deployed a few weeks later to the Command Cell, said, "The outstanding effort required to in-process the ORI players and then redeploy them for ICMOP required a great deal of planning and effort not only from our squadron but also from the base as a whole. The great attitude of the deployers and the terrific deployment support made the whole process incredibly flawless."
Colonel Roberts added, "The 934 AES is known throughout the system as a unit comprised of hard working, superior performers with great attitudes and they certainly live up to that reputation". 

"I can't say enough about our Airmen," said Col. Tim Tarchick, 934 AW commander. "They put in many long, hard hours to have a successful ORI, and then they came right back and switched their focus immediately to the task at hand - deploying in support of our mission overseas. And their mission couldn't be more important. They're responsible for making sure our war fighters are returned home to their families so they can recover from their injuries with loved ones."