Wing stands up to prepare for Golden Medic Exercise 2007

  • Published
  • By Capt. Hien Vu
  • Golden Medic - Air Force Public Affairs
AUGUSTA, GA --  The 706th Provisional Wing stood up here Sunday morning at the Augusta Regional Airport, Georgia, in preparation for Golden Medic Exercise 2007 from Tuesday through June 19. 

Golden Medic, in its 13th year, is the Army Reserve's largest annual exercise that integrates several armed services' medical components in response to wartime medical evacuation contingencies. 

This year's exercise brings together more than 500 Air Force personnel, 33 percent more than last year's. 

"Golden Medic seamlessly integrates the air and ground components in transporting patients expeditiously and efficiently to appropriate medical facilities for treatment," said Col. Janet Moore-Harbert, 706th Provisional Wing commander. "Our motto is, 'Planes will fly; patients will move.'" 

Dubbed the "greatest peacetime collection of joint medical-service personnel," Golden Medic has continually grown year after year, said Col. Mike Dankosky, exercise director and Air Force Reserve Command's chief of aeromedical evacuation, Robins Air Force Base, Ga. 

"In addition to our Airmen, more than 3000 Soldiers will participate in this exercise, which spreads across five locations," said Colonel Dankosky. The locations for this year's exercise are Augusta Regional Airport, Fort Gordon and Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia; Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina; and Camp Parks, California. 

"This is a premier joint medical training platform between the Army and Air Force that will soon be expanded to encompass all the U.S. armed services and coalition forces," he added. Representatives from the U.S. Navy as well as foreign armed forces are this year's observers.
 
The 706th Provisional Wing, with its combined active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard personnel, will simulate the entire aeromedical evacuation process, said Colonel Dankosky.
 
"To move a single patient, several components will have to be in place," he said. The two major components of this exercise are the expeditionary medical support and contingency aeromedical staging facility. 

The EMEDS element is set up on Fort Gordon to receive patients from the Army's combat support hospital. "Our role is to stabilize the wounded patients transported from the field," said Lt. Col. Edith Rivera-Morillo, EMEDS mission commander. "We have medics, public health and biomedical personnel, doctors and nurses on hand to take care of our patients. Some of the facilities, housed in small-shelter tents, include a dental unit, intensive care unit, ward, operating room, emergency room, lab, and pharmacy." 

Once stabilized and validated for transportation, patients will be moved to CASF at Augusta Regional Airport to be airlifted back to a regional medical center. "CASF organizes and coordinates aeromedical evacuation, as well as prepares patients for flights," said Lt. Col. Christine Hassen, aeromedical evacuation mission commander. "The moment a patient is validated to endure the trip, we immediately move that patient to an appropriate medical facility for further treatment." 

"Golden Medic provides all of us with a unique opportunity to work in a joint-service environment, while simulating operational conditions," said Colonel Moore-Harbert. "Training opportunities like this have enabled us to steadily improve our patient transport system, currently at approximately 5,000 to 6,000 patients every month."