Colorado Springs-based aeromedical techs take honors at competition

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier
  • 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  A rainy, lightning-filled sky welcomed home members of the 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron July 26 after competing in a week-long competition in the Pacific Northwest.

Airmen from the 34th AES competed in the annual Air Mobility Command RODEO competition July 20-24, hosted this year at McChord AFB, Wash. There, they placed second overall in their competition category, losing out only to a seasoned Ramstein Air Base aeromedical evacuation team from Germany.

During the competition, the Airmen were challenged in the areas of the quality of healthcare they provided under stressful situations, as well as the amount of life-saving medical work provided during the timed, simulated events. The aeromedical technicians and flight nurses were also challenged to their craft on different airframes, including the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III, as well as the C-130 Hercules.

In an e-mail to senior leadership at the end of the RODEO, Lt. Col. Kathleen Flarity, the squadron's commander, wrote "I am very proud of our AE team ... we impressed a lot of people. We represented the 302nd (AW) well."

Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Diaz, 34th AES non-commissioned officer in charge of aircrew training, said it's difficult to judge how well a competing team is when they come across the Atlantic, as the Turkish Air Force team did.

"It's hard to judge someone coming in from a foreign country because we don't know their abilities," said Sergeant Diaz. "You assume they train and use the same equipment you use, so you hope you're on the same playing field."

While competing against the Turks was a major challenge, Sergeant Diaz pointed out it says a lot about being a new aeromedical evacuation unit and still taking second place over all.

"We have a combined knowledge that came in useful and it says a lot about our squadron," she said, referring to the different experience in evacuations on different aircraft that exists in the 34th AES. "We're brand new, and it takes a lot to bring a team together, to perform at the RODEO and do as well as we did."

For more on the AMC Rodeo, visit http://www.amc.af.mil/library/rodeo/index.asp  

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