3rd AS crew flies rescue mission to Greenland

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  A Team Dover aircrew, which was returning from a mission to Iraq and resting in Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was called to duty and safely transported an Airman from Thule Air Base, Greenland, back to U.S. soil Dec. 7.

Once back stateside, the Airman underwent medical treatment and was subsequently released.

The medical evacuation was not a planned mission for the 3rd Airlift Squadron C-17 crew. Still, when the call came for their expertise and aircraft to be put back into action, the Dover team quickly responded and were assembled and flying over the Arctic in just over three hours.

"Anytime, anywhere and without fail, (Team Dover) is delivering critical assets to the warfighter which is indeed our mission," said Lt. Col. Keith Thibodeaux, 3rd AS commander. "Saving lives in the process is nothing short of miraculous."

The Thule AB commander also shared his sentiments.

"The Air Force is more than willing to provide critical medical support for Airmen worldwide, even at the top of the world," said Col. Lee-Volker Cox, 821st Air Base Group commander.

Colonel Cox, who is charged with leading the Department of Defense's northern most base, said he's comfortable knowing the people at Thule AB will be taken care of, even if that means flying a C-17 to Greenland for an individual patient.
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"The entire DoD medical infrastructure is available to the Airmen here," he said.

Thule AB is an extremely remote location and this medevac mission proved the Air Force is dedicated to caring for its Airmen, and also highlighted the versatility of Team Dover's aircraft.

"This is what makes the mission of the C-17 so great," Maj. Brian O'Connell, the 3rd Airlift Squadron Standardization and Evaluations assistant chief and aircraft commander for the medevac flight. "Seventeen hours earlier we were on the ground in Baghdad unloading armored vehicles, which will help keep our Soldiers and Marines protected and hopefully save lives. Twelve hours after landing back in Germany from our combat mission, we were on our way to Greenland to get one of our Airman vital medical care back in the states."

Due to the quick response of a medical team and Dover's C-17 aircrew, the patient was quickly taken to the states for proper care and treatment.

"Although we'd rather not ever have to medevac anyone, it's good to know that we have the capability to do it on a moment's notice, and when the need arises, that one individual becomes the Air Force's top priority," said Major O'Connell.

Due to the combined effort of the Team Dover Airmen and those in Europe and Greenland, the Thule AB patient arrived safely at a medical facility in the states for treatment and was later released.

(1st Lt. Nicole Langley contributed to this story)