Bringing our heroes home Published March 16, 2010 By Maj. Bill Walsh 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight, Ramstein Air Base, Germany SOUTHWEST ASIA -- When a life is on the line time matters. Members of the 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, know this all too well because it's their job to bring wounded American heroes home from the war. These flying medical teams take health care to another level, literally. They take it to around 30,000 feet in the air and fly into combat zones on a regular basis to do their job. "When you work with patients downrange, it stays with you and you make a difference," said SSgt. Anson Norton, a flight medic with the team. The work means long hours on missions into harm's way. Typical AES missions downrange last around 24 to 32 hours according to Sergeant Norton. The team of seven medics, two flight nurses and a medical crew director who is also a nurse, have to be able to work on three different types of aircraft. For this mission, they were on a KC-135 flown by the 117th Air Refueling Wing, Alabama Air National Guard. Other aircraft include the C-17 and C-130. "This plane is a little tight," said flight nurse Capt. Wanda Parks who is currently on a 120 day deployment to Ramstein Air Base, Germany where the crews are based. "Each aircraft have some challenges and each plane is different." This KC-135 is dark and the temperatures can go from hot to cold rather quickly. The aircraft was built in 1962, but performs brilliantly as the aircrew puts it through its paces while the medical crew cooks up some fine pulled pork sandwiches on the way downrange to pick up their patients. "We usually eat on the way down because we're working on the way back," said SSgt. Ryan Phillips as he served other members of the crew. This unit averages 1100 patient transfers per month according to Lt. Col. Jim Coen, flight commander. "It's the busiest AE hub in the world," he explained. One of the reasons for those numbers is that their unit is right down the road to Landsthul Army Regional Medical Center, where most of the wounded warriors are sent. As far as patients per aircraft and mission, the flight medics said they have had up to 50 and as little as one or two. Their injuries can be wide spread. "We see everything from medical illness' like cold or flu to severe battle injuries requiring a critical care air transport team," said Sergeant Norton. One of the neat things they do for the wounded warriors they transport is bake cookies and treats for them to bring a sense of homecoming to them. "It's called 'Treats for Troops', said Captain Parks as she smiled knowing how important these cookies are for the men and women wounded in battle. The missions are long and exhausting, but every crew member agrees that at the end of the day, lives are saved and that makes it all worth while.