Nine Reservists, most from the 433rd Airlift Wing at Lackland AFB, Tex., stepped up to coordinate the unprecedented aeromedical evacuation efforts following Hurricane Katrina. The Air Force Reserve Command personnel shepherded 125 military and civilian airplanes, making runs from New Orleans to San Antonio. The medevac controllers cycled medical teams of active, Guard, and Reserve personnel from around the country on the flights, which transported an estimated 9,788 medical evacuees. Initially reservists handled 98 percent of the Hurricane Katrina aeromedical evacuations. By Sept. 7, the reserve share was 80 percent, largely because most of the work was done.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.