Somewhere in Iraq, members of the 386th Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility helped move 16 injured troops to Germany for definitive care, the latest in a successful operation that helps servicemembers get the life-saving aid. The contingency facility takes care of patients for 12 to 36 hours at the base before they are moved out on C-17s. The facility (for security reasons, the location has not been disclosed). helps move about 225 patients a month. It tracks the “in-bounds,” monitors current patients, and prepares others for the ordeal of travel.
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.