Four Afghan air force medics with the Kandahar Air Wing recently graduated from the AAF’s first basic flight medic course. USAF airmen of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron taught the 40-hour course at Kandahar; in the future, the instruction will take place in Kabul. “The course was meant to be only half emergency patient care, point-of-injury care, and the rest included an introduction to flying in aircraft such as the Mi-17 and C-27,” said TSgt. Steve Guillen, a 738th AEAS medical advisor. He said the course taught the medics the skills to become flight medics and will help bridge the gap between the ground medic skills they’ve already learned and flying medical evacuation missions. “We are very happy to receive the certificate for training, so we can officially be flight medics,” said AAF medic MSgt. Soor Gulap. (Kabul report by Capt. Jamie Humphries)
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.