Polish aeromedical evac team visits Ramstein

Team Ramstein’s 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron got an opportunity to show its mission to another allied Air Force this week.

A six-person team, made up of two doctors, two nurses and two paramedics from the Polish 8th Air Base in Krakow visited Ramstein in order to get an overview of how the U.S. Air Force’s AE process works, so they can provide better oversight in setting up their own AE mission.

The tour included visits to see a C-21 in its AE configuration, to see patients loaded into a C-17 Globemaster III, a visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and an AE flight training mission.

“The polish team was very open minded, eager to learn and was very impressed with how we perform our mission,” said Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Araujo with the 86th AES, who served as the interpreter for the visit. “They are the first Polish AE crew, so they have to be this involved in order to set up their own rules and regulations.”

The first AE team has a large mission to perform.

“Currently, the Polish AE mission is carried out by the six personnel who came on this visit,” said Kapitan Marcin Kura, a doctor on the Polish AE team. “We manage everything from fielding a call about a patient, to providing care and

transportation, to unloading patients.”

The Polish team looked forward to this trip, saying that it also strengthens their alliance with the U.S.

“This trip was very beneficial,” said Major Zhigniew Maciol, the head doctor for the Polish team. “Now, we have contacts who can provide support and open the door for our side to become more familiar with the AE mission that we provide as a NATO contribution.”