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The 23rd U.S. Air Force Surgeon General visited Ramstein, March 4 to 5, to tour the 86th Airlift Wing’s medical units.
Lt. Gen. Dorothy Hogg, U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, met with Airmen from the 86th Medical Group and 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron while touring their facilities.
Hogg said her main objective in visiting the medical units was to get an understanding of the challenges they’re facing and to learn how she can better equip them to do the mission.
In light of Women’s History Month, it is worth noting that historically the Surgeon General has been a male doctor. Hogg is the first female and first nurse, to have earned the title of U.S. Air Force Surgeon General.
The Air Force Medical Service’s mission is to ensure medically fit forces, provide expeditionary medic support, and deliver trusted care.
“Both the 86th MDG and 86th AES are doing incredible things each and every day,” said Hogg. “They’re really focusing in on the mission and doing what’s required to do the mission, both on the readiness side and in delivering the benefits.”
The 86th AES supports the global Combatant Command operations and initiatives by providing full spectrum 24/7, aeromedical evacuation capabilities year-round.
“The Surgeon General was able to witness first-hand the 86th AES’s contributions to combatant commanders in a plethora of environments,” said Col. Ronald L. Jones, 86th AES commander. “Throughout her visit, the unit displayed our ability to quickly adapt in an ever-changing environment. The team showcased innovative strategies that execute training objectives to produce a mission-ready force.”
Jones said the 86th AES is the sole active duty aeromedical evacuation squadron throughout Europe and Africa.
“We are the benchmark of excellence through exceptional leadership, readiness, innovation, and international partnerships,” said Jones. “We conduct over 200 operational missions a year, transferring more than 900 patients, expanding through three areas of responsibility.”
Jones said the 86th AES commander priorities are rooted in the mission statement, “Take care of yourself, take care of your family, and together we will take care of the mission.”
The 86th AES and 86th MDG fall under the Air Force Medical Services and have a common goal, achieved through specific priorities.
“The priorities of the 86th MDG are to take care of the people we are responsible for and to take care of each other to the very best of our ability,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Christianna Moore, 86th MDG executive officer. “We want to help provide a trained and ready force along with providing patient-centered healthcare.”
Moore, one of the points of contact for Hogg during her tour said, the Surgeon General visit went extremely well. She expects a number of initiatives to be enacted by Hogg and her staff to further support mission capability expansion at Ramstein.
The 86th MDG provides healthcare services for approximately 18,571 enrolled beneficiaries, including nearly 10,000 active duty members in three wings, 162 geographically separated units in 93 countries and has the largest Department of Defense military community overseas with approximately 54,000 Americans in the Kaiserslautern Military Community.
“At the 86th MDG, we strive to innovate at all levels, cultivate Airmen for staff satisfaction, empowerment, and to maximize potential,” said Moore.
Hogg said, the 86th AES and MDG are thinking outside the box. They’re solving problems and not waiting for solutions to come down from headquarters.
