The 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (43 AES) is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force; it was part of the 43d Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Army Air Field, North Carolina. As the only active duty tactical aeromedical evacuation unit in the U.S. Air Force the 43d provided tactical aeromedical evacuation for U.S. troops and regional Unified Commands using C-130 Hercules and other aircraft. The unit consisted of Flight Nurses, Medical Service Corps Officers, Aeromedical Evacuation Technicians, medical administration and logistics technicians, and radio and communications operators. The squadron was inactivated on 8 June 2020 and moved to Travis AFB, California becoming the 60th AES.

History

The unit traces its roots to the

1st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron The 1st Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was constituted as the 1st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron on 15 May 1951, and activated on 11 June 1951. The unit was redesignated the 1st Aeromedical Evacuati ...

which was activated at

Pope AFB Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012. Forme ...

in 1975. On 31 March 1997, the 43rd AES was constituted as the result of a change in its parent wing, having previously been the 23d AES; on 1 April 1997 it was activated as part of the

43d Airlift Wing The 43rd Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope Field to include ...

under

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

. In April 1999, the 43 AES deployed to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

in support of

Operation Noble Anvil The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an ag ...

. As part of Task Force Hawk, AES personnel provided support to Army

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

. Twenty-seven missions were flown on opportune C-17 and C-130 aircraft resulting in the safe and timely transfer of service members to include one injured security police dog. On 7 October 2001, The US began its war on terrorism and

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

began. Later that month, personnel from the 43 AES, were the first aeromedical forces to deploy overseas. Since January 2003 members of the 43 AES have been deployed in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

. Members of the 43 AES also deployed in support of joint operations related to

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

and

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Milton in 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 2024, as well as being the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the ...

in 2005. 43 AES became part of the

43d Airlift Group The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty air mobility unit aPope Army Airfield(formerly Pope AFB), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) under the USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed ...

on 1 March 2011 when the 43d Airlift Wing inactivated. In July 2014 the squadron was participating in an exercise involving a hostage rescue scenario, when

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

Timothy Wright was struck and killed by a

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

. Despite immediate response measures, SSgt Wright died of his injuries a short time later. Col. Elizabeth Shaw, the unit commander, was relieved "due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command" following the release of the ground accident investigation board report. Lt. Col. Russ Frantz was named interim squadron commander pending appointment of a new commander.

Lineage and assignments

Historical unit patches

File:43 Aeromedical Evacuation Sq new 2007.jpg, Patch of the 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from April 2007 to present. File:43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Sqd.png, Patch of the 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from April 1997 to April 2007.

Decorations

The 43 AES has been awarded the

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force ...

nine times. : Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Streamer

** 1 Jul 1998 – 30 Jun 2000 (AMC GB-(DP)118) ** 1 Jul 2001 – 30 Jun 2002 (AMC GB-(DP)028) ** 1 Jul 2002 – 31 May 2004 (AMC GB-(A1)033) ** 1 Jun 2004 – 31 May 2006 (AMC GB-(A1)026) ** 1 Jun 2006 – 31 May 2007 (AMC GB-(A1)019) ** 1 Sep 2007 – 31 Aug 2009 (AMC GB-(A1)009) ** 1 Sep 2011 – 31 Aug 2012 (AMC GB-(A1)014) ** 1 Sep 2012 – 31 Aug 2013 (AMC GB-(A1)009) ** 1 Sep 2013 – 31 Aug 2014 (AMC GB-(A1)010) ** 1 Sep 2014 – 31 Aug 2015 (AMC GB-(A1)008) ** 1 Sep 2015 – 31 Aug 2016 (AMC GB-(A1)008) ** 1 Sep 2016 – 31 Aug 2017 (AMC GB-(A1)004) ** 1 Sep 2017 – 31 Aug 2018 (AMC GB-(A1)003) ** 1 Sep 2018 – 31 Aug 2019 (AMC GB-(A1)003)

References

External links

AFMS Home Page

Aerovac World Forum
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