Iraqi Air Force and Army members strap a person on a litter inside a UH1 Huey helicopter during the aero-medical evacuation class at New al-Muthana Air Base, Iraq, April 20, 2009. Photo by Senior Airman Jacqueline Romero.
NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE — Air Force flight surgeons continued their mission to train Iraqi Air Force and Army flight surgeons here recently, better preparing the Iraqi officers to eventually take over the aerospace medicine mission.
"The Coalition Air Force Training Team is conducting a flight surgeon training course here in Iraq," said Col. William W. Dodson III, Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq CAFTT surgeon. "It is a four-week course and at the end we will graduate seven new Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army flight surgeons."
After graduation the newly certified Iraqi flight surgeons will be able to directly support their own military mission.
"Upon graduation the seven new flight surgeons will be able to not only perform physicals on student pilots who want to serve the country of Iraq, but they will also be able to take care of the current pilots," said Col. Dodson. "This will add to the strength of the Iraqi military."
Not only are the Iraqi flight surgeons learning how to perform physicals on their future patients, they are also learning how to outfit aircraft for aero-medical missions.
"Today we are learning how to convert the UH-1 Huey from a passenger version into an aero-medical version that can carry litters," said Col. Dodson. The doctors also learned to convert the C-130 Hercules to carry litters stacked on vertical racks.
The course, currently being taught by both Americans and Iraqis, will eventually be taught exclusively by members of the Iraqi military.
Iraqi Air Force Capt. Mohammed Al Hijami Kadhim, the lead Iraqi flight surgeon instructor, said having the Coalition partnership in training will ultimately help the Iraqis build continuity so that one day they can take over completely.
"This training is important because it is critical to do the aero-medical evacuation mission," he said. "We are very lucky that the Coalition side is present here because we want them to teach us how to do this mission perfectly before we take it over."