Air Force flight surgeons train Iraqi counterparts

Photo By Senior Airman Jacqueline Romero | Lieutenant Tahssen marshals in a litter during the aero-medical evacuation class for the Flight Surgeon course at New al-Muthana Air Base, Iraq, April 20, 2009. The training is teaching the Iraqis how to convert a UH-1 Huey Helicopter and a C-130 Hercules Aircraft from a passenger transport to an aero-medical evacuation medevac transport. This is the third class of Iraqi flight surgeons that will be graduating from the four week course. The course, which is currently taught by Iraqi flight surgeons and the Coalition Air Force Training Team will be 100 percent taught by the Iraqis during the next course. After completing the course the Iraqi officers are going to be responsible for doing physicals on candidates that want to fly in the Iraqi forces and taking care of the current aircrew members. Lieutenant Tahssen is a flight nurse at New al-Muthana Air Base clinic.  

NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, IRAQ

04.28.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham 

U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team

NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, Iraq — Air Force flight surgeons continued their mission to teach and train Iraqi air force and army flight surgeons here recently to better prepare 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. (Dr.) 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 Colonel 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 Colonel 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 by members of the Iraqi military exclusively.

"This course is currently being taught by over 50 percent Iraqi physicians and we anticipate the next course being taught entirely by Iraqi physicians," said Colonel Dodson.

Iraqi air force Capt. Mohammed Al Hijami Kadhim, the lead Iraqi flight surgeon instructor, said having the coalition partnership in the 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."

• Date Taken: 04.28.2009
• Date Posted: 04.28.2009 05:14
• Story ID: 32949
• Location: NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, IQ