Photo By Staff Sgt. John Foister | U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Derek Gaskins, 76th Airlift Squadron C-21A Learjet aircraft...... read more read more
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One minute, you’re relaxing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The very next, you get the call. A U.S. service member was injured hundreds of miles away, and it’s up to you to get them to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as soon as possible for treatment.
This is the reality for members of the 76th Airlift Squadron.
“The main mission that we do here is aeromedical evacuation,” said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Derek Gaskins, 76 AS C-21 aircraft commander. “People get injured at U.S. military installations around Europe [all the time]. In just a few hours, we can pick them up and bring them back to Ramstein, where they can get the best care.”
On a recent training mission, Gaskins and his crew took a brief respite after a two-and-a-half hour flight to Tallinn, Estonia, where pilots checked charts and aeromedical evacuation technicians quietly discussed best practices for the upcoming simulated patient. The anticipation of the mission’s second leg hung thick in the air. The faster that an aeromedical evacuation mission is complete, the better it is for the patient.
“A lot of jets can do aeromedical evacuation, but we’re the fastest,” Gaskins said. “We do a seven-day, twenty-four hour Bravo alert status, so if someone is critically injured and needs care, we can be in the air and have that patient to LRMC as soon as possible.”
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Darien Grosvenor, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron aeromedical evacuation technician, experiences the mission from a different perspective. He and his two teammates perform their duties in the main cabin of the C-21A Learjet aircraft. While the C-21 is small and nimble to allow for quick maneuverability, it also comes at the cost of a compact interior. Aeromedical evacuation technicians make the most of this space, monitoring and providing the best care to patients en route to Ramstein AB.
“The biggest part of our mission is getting people the care that they need to and from deployed locations so they can continue their mission” Grosvenor said. “Getting to fly means you have a new office every day – it’s a privilege to see the sights we do and to take care of patients.”
No matter where our people are in Europe, the 76th AS and 86th AES stand ready to lend a helping hand. With steadfast dedication and constant training, they ensure the safety of everyone in the EUCOM theater.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.12.2025 11:29 |
| Story ID: | 547973 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Airborne Ambulance: Ramstein Aeromedical Evacuation Teams Show Speediest Recovery in Theater, by SSgt John Foister, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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