Mississippi Air Guard flight crew. Their unit is flying all of the Aermedical Evacuation missions to Balad AB, Iraq - Ramstein AB, Germany (Landstuhl Hospital) - Andrews AFB, Maryland (Walter Reed Hospital) and Lackland AFB, Texas (Brooks Army/Burn Center in San Antonio).
Studs. All of them. 

Good Schnitzel over my shoulder and a castle on the hill. 

Matthew checking out the shops in Landstuhl, Germany. 

 

CNN correspondent Bill Tucker explaining the Aeromedical Evacuation process. 

Many of these Airmen volunteer to see these troops off. 

 

Another shot. Notice the American Flag hats worn on the left. Some good folks from the States sent them to Landstuhl for our recovering troops. 

View inside the Aeromedical Evacuation Flight. Faces aren't shown to preserve their privacy. Docs, nurses and med techs take especially good care of these heroes. It is extremely humbling to be around these guys. For some of them their lives will never be the same. You try to let them rest on the flight home. When I noticed some of them were awake and up to it I'd have a small chat w/ them about their families. Very personal conversations - I still get choked up thinking about some of them, so forgive me for not sharing them here. 

With CNN correspondent Bill Tucker and crew on the flightline at Balad Air Base, Iraq. In short order the C-17 will be filled with combat wounded. Most patients on this flight are being MEDEVAC'd because of injuries from IEDs, mortars, sniper fire, or "psych" cases. 

 

Aboard the C-17 to Iraq. Supplies to be dropped off in Baghdad, then off to Balad to bring wounded troops to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, then home to their families. 

Matthew's ride to Iraq w/ the Mississippi Air Guard.