LANGLEY AFB, VA. –
Special Operations Forces missions throughout Iraq and Afghanistan are vital to the war effort, so it would be a shame if a mission had to be scrubbed because an operator got light-headed.
The 1st Aerospace Medical Squadron deploys physiology technicians to make sure just such an occurrence doesn’t happen.
“In a nutshell, any time an aircraft goes unpressurized 8,000 feet or above, we have to be there to observe,” said Master Sgt. David Nelson, 1st AMDS High Altitude Airdrop Mission Support noncommissioned officer in charge.
The HAAMS mission requires a physiology technician to be onboard an aircraft conducting high-altitude air drops, whether it be equipment or aircraft, said Capt. Kevin Divers, 1st AMDS.
“There is a risk of hypoxia and other physiological hazards any time an individual is exposed to altitudes above 10,000 feet,” he said. “But, the significance of depressurized or unpressurized flight at or above 18,000 feet is that there is an established risk of decompression sickness, which can be disabling, even fatal, if not treated properly.”
DCS and hypoxia can have such an impact on the crew that the PT onboard an aircraft can scrub a mission if they think there’s a danger.
PTs are in charge of high-altitude breathing equipment from beginning to end, Captain Divers said. They install portable oxygen equipment, fit people with oxygen masks, and monitor the aircrew during ascent and just before an airdrop or parachute jump.
The training for technicians is extensive. They have to be trained in provision of stop-gap medical support, life support equipment repair, altitude threats, parachute landings, crash survival, and must attend combat, water and arctic survival schools. Some technicians attend the U.S. Airborne Course and go on to Military Freefall School.
“Only a small percentage of the Air Force’s physiology technicians meet the training requirements to be a primary HAAMS technician,” Sergeant Nelson said. “They have to have two years in the career field before they can get secondary status.”
Airman 1st Class Matthew Freeman, a 1st AMDS physiology technician with 10 flights under his belt, said having the jump and survival training is important, even though technicians don’t normally jump.
“We have to be able to relate to the jumper,” he said. “Since you know what they go through when they jump, you can better brief them and make things relevant to them.”
Each mission, whether it be a High Altitude Low Opening jump or a humanitarian airdrop over Afghanistan, require specialized setups, Captain Divers said. The technicians have to be able to make those setups on a variety of aircraft.
Tech Sgt. Tracy King, 1st AMDS physiology technician, has worked HAAMS for almost 10 years.
“The biggest challenge is not knowing how the cargo hold of the aircraft is going to be configured prior to putting on the oxygen consoles,” she said. “Each aircraft has unique advantages and disadvantages to HAAMS support, and the technician must be prepared to work on a C-130, C-17 or even smaller utility aircraft used by special operations personnel.”
So, what kind of difference do these Airmen make?
“We’re there to prevent something bad from happening,” Airman Freeman said. “As long as nothing bad happens up there, we’re doing our jobs.”