Aeromedical Evacuation

Modern aeromedical evacuation finds it roots grounded on the lessons learned during the first global war with fully integrated airpower...World War II. During this war, the Army Air Forces created aeromedical evacuation not only out of moral obligation, but also out of necessity. Wounded soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen needed evacuation over long distances from distant battlefields to reach adequate medical care. The sheer number of casualties drove the need for a robust, efficient aeromedical evacuation system. During the maturation of aeromedical evacuation operations, the Army Air Forces learned several, hard-fought lessons concerning multi-purpose cargo aircraft with standardized equipment, organization, and the command and control of air mobility forces conducting aeromedical evacuation. These lessons learned are still very pertinent in today's combat environment as well as for aeromedical operations in the future.