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Air Force Transporting Injured Sailors

by Sgt Catherine Talento

The Air Force is currently responding to transport injured Sailors from Guam back to the United States to receive medical attention.

Eight sailors were injured, six critically, as a result of an accident aboard a U.S. Navy submarine tender. The Guam Pacific Daily News reports the sailors were conducting routine maintenance in an engineering space in the USS Frank Cable (AS 40) when a steam line from a boiler deck in the lower level ruptured burning the sailors.

With the decision made to transport the sailors to the Army's Burn Center at Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, they were taken first by ambulance to Andersen Air Force Base where they were loaded in a Hawaii based C-17 Globemaster III Transport to begin the MEDEVAC process back to the U.S. mainland.

"When we have a sailor injured anywhere in the world, we will move Heaven and Earth to get them the care we provide," said Pacific Fleet Surgeon Navy Captain Bob Kiser. "The other thing that is evident is that in order to do that, it takes all of us together."

The first stop on the MEDEVAC's 6,000-mile journey was Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Waiting today in the pre-dawn darkness for the cargo doors to open were base officials, medical personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as local Hawaiian first responders. Their mission was to transport the sailors to a temporary stabilization point at Tripler Army Medical Center while the aircraft, aircrew, and MEDEVAC staff were readied for the next leg of the journey.

Captain Kiser says the quick response was key to a good outlook for the injured, "At this point is gives me a great deal of satisfaction that again we were able to mobilize huge amounts of resources exactly when needed,(at the) right time, right place to get the care these folks needed," Kiser finished by saying, "The good news is the folks on the plane are in good shape given their injuries."

The families of the injured have been notified of the accident and an investigation is currently underway to determine the mishap's cause.

(Lacee A.C. Martinez, Guam Pacific Daily News, contributed to this story)

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Source: U.S. Air Force

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