Photo By Airman 1st Class Amy Kelley | U.S. Air Force Capt. Theresa Ziegler, 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight...... read more read more
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KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - A flight nurse assigned to the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron received the Air and Space Achievement Medal at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 18, 2025.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Theresa Ziegler was on an commercial flight headed to the U.S. when flight attendants made an overhead announcement asking for medical personnel.
“I was just about to take a nap when I heard the overhead announcement asking for a passenger with medical experience,” said Ziegler.
The plane had taken off from Tokyo and was two hours into a 10-hour flight when the announcement was made. She made her way down the aisle and saw the flight attendants helping a man in distress. She noted the man's pale skin and how he struggled to respond to questions. She immediately began treating him with the aid of a civilian nurse and spoke with the wife, getting a medical background and other pertinent information to relay to the pilots.
After the man's condition stabilized, Ziegler reported his condition to the pilots and, at the request of the pilots, explained the situation to an on-call doctor over the radio, where it was decided that the flight would continue. Ziegler and the other civilian nurse were moved next to him and asked to monitor the patient for the duration of the flight.
“My job out here is the exact same thing I did on that flight. Because of that, I was able to better understand what he might be going through and how the change in altitude was affecting his condition,” said Ziegler.
Later that week, Ziegler heard back from the family that the man's condition was improving after receiving further treatment at the hospital, and on his track to make a full recovery.
The Air and Space Achievement Medal is awarded to military personnel for outstanding achievement or meritorious service. U.S. Air Force Maj. David Madrid, 18th AES clinical management flight commander, arranged for Ziegler to receive the medal upon hearing her actions on the flight.
“We usually get a heads up about a mission in our job - here she responded to an emergency when she neither needed to, nor had any prep time, equipment or prior knowledge of the patient,” said Madrid. “I am very proud that we have a member in our squadron who was able to respond as quickly and as effectively as she did.”
Despite not being on duty, Ziegler committed 8 hours of care to the ailing civilian and kept him stabilized until paramedics could take over at the plane's destination. Her heroic actions are an inspiration to all U.S Air Force members.
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 02:36 |
| Story ID: | 491195 |
| Location: | KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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