Photo By Airman 1st Class Kourtney Ross | A U.S Airman practices using a feeding tube on a medical mannequin during Medic X at...... read more read more
POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C -- One of the 43rd Air Mobility Operation Group’s (AMOG) no-fail missions is providing medical care to its service members. The 43rd Medical Squadron (MDS) serves Active-Duty Airman on Pope Army Airfield at Byars Health Clinic.
The 43rd MDS provides different types of care ranging from flight physicals, mental health and dental through four different flights. These flights consist of 17 Air Force Specialty Codes. In addition to providing medical services to Airmen, the 43rd MDS is unique in the fact that they also provide care to the Golden Knights Army Parachute Team.
“The flight medical section supports the jumpers, flyers and anyone who needs a different flying class physical,” said Master Sgt. Ashley Hitchcock, 43rd Medical Squadron senior enlisted leader. “We also have individuals who are non-flyers. We support about 2,900 personnel across the 43rd AMOG and tenant units on daily routine care.”
The medical squadron doesn’t maintain a deployment team in the squadron like the rest of the Air Force due to its size and lack of unit type code, but the squadron still trains to maintain its readiness. Training like MEDIC-X, a local medical exercise, is targeted at the Airmen who work more on the administrative side of the squadron. This training has the end goal of creating more Mission Ready Airmen.
“For our other medical providers who have a distinct medical role, they have sustainment training at Womack Army Medical Center,” said Heath Wright, 43rd MDS commander. “They also complete Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) with other Air Force wartime skills to stay current on training.”
The training covers intravenous (IV) insertions, bedside care and putting patients on a spinal board - a patient handling device used primarily in pre-hospital trauma care. This training would afford Airmen who specialize in health care the ability to focus on more serious cases while more routine care can be handled by more administrative focused medical providers.
Holistically, the four flights that work together to provide care are administrative, aerospace medicine, mental health and dental. Outside of Pope, these flights would be squadrons that work together. At Pope, these sections fall under one squadron – the 43rd MDS. The teamwork between the flights ensures the care for patients.
“There is a lot of interplay between the flights, some flights more than others, and a lot of overlap, like additional duties, because we are a smaller unit,” Wright concluded.
Though the 43rd medical squadron is small compared to the rest of the Air Force, the quality of care is not compromised. The war fighters of the 43rd AMOG, tenant units and the Golden Knights depend on the 43rd MDS for their care and receive it no-fail.
“We get the mission done,” Hitchcock punctuated. “We make sure the sole focus is to take care of the patients – ensuring they get whatever they need.”
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2025 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 492127 |
| Location: | POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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