Air evacuation in war : the role of RAAF nurses undertaking air evacuation of casualties between 1943-1953

Air transportation of Australian casualties in World War II was initially carried out in air ambulances with an accompanying male medical orderly. By late 1943 with the war effort concentrated in the Pacific, Allied military authorities realised that air transport was needed to move the increasing numbers of casualties over longer distances. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) became responsible for air evacuation of Australian casualties and established a formal medical air evacuation system with trained flight teams early in 1944. Specialised Medical Air Evacuation Transport Units (MAETUs) were established whose sole responsibility was undertaking air evacuations of Australian casualties from the forward operational areas back to definitive medical care. Flight teams consisting of a RAAF nursing sister (registered nurse) and a medical orderly carried out the escort duties. These personnel had been specially trained in Australia for their role. Post-WWII, the RAAF Nursing Service was demobilised with a limited number of nurses being retained for the Interim Air Force. Subsequently, those nurses were offered commissions in the Permanent Air Force. Some of the nurses who remained were air evacuation trained and carried out air evacuations both in Australia and as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, Australia became responsible for the air evacuation of British Commonwealth casualties from Korea to Japan. With a re-organisation of the Australian forces as part of the British Commonwealth forces, RAAF nurses were posted to undertake air evacuation from Korea and back to Australia from Iwakuni, Japan. By 1952, a specialised casualty staging section was established in Seoul and staffed by RAAF nurses from Iwakuni on a rotation basis. The development of the Australian air evacuation system and the role of the flight nurses are not well documented for the period 1943-1953. The aims of this research are three fold and include documenting the origins and development of the air evacuation system from 1943-1953; analysing and documenting the RAAF nurse’s role and exploring whether any influences or lessons remain valid today. A traditional historical methodology of narrative and then analysis was used to inform the flight nurse’s role within the totality of the social system. Evidence was based on primary data sources mainly held in Defence files, the Australian War Memorial or the National Archives of Australia. Interviews with 12 ex-RAAF nurses from both WWII and the Korean War were conducted to provide information where there were gaps in the primary data and to enable exploration of the flight nurses’ role and their contributions in war of the air evacuation of casualties. Finally, this thesis highlights two lessons that remain valid today. The first is that interoperability of air evacuation systems with other nations is a force multiplier when resources are scarce or limited. Second, the pre-flight assessment of patients was essential and ensured that there were no deaths in-flight.

Women in the military : Air Force revises job availability but entry screening needs review : report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Personnel and Compensation, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives /

"B-230552"--p. 1.

Air Force surveys in geophysics.

Some numbers issued as the Laboratories' AFCRC-TR and AFCRC-TN.

Assessment of revised recruitment standards for asthma in the Australian Defence Force

Objective To assess the impact of relaxed asthma recruitment standards adopted by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in 2007. Methods A retrospective audit was conducted on clinical and administrative data for recruits, with and without mild asthma, in their first year of service. Results There was no evidence that mild asthmatics experienced worse outcomes than nonasthmatic recruits. Mild asthmatics had fewer illnesses and restricted duty days and were less costly compared to other recruits. There was no difference in the rate of discharge (attrition) between those with and without mild asthma. Conclusions The revised recruitment standards for asthma in the ADF have not resulted in unanticipated medical or administrative costs to the organisation. Health and administrative outcomes differed little between mild asthmatics and non-asthmatic recruits in their first twelve months of service.

History of tracks and track testing at the Air Force Missile Development Center, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico,

Bibliographical references in "Notes."

The limitless sky : Air Force science and technology contributions to the nation /

Shipping list no.: 2005-0086-P.

Army-Navy-Air Force register and defense times.

Mode of access: Internet.

The Air Force chaplain service.

Cover title.

Aim high : Air Force Catholic chaplains, serving the Air Force family.

Mode of access: Internet.

Vulcan's forge : the making of an Air Force Command for weapons acquisition, 1950-1985 /

Includes index.

Waste and financial management problems at the Air Force : hearing before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, second session, February 19, 1992.

Shipping list no.: 92-0609-P.

General Leemy's circus; a navigator's story of the 20th Air Force in World War II.

Mode of access: Internet.

A review of the Air Force materials research and development program

"Supplement 1 [-10]" (10 v.), issued 1954-64, by Mary M. Sokas [and others]

Air Force : 50 years of freedom through flight.

Mode of access: Internet.

Spatial abilities and selected elements of Air Force technical jobs,

ASTIA document no. AD-207 336.