WEBVTT

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In the wake of World War two , America

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reorganized its military structure and

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air power leading to the establishment

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of the Air Force in 1947 .

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In 1949 years of advocacy by leaders

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such as Major General Malcolm grow .

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The first air force surgeon general

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culminated in the foundation of an

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independent air Force medical service .

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Barely a year would pass before the

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nascent service was thrust into battle

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for the very first time

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in June of 1950 North Korean troops

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invaded South Korea , launching the US

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and its UN allies into the Korean War .

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At the time . Far East . Air forces had

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fewer than 200 medical officers across

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all core and no hospitals in the region

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un and US casualties mounted fast in

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the early days of the war . And it

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became abundantly clear that the A F MS

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would need to expand and develop

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quickly to rise to this challenge .

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At the outbreak of the war . Ground and

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sea transport was still the preferred

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method of patient evacuation for many

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military medical leaders . In 1950

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General , William Turner directed his

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staff to study how to improve air

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transport as an option to evacuate

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troops .

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This technique termed aeromedical

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evacuation would become the primary

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method of troop evacuation

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as the A F MS rose to new heights . It

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also underwent a dramatic expansion .

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By the end of 1951 the number of

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doctors and nurses in the far east air

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forces had increased almost seven fold .

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Ultimately , its ranks would swell to

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just under 1000 medical officers ,

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air force medical facilities worldwide ,

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more than doubled from 73 to 180 . By

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the end of the war , the ramp up was

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accompanied by a series of innovations

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in the fields of patient care and

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transportation .

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Helicopters were incorporated into

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aeromedical evacuation , speeding along

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the process of front line rescue .

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47 S and C 54 S went to the forefront

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of battle braving active fire to

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evacuate troops

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in a resounding success . These

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innovations along with advances in

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antibiotics and surgical techniques

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reduced the casualty rate by 50% when

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compared to world war two

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air transport blazed a legacy during

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the war with the 801st medical

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evacuation squadron evacuating more

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than 301,000 sick and wounded within

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the theater and the military air

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transport service returning more than

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43,000 evacuees to the US .

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By the end of 1953 an army air force

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agreement formally recognized the air

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force's responsibility in the armed

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forces evacuation system .

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The legacy of A F MS achievements

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during the Korean War is enduring in

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addition to proving the true worth of

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aeromedical evacuation . The conflict

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led to vital innovations in air

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transportable hospitals , field

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operations and patient care which were

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built upon for decades to come .

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The A F MS met the challenge of the

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Korean War and established itself at

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the forefront of military medicine

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where it remains to this day .