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After the Korean War , the chief 

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mission of the Air Force Medical 

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Service was maintaining readiness in 

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the face of the military threat posed 

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by the Soviet Union and its allies . 

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Spurred on by the threat of communist 

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expansion in Southeast Asia , in the 

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mid 1950s , the US began providing 

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military aid and advisors in South 

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Vietnam . In 1965 , President Johnson , 

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fearing the collapse of the South 

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Vietnamese forces , authorized the 

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dispatch of 100,000 American troops , 

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escalating the conflict to the point of 

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war . The 

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nature of combat in Vietnam created 

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unique challenges for medics , blurry 

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front lines , treacherous terrain and 

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unsanitary conditions made it difficult 

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to treat patients in the field . 

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The first medic deployments operated 

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out of tents until mid 1966 when the 

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medical service procured modular steel 

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boxes to serve as field medical units . 

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Even after these developments , acute 

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patients still needed to be evacuated 

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long distances for proper medical care . 

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Airmen medics increasingly moved from 

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the front line to the rear guard as 

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they took the lead helming these 

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aeromedical evacuation flights . 31 . 

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3 Eventually the Department of 

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Defense developed a joint protocol to 

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balance the service's capabilities . 

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Army helicopters picked up most 

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casualties from the battlefield while 

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Pacific Air Forces operated scheduled 

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in-country aeromedical services and 

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transoceanic jet services to Clark Air 

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Force Base in the Philippines and 

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Yokota and Tachikawa Air bases in Japan , 

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the need for so many long haul 

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aeromedical evacuations spurred rapid 

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innovation . Prior to 1965 , the Air 

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Force flew patients in C-118s , C-130s , 

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and C-124s , but these planes were far 

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too small to handle the sheer number of 

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evacuations . C-141 star lifters proved 

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a winning alternative as they could be 

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outfitted to carry over 100 patients 

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and could fly over 13 hours from the 

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Philippines to the west coast of the US 

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with only one stop . In August of 

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1968 , the Air Force debuted its first 

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specially designed aeromedical 

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evacuation aircraft , the C-9A 

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Nightingale , dubbed the Cadillac of 

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medevac , the C-9A was designed to 

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function as a flying hospital complete 

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with hydraulic folding ramps , 

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specialized care areas , and electronic 

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systems capable of handling advanced 

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life support systems . The C9A wouldn't 

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debut in Vietnam until 1972 , but its 

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superior facilities would be in high 

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demand in the final phase of the war . 

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In 1969 , President Nixon began 

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withdrawing US troops from Vietnam . By 

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1972 , most US troops had departed , 

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but major issues remained , namely how 

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to evacuate hundreds of American POWs 

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and hundreds of thousands of Allied 

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Vietnamese . A decade's worth of 

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innovation and dedication would get 

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these enormous efforts off the ground . 

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On January 27 , 1973 , the US signed 

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the Paris Peace Accords with 

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representatives from North Vietnam . 

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The agreement provided for the complete 

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withdrawal of US troops in Vietnam 

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while calling for the release of 591 US 

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prisoners . Numerous 

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C-9As and C-141s were standing by , 

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ready to bring these troops home . 

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The POWs , many of whom were injured 

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and ill , were then treated at Clark 

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Air Force Base in the Philippines 

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before being sent to military hospitals 

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across the US . To be 

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embraced by their grateful families and 

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a grateful nation . 

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These flights would serve as something 

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of a trial run for extensive evacuation 

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flights after war's end . The Air Force 

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Medical Service would play an 

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instrumental role in Operation Babylift , 

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a series of 30 flights in 1975 , which 

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transported more than 2500 orphans from 

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South Vietnam . And provided vital 

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assistance during airlifts for 

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operations frequent wind and new life 

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which brought 130,000 Allied Vietnamese 

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refugees into the United States . Even 

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though at their peak , only 1900 

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personnel , a mere 5% of the AFMS 

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military personnel worldwide , 

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supported Southeast Asia . They played 

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an outsized role in getting troops and 

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allies home safe . Vietnam foreshadowed 

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future conflicts in the Gulf and 

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Afghanistan , where long haul 

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transoceanic aeromedical flights manned 

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by AFMS personnel would become a 

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crucial step in the life saving process . 

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It also foregrounded the need for 

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constant innovation and maximal 

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efficiency in the face of an ever 

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changing conflict . 50 years after the 

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end of the war , these lessons have 

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been taken to heart as the Air Force 

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medical professionals of today continue 

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to build upon the techniques of those 

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who came before , ready for anything , 

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no matter what turns lie ahead .