108th crew airlifts wounded from Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Armando Vasquez
  • 108th PAO
Nine members from the 108th Air Refueling Wing stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., returned from a 12-day aero medical evacuation mission in Afghanistan late September.
Equipped with a medical configured KC-135 Stratotanker, the pilot and crew from the 141st Air Refueling Squadron here conducted 24-hrs missions to pick up and evacuate sick and wounded troops from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.
They conducted back and forth flights from Ramstein Air Base, Germany to Bagram Air Field every other day, said Lt. Col. Anthony J. Devito, the 141st ARS commander and pilot for the mission.
Tech. Sgt. Samantha L. Gerofsky, a boom operator with the 141st ARS, said the mission was fulfilling and rewarding.
Anytime you bring a troop home and take them out of theatre and into a modern hospital, one feels good, added Tech. Sgt. Greg M. White, also a boom operator here.
The hours were long and the back and forth flights were exhausting, but during their down time the crew was able to enjoy a delicious local dinner while at Ramstein.
While this was Devito's second aero medical evacuation mission in 2009, this past mission allowed him to bring a non-injured troop back to Germany. This was the first time he did this, said Devito, a Chesterfield, N.J. native.
Gerofsky, who resides in Lawrenceville, N.J., and White from Neptune City, N.J., were conducting their first aero medical evacuation mission, but both are looking forward to another similar mission in the near future.