We got up early and prepared Dwayne for his trip. While the JMATT and Aussie Team took care of him, Jen and I went to the plane to configure and load what supplies they didn’t need. I’m not sure if I mentioned this before but we had to off load everything because of the freezing temperatures. We beat the loadmaster out to the plane so while we waited for them to show up we enjoyed the view. I was looking at the ice runway when all of a sudden something very small caught my eye. It was moving, then it stopped, then it moved again and I realized it was a penguin!!!!! A penguin!! I am looking at a penguin!!! It’s running…I mean waddling toward us and I’m so excited I can’t believe it! A penguin!! Behind him there were more! They were all waddling down the runway…tiny little black and white dots getting larger and larger because they were getting closer and closer! What a moment…we grabbed our cameras and stood on the edge of the runway snapping pictures. The next thing we knew a helicopter flew over and scared them over to the other side of the runway. Damn it! Then the loadmaster arrived. Damn it! So…we jump on the plane and configure and load. It would be a little while before the patient would come down so we decide to have a little excursion. We threw on our yack tracks (grippers that go on the bottom of your boots) and headed out across the runway. Every so often snapping pictures because we didn’t know how close we would get. Eventually we were within 5-10 feet of 8 gorgeous Adelie penguins. They are the smaller penguins and they look like a bunch of little toddlers waddling around. We were so close that you could hear them…one sneezed, one made little gargling sounds. My favorite one stood there with his right wing pointing to his side as if he was telling us to “go that way”…”that way, get the hell off my runway”. They sat there then occasionally one would get up and waddle around in a circle then move back to the pack and sit some more. There was a couple…they looked like they were together anyway…maybe this was a mom and dad. I’ve heard that the Emperor Penguins mate for life…the Adelie’s have several mates so they are sometimes called the “prostitutes” among Penguins. “Little sluts” as Mom would call them. So as we sat there enthralled in this moment I turned around to see some commotion at the plane. Then I heard the power…crap! The patient was on the way!! I’m sure the sight was funny to see…Greg describes us as 3 green penguins running across the runway. We made it before the patient…thank God! The plane was ready to load…all was well.
The patient was transported in the back of a pick-up truck…gotta love thinking outside the box. Austere conditions call for creative solutions. We had planned on transporting him in a Hagglund but found that it would be too difficult due to the size of the Hagglund. Dwayne is heavily sedated and we are doing the breathing for him. He won’t remember this ride…he’ll wake up after surgery more than likely.
We are now on our way to Tasmania, Australia. I am on headset now, so I listen to the pilots talk. I’m already worried and we are now taxing down the ice runway. I hear the pilot talking about the crack in the runway that he doesn’t like. I hear the tower warning him of a penguin on the right, or a penguin on the left. I notice that we are kind of moving forward, then braking, moving forward, then braking. I later find out that they have to do this because the ice is thin and we are basically riding the waves below the ice in order to prevent breaking thru. So glad I didn’t know that before. We take off and fly over Davis Camp and the Aurora. The pilot tells me later that everyone was waving goodbye. The best reward in my job is the satisfaction that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life…we did this today. We are flying straight to Tasmania…there is no land between here and there and as I sit on headset I hear the front end talk about what we’ll do if this happens and what we’ll do if that happens. They are planning their actions if there is an emergency. I must add that this is not unusual to hear this...I guess I just didn’t really want to hear this at this particular moment as we fly straight over water with not one stitch of land in between. I got up and looked out the window…nothing but broken ice and water. I pray…
Dwayne does great. The JMATT and Aussie team monitored him diligently. Another prayer answered…he will do fine. I passed some paper around and everyone signed it and wrote notes to Dwayne…we all threw in a patch. I put in an 18 AES patch, the Army guys put in their US Army patches and the U.S. Flag patch. The front in threw in their LC-130 patch. We set out on what was supposed to be a 10 hr mission…we were heavy, fuel was precious. Another prayer answered…we had tail winds that boosted us forward and shortened our trip. Nine hours and 25 minutes…we landed at Hobart Field in Tasmania just before midnight. Another hero’s welcome…we were met with TV cameras and cameras snapping. Dwayne was offloaded and his parents and sister was there to see him. Dwayne went to surgery the following day…job satisfaction…I made a difference in someone’s life today.
After Dwayne departed the crew and medical team was personally thanked by the U.S. National Science Foundation president, the Australian Antarctic Program president, a representative from the U.S. relayed a message of “congratulations and job well done” from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Two rental cars pulled up…ours to use while we stay in Tasmania. I grabbed the keys to one to make sure the med crew had transportation! I’m the designated driver once again…the Aussies drive on the left side of the road. I’m an old pro at this.
We stayed at the Wrest Point Casino. They were great!! Everyone was appreciative of our assistance in evacuating their countryman. A card was left in each of our rooms from the hotel thanking us for our help. There will be a press conference tomorrow…Greg and the aircraft commander get the honors. Fine by me…I don’t want to be in front of a camera!!
With all that being said…all of those ‘what ifs’ never came into play. It was THE perfect mission, no problems. The weather was perfect, the patient did well, the equipment worked flawlessly, the LC-130 didn’t let us down. Every prayer was answered today.
The patient was transported in the back of a pick-up truck…gotta love thinking outside the box. Austere conditions call for creative solutions. We had planned on transporting him in a Hagglund but found that it would be too difficult due to the size of the Hagglund. Dwayne is heavily sedated and we are doing the breathing for him. He won’t remember this ride…he’ll wake up after surgery more than likely.
We are now on our way to Tasmania, Australia. I am on headset now, so I listen to the pilots talk. I’m already worried and we are now taxing down the ice runway. I hear the pilot talking about the crack in the runway that he doesn’t like. I hear the tower warning him of a penguin on the right, or a penguin on the left. I notice that we are kind of moving forward, then braking, moving forward, then braking. I later find out that they have to do this because the ice is thin and we are basically riding the waves below the ice in order to prevent breaking thru. So glad I didn’t know that before. We take off and fly over Davis Camp and the Aurora. The pilot tells me later that everyone was waving goodbye. The best reward in my job is the satisfaction that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life…we did this today. We are flying straight to Tasmania…there is no land between here and there and as I sit on headset I hear the front end talk about what we’ll do if this happens and what we’ll do if that happens. They are planning their actions if there is an emergency. I must add that this is not unusual to hear this...I guess I just didn’t really want to hear this at this particular moment as we fly straight over water with not one stitch of land in between. I got up and looked out the window…nothing but broken ice and water. I pray…
Dwayne does great. The JMATT and Aussie team monitored him diligently. Another prayer answered…he will do fine. I passed some paper around and everyone signed it and wrote notes to Dwayne…we all threw in a patch. I put in an 18 AES patch, the Army guys put in their US Army patches and the U.S. Flag patch. The front in threw in their LC-130 patch. We set out on what was supposed to be a 10 hr mission…we were heavy, fuel was precious. Another prayer answered…we had tail winds that boosted us forward and shortened our trip. Nine hours and 25 minutes…we landed at Hobart Field in Tasmania just before midnight. Another hero’s welcome…we were met with TV cameras and cameras snapping. Dwayne was offloaded and his parents and sister was there to see him. Dwayne went to surgery the following day…job satisfaction…I made a difference in someone’s life today.
After Dwayne departed the crew and medical team was personally thanked by the U.S. National Science Foundation president, the Australian Antarctic Program president, a representative from the U.S. relayed a message of “congratulations and job well done” from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Two rental cars pulled up…ours to use while we stay in Tasmania. I grabbed the keys to one to make sure the med crew had transportation! I’m the designated driver once again…the Aussies drive on the left side of the road. I’m an old pro at this.
We stayed at the Wrest Point Casino. They were great!! Everyone was appreciative of our assistance in evacuating their countryman. A card was left in each of our rooms from the hotel thanking us for our help. There will be a press conference tomorrow…Greg and the aircraft commander get the honors. Fine by me…I don’t want to be in front of a camera!!
With all that being said…all of those ‘what ifs’ never came into play. It was THE perfect mission, no problems. The weather was perfect, the patient did well, the equipment worked flawlessly, the LC-130 didn’t let us down. Every prayer was answered today.
By the way...most of these photos are courtesy of Jen. My camera is NOT making me happy on this trip and hers has been phenominal!
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