Stewart ANG Base a Finalist for Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
STEWART AIRPORT — Stewart Air National Guard Base was selected as one of the seven finalists nationwide to host a new aeromedical evacuation squadron.
If approved, the Stewart-based 105th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard would provide in-flight patient care in response to contingencies and humanitarian emergencies.
Master Sgt. Sara Pastorello, public affairs superintendent of the Air National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing, said the new mission would create up to 100 positions and provide more training opportunities for local students.
Pastorello is confident the base has a good chance to make it to the next level because of its outstanding aircraft and aircrew.
Among all the finalists, the 105th is the only unit that has C-17 transport planes that could accommodate more patients compared with other units' C-130. A C-17 can hold 18 pallets of cargo compared with six pallets in a C-130. The unit has brought nine C-17s to Stewart since the first C-17 arrived in 2011.
Currently there are 400 full-time and 1,288 part-time employees at Stewart ANG. Compared to regular military aircrew, the new mission requires an additional crew of nurses and medical technicians who have knowledge of aircraft operation to take care of the sick and wounded.
"That's a big deal," Pastorello said. "The new mission would enable us to hire and train more medical professionals and aircrew."
As one of only two National Guard bases on the Eastern seaboard that provides transAtlantic flights to serve members abroad, the Stewart unit provides essential services for armed forces, especially in the responsive delivery of forces and cargo to facilitate rapid deployment.
Over the past seven years, the unit has carried out more than 110 aeromedical evacuation missions.
"The whole base is excited about the possibility of having a new mission, especially when we've already been successfully doing it for almost seven years," Pastorello said.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is leading the push for Stewart ANG to receive the squadron, said in a statement that the 105th has the capabilities and resources to successfully complete the new mission.
"The 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air Guard Nation Base has time and again proven to be an invaluable asset to our country's national defense. With the Air National Guard looking to add an aeromedical evacuation squadron to its ranks, Stewart ANG is the obvious choice," Gillibrand said.
A list of preferred bases is expected to be announced in the spring.
———
©2019 The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y.
Visit The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y. at www.recordonline.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
