2nd Aeromedical Evacuation Group (MAC)

• Origins and Activation: The 2nd Aeromedical Evacuation Group (2nd AEG) was officially activated on 8 April 1975 at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, under the Military Airlift Command (MAC). • Mission Focus: The group’s primary mission was to provide rapid medical evacuation for injured or ill military personnel, often directly from combat zones or austere environments, using specially equipped aircraft. • Vietnam War Legacy: While the group itself formed after the Vietnam War, its roots trace to earlier aeromedical evacuation operations that proved the value of airborne medical teams during that conflict. • Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, 1983): The 2nd AEG played a pivotal role in evacuating wounded U.S. and allied personnel during the invasion of Grenada, helping save dozens of lives under fire. • Disaster Response: The group regularly responded to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, providing emergency evacuation and medical care to civilian populations in the U.S. and abroad. • C-130 Hercules Operations: The 2nd AEG routinely used the versatile C-130 Hercules aircraft, which could be rapidly converted to flying ambulances capable of carrying multiple litters and medical teams. • Innovations in In-Flight Care: The group contributed to advancements in in-flight medical care, including developing new protocols for treating trauma, burns, and shock at high altitudes. • Gulf War Deployments: During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990-1991), the 2nd AEG deployed teams and equipment to the Middle East, evacuating hundreds of casualties back to safety. • Training and Readiness: The group conducted frequent joint training with Army and Navy medical units, pioneering interoperability standards that are still in use for joint aeromedical operations today. • Inactivation and Legacy: The 2nd Aeromedical Evacuation Group was inactivated in 1994 as part of post-Cold War restructuring, but its legacy endures in today’s Air Mobility Command aeromedical evacuation squadrons and worldwide medevac doctrine.