Recognizing the service of the medical and air crews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States and commending the personnel of the Air Force for their commitment to the well-being of all our service men and women.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1605) recognizing the service of the medical and air crews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States and commending the personnel of the Air Force for their commitment to the well-being of all our service men and women, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1605, recognizing the service of the medical and aircrews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States and commending the personnel of the Air Force for their commitment to the well-being of all our servicemen and -women.

I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) for bringing this resolution before the House.

Mr. Speaker, twice a week, those of us who have south-facing offices in the Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn House Office Buildings can sometimes catch a glimpse of something subtle but something altogether awe-inspiring. Every once in a while, we can see the arresting silhouette of a C-17 in a flight pattern towards Andrews Air Force Base in the final few minutes of the journey home for some of America's wounded warriors. Twice per week, on schedule, these aeromedical crews bring our wounded servicemembers home right here to the National Capital Area after having fallen ill or having suffered injury during an already difficult deployment overseas. This powerful image is part of a much larger system.

The Air Force has up to 500 aeromedical personnel deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, in Europe, and in the United States as part of the team providing care and helping to ensure that wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines get safely home to their families. It takes an average of 3 days for wounded troops to arrive at hospitals in the United States. This is over 40 days faster than during the Vietnam war. We have Air Force aeromedical evacuation to thank for being the transportation spine of the effort to bring our ill and injured men and women home as safely and as quickly as possible.

Ultimately, aeromedical evacuation by the Air Force is part of an integrated combat casualty care system that includes front-line medics and corpsmen of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as medical evacuation and casualty evacuation by Army, Navy and Marine Corps flight, air ambulance and ground ambulance crews.

We owe our sincerest gratitude to each and every person in this system who has yielded an extraordinary 98 percent survival rate for wounded servicemembers.

So, Mr. Speaker, if you are ever facing south on the Hill and see a C-17 on the horizon, you might now just sigh in relief because it might be one of our aeromedical evacuation transports bringing our wounded warriors home to receive world-class medical care.

I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1605.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1605, as amended, recognizing the service of the military medical and aircrews who help our wounded warriors return home quickly and safely and commending the members of the Air Force for their commitment to our service men and women.

I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) for introducing this resolution.

The key to our having our men and women survive after being wounded in combat is immediate medical care, followed by the quick and safe evacuation from the battlefield. No one does this better than the United States military.

Mr. Speaker, today's combat casualty care system is a complex, integrated effort that brings a wounded

servicemember from the point of injury on the battlefield to the most sophisticated medical treatment available in the world. All of the military services have a role in this effort--from front-line medics who treat our casualties to the ambulance and aircrews who provide critical transportation to the next level of medical care. We owe our utmost gratitude to all of the dedicated individuals who have a part in this lifesaving endeavor.

But today we specifically recognize the men and women of the United States Air Force. Their commitment to excellence has raised aeromedical evaluation to an unprecedented level of success. One only has to travel to Andrews Air Force Base to witness firsthand the care, compassion and love given to our returning wounded. The Air Force pilots, crew chiefs, doctors, nurses, and medics have worked tirelessly to bring the wounded safely home.

I urge my colleagues who have not had that opportunity to watch the Air Force unloading these medical transport planes to go out to Andrews and see it. It is truly unforgettable. I have been out there myself, and I must say that it is heartwarming and a humbling experience to see this fine work done by the United States Air Force in the care for these wounded.

Mr. Speaker, I join all of my colleagues to honor the military medical personnel and aircrews whose skills and professionalism ensure that our wounded warriors return home quickly and safely. I, therefore, strongly urge all Members to support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1605, which recognizes the service of medical and air crews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States and commends the personnel of the Air Force for their commitment to the well-being of all our service men and women.

The Air Force's Aeromedical Evacuation Squadrons help guarantee that our wounded soldiers are quickly reunited with their families and given the best medical care in U.S. hospitals. Since September 11, 2001, Aeromedical Evacuation flights have been responsible for transporting over 81,000 patients from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, yielding a 98 percent survival rate for injured soldiers. Today, a soldier injured on the battlefield in Afghanistan or Iraq will be back in an American hospital in an average of three days. This is over seven days faster than during Operation Desert Storm and over 40 days quicker than during the conflict in Vietnam.

As a veteran who was wounded in Vietnam, I was flown into Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. Travis Air Force Base is now home to the 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. These physicians, nurses and medical technicians go above and beyond the call of duty every day.

I am honored to bring this resolution to the floor and remain committed to supporting our Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H. Res 1605, a bill recognizing the service of the medical and air crews in helping our wounded warriors make the expeditious and safe trip home to the United States.

These physicians, nurses, technicians, and flight air crews represent squadrons of the Air Force Reserve, Air Force National Guard, and Air Force Active Duty. I thank my colleague,

Congressman Mike Thompson, for introducing this bill, which gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to the dynamic support these crews provide to our troops. We commend these Air Force members for their commitment to the well-being of all our service men and women.

Aeromedical services are essential to the success of our Armed Forces, contributing to a survival rate of 98 percent--the lowest mortality rate of any war in U.S. history. Medical and air personnel closely tend to the urgent medical needs of our troops ensuring that they return home with their lives intact. We salute them.