Page 1 - Luke AFB Thunderbolt – March 2024

“We train the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat ready Airmen”
56TH MDG CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
INSIDE
STORIES
 International festival, 2
Active Shooter Exercise, 3
Chaplain’s Corner, 5 AF to bring back
warrant officers, 11
FEATURE
U.S.AirForcephotobyAirman1stClassEliasCarrero
LUKE FIGHTERS SOAR OVER GILA BEND
SeePages 6 and 7
U . S . A i r F o r c e p h o t o b y S e n i o r A i r m a n Do m i n i c T y l e r
Members of the 56th Medical Group participate in an early morning run Jan. 25, 2024. In celebration of the MDG 50th anniver- sary, 56th MDG members hosted a morning physical training run, dressed in 70’s attire for a day and held a potluck. The com- mitment of the 56th MDG stands as a testament to their dedication to advancing medical practices and safeguarding the health of service members of the past and present.
By Senior Airman
LEANNA PARTIN and Senior Airman RILEY O’CONNOR
56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
Over the past 50 years, the 56th Medical Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, has played a pivotal role in shaping medical history. From advance- ments in aerospace medicine to cutting-edge technologies in healthcare, this group has been at the forefront.
The commitment of the 56th MDG stands as a testament to their dedication to advancing
medical practices and safeguard- ing the health of service members of the past and present. Along with ensuring the health and well-being of military families and retirees, the 56th MDG has contributed to breakthroughs in trauma care and infectious disease management.
The initial ribbon cutting ceremony to open services took place 50 years ago in 1974. It began as an inpatient hospital and in 2005, transitioned to an ambulatory outpatient clinic.
In 1993, the 56th MDG trau- ma team responded to an off- base accident resulting in more than 40 injuries and provided care to the injured victims.
Two years later, a train de- railed an hour outside of Buck- eye, in the center of the Arizona desert, causing passenger cars to fall off a bridge into a dry riv- erbed. Luke AFB’s medics aided in triaging over 70 people and providing critical medical care.
In 2002, due to a shortage of obstetricians, the 56th MDG had to suspend deliveries and partnered with Del Webb Me- morial Hospital. In 2004, a patient presented to the former hospital ER, ready to have her baby and there was no time to facilitate a transfer. She was so ready in fact, the ER staff had to deliver her baby in the parking lot, in the backseat of her car.
A little over a year after this event, a huge tragedy struck. Hurricane Katrina caused se- vere damage to Keesler AFB, Mississippi. More than 75 of Luke’s Airmen deployed to sup- port relief efforts in the wake of this storm. Medical personnel were tasked as part of an expe- ditionary medical support team to provide care for Keesler’s active-duty military members and their families. Soon after Hurricane Katrina, the 56th MDG deployed another medical team to the Caribbean islands. An 11-member team treated nearly 3,000 patients over the course of a week
Five years after these two deployments, Luke AFB medics arrived in Haiti for a humani- tarian mission to assist over 10,000 people over a period of 10 days. Glasses were provided for 1,600 patients, dental extracted over 1,000 teeth, and over 25,000 pharmacy prescriptions were filled. All this managed to get done while living in field conditions.
Four years later, in 2018 a physical therapy technician from the 56th MDG administered lifesaving aid after he witnessed a car crash in Glendale. He pulled over to help and came upon a
See mDg, Page 4
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56th F ighter W ing headq uar- ters building Jan. 25, 2024. The initial ribbon cutting ceremony to open services
at the 56th Medical Group took place 50 years ago in
1 9 74. Throughout the years the MDG has contributed to breakthroughs in trauma care and infectious disease man- agement, along w ith ensuring the health and w ell-being of military families and retirees.
ocks painted outside the
Members of the 56th Medical Group pose for a group photo Jan. 25, 2024. In celebration of the MDG 50th anniversary, 56th MDG members dressed in 1 9 70s attire for a day, as w ell as held a potluck and group morning physical training run.
March 2024 Vol. 23, No. 3