A three-month deployment in an Afghanistan warzone has ended for a group of volunteer medics based at RAF Leuchars.
In total, six reservists from 612 (City of Aberdeen) Squadron safely returned to loved ones and family after providing medical care at the main British military base of Camp Bastion in Helmand province.
Working out of a field trauma centre equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology, the team dealt with a host of situations, from emergency surgery to wrapping a sprained ankle.
This level of care in one of the most volatile regions on the planet can be the difference between life and death for a wounded soldier, and is a crucial first link in a medical chain back to the UK.
Its success is aided by reservists who, for a variety of reasons, elect to swap family life and their regular job to temporarily serve abroad risking their lives.
In a press conference at RAF Leuchars four of the squadron recalled their experiences, but were told beforehand, for security reasons, not to answer questions on injuries or even how many ward beds there are within the military camp.
Nevertheless, the exhausted group members said they were delighted to be home and were looking forward to adjusting back into civilian life.
Squadron Leader Jane Thomson (48), of Elie, who is married with two children, has built up over nine years of experience as a reservist having toured Iraq twice and once in Afghanistan.
“Every experience has been very different,” said Sqn Ldr Thomson, who normally works at NHS Forth Valley, but served as a nursing officer in Bastion.
“I don’t think I could have imagined the increase in tempo.”Gratitude to employersReservists rely on employers to give them time off to serve abroad, something which they all expressed their gratitude for.
Sqn Ldr Thomson said, “It has been a privilege to work in the world’s best trauma centre and everyone works very hard.”
With thousands of UK troops stationed in Afghanistan it is not just battle wounds being treated by 612 Squadron.
That is according to father-of-two Corporal Lewis MacLeod (38), an NHS Fife staff nurse who had never been to Afghanistan before.
He said, “People still have minor sprains and things like that which have to be treated, and we try to keep an NHS standard of care.”
Corporal Jennifer Hall (29), who works at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said that as injuries came in they were forced to prioritise who was treated first.
She said, “It’s the longest working day I have ever had.”
Corporal Samantha Wadelik (30), a radiographer at Wishaw General, said that morale remains high.
Despite the long hours, energy-sapping heat and treating horrific wounds not normally seen in UK hospitals, the tour has left a positive mark on the group, who agreed they would be willing to return.
Officer commanding 612 Squadron, Wing Commander Alison Moodie of Cupar, said, “We are of course delighted that they are back home.
“They provide a crucial service which not only benefits the military but also the experiences gained helps them when they return to work.”
She added, “RAF Leuchars has been absolutely fantastic to us and so has NHS Scotland.”
With the latest tour now completed, the team will not be deployed again for at least another three years.