WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- First Lt. Jonathan Charles, 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron medical readiness officer, won the 2018 Air Force Reserve Command Medical Award, Administrative Excellence Award category. The announcement was made February 13, 2019.
Charles developed a 36 month medical readiness training plan, allowing 140 members in the squadron to be 100 percent trained. He was selected for the U.S. Transportation Command’s Exercise Ultimate Caduceus 2018, an annual patient movement exercise designed to test the ability of USTRANSCOM to provide medical evacuation. For the exercise, he was the command and control subject matter expert and was requested by Air Mobility Command for the fiscal year exercise as the observer controller and trainer.
Charles led the command and control staff, coordinating 20 aeromedical evacuation exercise missions, 300 patients, proving ground support capabilities and enabled C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy floor load “proof of concept.” The lieutenant identified deployment process gaps, thus developed and led a seven-member working group, resulting in the alignment of roles and responsibilities. This improved efficiency for the unit.
During his off-duty time, Charles served as a role model at a men’s retreat camp out where he used his survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) skills, demonstrating shelter and conceal tactics, enriching fellowship and teamwork. The lieutenant is working on his Master of Business Administration in management marketing.