Air EMS Completes 13K Mile Global DoD Mission from Korea to USA

October 16, 2025

Tulsa, OK –  Leading air medical patient care, transport, and medical support provider Air EMS, Inc. recently completed another global air medical mission for the U.S. Department of Defense – this time, repatriation of a U.S. citizen from Osan, South Korea to a California medical center.

While overseas, the patient experienced a cardiac event resulting in hypoxic brain injury and sepsis with hypotension, requiring specialized care not available locally. Air EMS utilized a Hawker 800XP operated by FAA Part 135-certified air carrier partner Jet Logistics, flying from Osan Air Base with technical stops in Japan and Alaska – a mission that traveled 13,099 miles over 31 hours. The company utilized a comprehensive flight team consisting of a Critical Care Flight Nurse, Flight Paramedic, and Physician board certified in Emergency Medicine, tailored to the patient’s specific care needs for this long-range international transport, plus dual ATP-rated flight crew.

This mission’s Air EMS team included Dr. Charles A. Farmer, Medical Director for Air EMS, and Critical Care Nurse Cheryl Newman, both part of Air EMS since its 2015 inception, and Christopher Meile, a Critical Care Flight Paramedic who has been with the company for over 7 years. “Long distance air medical transport is not for the meek – challenges including long duty days, dehydration, and flight vibrations and noise all take a toll on passengers’ bodies,” commented Ms. Newman. “The main challenge is the patient isn’t always as reported, so it’s like the ‘box of chocolates’ phrase – you never know what you’re getting. That requires our teams to think outside the box, practice autonomy, and be highly adaptable, which is why I love this type of patient management.”

“The key to any successful mission is the people conducting it – especially a transport covering 3 different countries and 10 different time zones across the Pacific Ocean. Air EMS is fortunate to have dedicated and caring clinical staff and outstanding aviation partners with this type of worldwide op-specs,” stated Angela Hall, Air EMS President and Program Director.

Click here for a downloadable PDF file of this press release: AirEMS DoD Korea 10-16-25 Final b

ABOUT AIR EMS
Air EMS, headquartered in Tulsa, OK (KTUL), delivers safe, professional, and timely patient care, transportation, and medical support to commercial and government clients worldwide. A CAMTS-accredited, SBA-certified Woman-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Air EMS provides licensed domestic and international air ambulance services for emergent and non-emergent patients, along with medical staffing, communications, management, and training.

Clients include air carriers, medical organizations, and U.S. Government and defense agencies such as Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice. Air EMS operates as both a prime and subcontractor on four continents, in 18 countries, and all 50 states.

For more information, please contact:

Air EMS, Inc.
airems.us
info@airems.us
+1 (918) 392-5350