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Successes and Precedents

	One can readily see the immense undertaking this deployment was. The sheer numbers 
and task outweigh the summary description of it. Numerous medical after action reports 
have been written, with years of analysis to follow. Certainly, as with any human 
endeavor, there were mistakes and problems -- no venture of the magnitude of Operations 
Desert Shield and Storm will ever be free of them. Our MAJCOMS, the Airstaff, and our 
leadership are examining them now. However, nothing can take away from this operation 
being the largest deployment of U.S. Air Forces in a generation, the same being true for 
the Air Force Medical Service. In short, we performed superbly. Many of our successes have 
been highlighted here. Our precedents need repeating, for they were what best exemplified 
our leadership, training, and farsightedness in preparing to support sustained combat 
operations. This paper concludes with some of them:

	SWA Deployment -- largest ever for Air Force Medical Service
		Hospitals -- 15 for 889 beds (14 ATHs, including a 100 bedder and one 250-bed 
contingency hospital) -- CINC's only deployed hospitals (5) in theater in critical first 
30 days -first time MAC operated an ATH (Thumrait) -- first redeployment of and ATH (4 TAC 
Hospital) -- first rushed contingency build of two ATHs and their subsequent employment -- 
first desert tactical 35

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