Ohio
A look into how Ohio airmen train for the unpredictable in their flying hospital
DAYTON, Ohio — Have you ever wondered what it would be like if an ambulance could fly? For the 445th Air Lift Wing, it’s not a ‘what if’ but a ‘where and when’ as it pertains to transporting our nation’s heroes from hospitals and battlefields around the globe.
I was invited to take a flight with the 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron to get a closer look at how Ohio airmen are always preparing for their next mission.
“Within 24 hours I can be ready to go,” said flight medic Madi Potts.
She’s what’s called a traditional Air Force reservist. One day Potts might be in the classroom at her university or working as a nurse. The next day, she could have orders and be in her military uniform working on a C-17 or other type of military transport.
“I just got out of flight medic school for this about two months ago,” she said.
The 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron consists of both full-time military members and reservists. Training is the same for everyone.
On the tarmac at Wright Patterson Air Base, a C-17 Globemaster III sits whirling with activity as airmen work with training mannequins — and live actors — labeled with a variety of health conditions lying on transport litters.
While the pilots are busy readying the aircraft to taxi and takeoff; flight nurses and flight medics ensure patients are assessed and loaded. It’s a well-orchestrated process the airmen of the 445th appear to be able to do with their eyes closed.
Master Sergeant Brenna Pogoy, the mission clinical coordinator, is putting the airmen through a variety of scenarios to ensure the unit remains at the top of its game for when it matters.
“This is nothing like a real world but that’s because you’re not having a fire every flight on a real world, you’re not having an emergency landing all the time,” she said.
But the overload of events is to drive the nurses and medics to the brink of their ability, so they learn to dig a little deeper during an emergency.
“When it does happen and when a patient does have an emergency, or the aircraft has an emergency you are ready and there’s muscle memory in that,” Pogoy said.
The Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron’s mission is broad.
This crew could be called to transport service men and women from different military air bases within the U.S. from Walter Reed Hospital to their hometown hospital or military base, for example.
The mission can also take them near the front lines, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan, picking up the wounded and transporting them to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany or other military bases for more treatment before returning to the U.S.
“On the C-17 we can max floor load, we can do 12 on the ramp and another 48 on the main floor,” Master Sergeant Marjorie Butcher said.
That’s a total of 60 patients on litters strapped to the floor at one time with a team of two nurses and three medical technicians providing care throughout the duration of the flight. In addition, depending on the severity of injuries full medical teams can set up a hospital-like setting within the transport planes.
“The Air Force trains us well and they trust us to do our job,” Butcher said.
Then there’s the mission Butcher would deem as unregulated. The unplanned scenario was seen around the world in August 2021 as the U.S. evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan as part of the U.S. withdrawal.
“My first deployment in the military was to Kabul. That was my first flight ever I’d never flown patients or anything,” Butcher said.
She enlisted in 2015 and received her wings to fly with the Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron in April of 2021, just months before the historic images seen around the world as hundreds of thousands of Afghanis flooded the Kabul airstrip trying to get on a C-17 to freedom.
“I was the last AE flight out of Kabul,” Butcher said.
At least one of those C-17s taking part in the evacuation was photographed with a reported 800 men, women, and children.
Colonel Michael Baker, Commander of the 445th Operations Group, told me that members of his unit on one of those flights dealt with a live birth on the flight out of Afghanistan.
Baker said what happened in Afghanistan was part of several debriefs and analyses on how to improve training and mission preparedness.
In all military training, there are checklists. The pilots go through them step by step and operators like flight nurses and medics within the 445th AES go through them. However, training must also prepare airmen for what’s outside those normal checklists.
“We put a lot of emphasis on what are called contingency operations where we really try to flex and push and challenge ourselves and get outside of the letter of our regulations and say where can we flex,” Major Issac Cade said.
Cade is the flight nurse on this flight and the medical crew director.
“We’ll run different scenarios just to see what happens, stress inoculation,” Cade said.
That stress inoculation allows them to run through multiple scenarios that push the limit way beyond the norms in an environment where it’s safe to do it.
“Ultimately the buck stops here,” he said. “If something goes wrong, we answer for it.”
For Cade, this is another day in the life of a reservist.
“I’m a nurse practitioner for Premier Health,” he said. “So tomorrow I will put on my civvies, my work clothes and then go into the office like nothing happened.”
It’s what tens of thousands of traditional reservists do regularly. Living their daily lives, contributing to the community they live in, ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice to answer the call for our country.
If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email homefront@wcpo.com. You also can join the Homefront Facebook group, follow Craig McKee on Facebook and find more Homefront stories here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s law requiring children under 16 to get parental consent to use social media apps must be restored, a divided panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
The decision comes as a blow to NetChoice, which has won court victories against identical digital identification laws in other states, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia. The trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies said the Ohio decision went against “clear national consensus” and that it intended to keep fighting.
“An unconstitutional law protects no one, and we remain focused on ensuring the First Amendment rights of Ohioans are protected,” said Paul Taske, director of the NetChoice Litigation Center.
Netchoice brought suit against Ohio’s law in 2024, arguing that it was overly broad, vague and represented an unconstitutional impediment to free speech.
The Cincinnati-based Sixth Circuit’s panel disagreed. In a 2-1 decision, it found that the law was not unconstitutional and sent it back to a lower court to have a block on the law’s enforcement vacated.
“At bottom, the Act imposes a parental consent requirement,” Judge Eric Clay wrote in the lead opinion. “That requirement constitutes a marginal burden that precisely targets the multi-faceted problem that Ohio has identified: Children’s unsupervised assent to terms and conditions for use of platforms that take advantage of and harm them.”
Judge Alice Batchelder concurred, writing that “a statute is not vague just because it has a wide berth.”
Known as the Social Media Parental Notification Act, the Ohio law was part of an $86.1 billion state budget bill that Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in July 2023.
The administration pushed the measure as a way to protect children’s mental health, with then-Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, now a U.S. senator, saying at the time that social media was “intentionally addictive” and harmful to kids.
The law requires companies to get parental permission for social media and gaming apps and to provide their privacy guidelines so families know what content would be censored or moderated on their child’s profile.
Republican Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson called Thursday’s ruling “a win for Ohio families.”
“The court agreed that parents –- not social media companies –- should get a say in what kids see online,” he said in a statement. “We have an obligation to keep our children safe, and today, the most dangerous place for our kids is the internet. This decision gives parents the tools to be involved and provide oversight.”
Piketon, Ohio (WSAZ) – Folks in southern Ohio are waking up to power outages and road closures.
Route 32 in Pike County is down to one westbound and one eastbound lane due to debris on the roadway.
Drivers are also dealing with tree limbs on roadways.
The Athens County 911 dispatcher told WSAZ that it’s not believed a tornado touched down, but there is storm damage.
The dispatcher said storm damage from flooding and trees being knocked down has affected US 50.
Power outages are being reported in Athens, Pike, Vinton, Scioto and Meigs Counties and even as far south as Boyd County, Ky.
If you’re in a tornado warning area, you’re urged to get to the lower part of your home.
Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Clarence Burley, II, affectionately known as “Lil Man,” entered eternal rest on Thursday, June 5, 2026, at the age of 60, at Summa Health Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio.
Born on May 22, 1966, in Youngstown, Ohio, Clarence was the beloved son of Clarence L. Burley and Jacqueline Wilkinson-Burley.
He attended Ursuline High School and graduated with the Class of 1984.
Clarence was a hardworking and dedicated man who spent many years employed at Classic Optical Corporation as a Lens and Frame Specialist. Known for his skill and precision, he was recognized as one of the top lens shapers during his tenure with the company. He also worked for Goodwill Industries, where his exceptional work ethic earned him recognition and awards for outstanding service.
A devoted fan of the Oakland Raiders, Clarence enjoyed football, boxing, roller skating, and bowling. In his younger years, he was also an accomplished swimmer. He loved life and cherished spending time with family and friends. Whether enjoying a cruise vacation, visiting the lake to admire the water, debating sports statistics from A to Z, or simply sharing laughter with loved ones, Clarence brought joy wherever he went.
Known for his impeccable style, Clarence was often dressed to perfection. He was especially proud of his many Cadillacs, but none more than his beloved Cadillac Seville, affectionately known as “the baby caddy.” He could often be found cruising through the city, listening to music and enjoying the ride. His infectious smile, strength, humor, and generous spirit will forever be remembered by those who knew and loved him.
In 1999, Clarence met the love of his life, the former Cathy Winphrie. Their friendship blossomed into a lasting bond, and they were united in holy matrimony in 2015. Together they shared a life filled with love, companionship, and cherished memories.
Clarence leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife, Cathy Burley; his children, Shannie (Meisha) Burley of Atlanta, Georgia; DeShawn Burley (fiancée Ziah) of Warren, Ohio; Eddie W. Matthews; and Montell Cochrane; his beloved grandchildren, Zaira, DeShawn, Jr., Deondra, Audrionna, Eddie, Jr., Quiara, Azel, Anyia, Marquel, Aiden, Adalese, Meadow, and Amatureas; five great-grandchildren; his mother-in-law, Eula Winphrie; brothers-in-law, James (Jamie) Winphrie and Timothy (Kori) Winphrie; sisters-in-law, Regina Winphrie and Azella Burley; niece Helleenia Winphrie; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and dear friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence L. Burley and Jacqueline Wilkinson-Burley; his brother, Wesley Burley; and his grandmother, Carrie Davis.
Though Clarence’s earthly journey has ended, his legacy lives on through the lives he touched, the family he loved, and the countless memories he leaves behind. His strength, perseverance, laughter, and love will continue to inspire all who were blessed to know him.
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”2 Corinthians 5:8
A homegoing celebration will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday June 20, 2026 at Jerusalem Baptist Church , a visitation with the family will be 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. at the Church.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Gregory-Martin Funeral Home. For additional information, please call (330) 743-4098.
To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.
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