Mercy Mission

THE drink was flowing and the sound of laughter filled the room, but as she walked into the party, Sarah Charters’ thoughts were thousands of miles away.

She had never expected to make it to her friend’s 40th birthday celebration, but had unexpectedly flown home to the UK just in time.

Less than 24 hours before, the mildmannered nurse had been in one of the most dangerous and inhospitable places on Earth – a war zone where she had to keep a weapon by her side at all times.

She had put her steady job at Southampton General’s Emergency Department on hold for three months to travel to the desolate plains of Afghanistan last year.

Since 4626 Squadron was established in 1983, it has accumulated millions of air miles carrying out its duties.

Working as part of the Aeromedical Evacuation Service, manned by a combination of regular RAF personnel and members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (the volunteer reserve section of the RAF), Sarah’s main role was to nurse UK casualties as they were evacuated home from the battlefields.

It was following one of these gruelling 17-hour flights, that Sarah was able to dash to her friend’s party before flying back to Afghanistan just 24 hours later.

“When you are out there, you get caught up in the seriousness of the situation, explains Sarah, 40.

“There are people with very significant injuries and you are aware of the dangerous environment the troops on the frontline are facing.

“So to then turn up at someone's party just a short time later, where everyone is wearing wigs and party hats, was strange. I felt emotionally removed from what was going on and, although I was incredibly excited to see all my friends, my thoughts were with the patients in Afghanistan.”

Based in Southampton’s busy Emergency Department for the past eight years, her colleagues are often surprised when they first find out about her ‘other life’.

“I think people see me as having quite a gentle and quiet personality, whilst being a little scatty, which doesn't fit with the stereotypical military person,” she smiles. “But I’ve had a successful career in the Squadron. I’ve been a flight commander for several years and currently hold the position of senior nursing officer.”

While being in the middle of the Afghan crisis may seem a world away from Southampton General, Sarah insists that the work is not really that different.

“Nursing is nursing whether you are doing it in the back of a Hercules or in an Emergency Department.”

“The ethos and the basics are the same. You just adapt them to a different situation.

“Being out there makes you a more flexible person. It helps you to cope with anything that life throws at you, because you have to.”

It may come as a further surprise to some of Sarah’s colleagues that she has in fact been a member of 4626 – based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire – for her entire working life.

After fulfilling her lifetime’s ambition to train as a nurse, she signed up as soon as she qualified.

Sarah wanted to enjoy all the life experiences that the Squadron offered, while being able to hold down a civilian career and live where she wanted. And she has never looked back.

“It’s hard to put it into words, but it is such a totally rewarding job,” she says. “The British military personnel go into these situations and are prepared to lay their lives on the line.

“It’s a complete honour to be able to give them the care they absolutely deserve. To see people, who are often very young, being so heroic out there, is quite a humbling experience.”

Living on the vast base in Kandahar, Sarah soon got used to the constant noise, swarms of beetles and allengulfing dust.

While temperatures were bearable when she first arrived in February, they steadily rose to a sweltering 40 degrees.

Protected by drones and RAF surveillance, Sarah felt safe on the huge base despite the ongoing risks.

"We had a bit of a surprise as there was a rocket attack on the first evening. It was quite shocking. There was a huge explosion, then all the sirens went off and everyone rushed to the air raid shelter. But as everyone was running away we ran towards the explosion to see if there were any casualties. Fortunately there weren’t.

“I can honestly say, though, that apart from when the rocket went off, I never felt in any huge danger. We had very few rocket attacks, although, as a final send off, one exploded on the base as we waited to board our aircraft. Again, thankfully, no one was hurt.”

Weapons handling, dealing with a mine attack and what she should do if her aircraft was ever shot down, were all part of Sarah’s pre-deployment training.

Thankfully she never had to put any of it into practice.

By the time Sarah went to Afghanistan, she was something of a war veteran, having been abroad twice before.

Her first posting was to Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War in 1991.

“It was really daunting,” says Sarah, who lives in Bishopstoke. “It was a shock because we only had ten days’ notice and we thought Saddam was going to use chemical weapons.

“We frequently had air raid warnings of potential scud attacks which was quite nerve wracking at the beginning but you kind of got used to them, just like the rockets in Kandahar.

“I was very young and a very new nurse but I felt I coped well, the camaraderie was fantastic and I learnt a lot about living and working as a nurse in a war zone."

In 2003, Sarah was called up again to go to Cyprus and then Iraq.

“It doesn’t matter what you think about the politics of the conflict,” she says. “At the end of the day, if British troops are being sent to a war zone, they absolutely deserve the best treatment they can get. It doesn’t ever feel like an ethical dilemma to me because of that.

“The military patients are phenomenal. Many are in their late teens and early 20s. They are incredibly brave and just seem to accept the situation they have been put in and deal with it. The casualties are always so disappointed to be going home, as they hate leaving their friends and colleagues to carry on without them.”

Joining the Squadron is a huge commitment so Sarah is lucky to have her husband Alan’s total support.

She must devote one weekend each month to training, on top of an annual 15-day exercise and the overseas deployments, which last for around six months every two to three years.

But after 19 years’ service, Sarah can still see no reason why she won’t stay involved for as long as she possibly can – the current age limit is 60.

“I can definitely see myself carrying on,” says Sarah. “I always say I will keep doing it until I stop enjoying it.”

■ For more information on joining 4626 Squadron, visit raf.mod.uk/rafreserves or phone recruiting officer Corporal Stu Byers on 01249 896861.