U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Apen Phillips goes through pre-flight procedures at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., Sept. 12, 2008, before takeoff to Beaumont, Texas. Phillips is part of a combined effort from the 61st Air Wing C-130 aircraft and crews Little Rock Air Force Base and the 908th Aero medical Evacuation Squadron Scott Air Force Base, Ill., that will be evacuating patients in Beaumont, Texas, to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in preparation for Hurricane Ike's landfall in southern Texas.