Photo By Maj. Judith Marlowe | Staff Sgt. Michal Morawski, an aircraft crew chief assigned to F Company (MEDEVAC),...... read more read more
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CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - In a moment’s notice, air crews assigned to air medical evacuation duty must be prepared to be lowered hundreds of feet from a helicopter in order to rescue a person who may have become injured in a dangerous or hard to reach location.
Soldiers with F Company (MEDEVAC), 5th Battalion (General Support), 159th Aviation Regiment of the U.S. Army Reserve and based out of Clearwater, Florida, rehearsed such a scenario during the first week of November 2014 in Kosovo.
The crucial first phase of the training, conducted in the mountains of Kosovo, was necessary as the company serves as the primary medical evacuation team for Multinational Battle Group-East (MNBG-E) at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
“It is so important to conduct this training monthly because it is a perishable skill,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Doug Schletz, first sergeant of the MEDEVAC team for MNBG-E. “This could be the last chance someone has to live.”
Each training day began with a thorough safety briefing to ensure all participants were prepared to operate in the Rugova Gorge Mountains of Kosovo near the city of Prizren. German Army Master Sgt. Peter Schoddert, German Mountain Troop, and Swiss Army Special Officer Sebastian Blaser, a Kosovo Force liaison officer, then placed six simulated victims in compromising locations before calling in the rescue crew.
As the pilot, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nicholas Lemoine, flew to the first location while his crew prepared for their first hoist mission.
“You only have 15 minutes to be up and out,” said Lemoine. “I am focused on getting all of the information about the patient that I can and getting there as fast as I can.”
Once at the victim’s location, U.S. Army Sgt. Nicholas Masterjohn, the crew’s flight medic, attached himself to the hoist and exited the aircraft. The crew chief operator, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michal Morawski, carefully lowered Masterjohn to the victim who was stranded on a narrow ledge with no room to move.
“When I am conducting a hoist mission, I am not thinking about the moment, I am thinking about the next step, like how I am going to get the victim hooked up to the hoist safely,” said Masterjohn.
Masterjohn secured the victim to the hoist and both were lifted over a hundred feet in the air. Once they reached the aircraft, Morawski carefully maneuvered them to safety inside the helicopter.
During the first three days of training, six crews successfully completed the first portion of the course. Now, they are ready to negotiate the second portion, which will focus on rescuing victims trapped in even more difficult locations to reach.
“I’m absolutely convinced that training in difficult terrain and including multiple nations to do so makes [our area of responsibility] just a little bit safer for all Soldiers who serve here,” Blaser said. I’m really proud to be a part of this, and, as always, I’m really impressed by the motivation and skill of my international counterparts.“
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2014 16:01 |
| Story ID: | 148162 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Hometown: | CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 225 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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