Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt | An air ambulance helicopter from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment,...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt
Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Medical evacuation Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad have one mission – save lives on the battlefield.
They facilitate the safest and most rapid evacuation of all casualties to include Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, civilians and even prisoners of war.
The "Lonestar" dustoff company of the Fort Hood, Texas, based CAB is in the midst of its fourth deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Its mission and the Soldiers mindset haven't changed through the multiple deployments.
"We are the theater MEDEVAC company for MND-B and parts of Multi-National Corps – Iraq," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dennis Fletcher, aeromedical pilot from Sunnyvale, Calif. "We respond to any nine line MEDEVAC call to us.
"I've done roadside and FOB [Forward Operating Base] pick-ups. The first mission I had was a roadside pick-up where a Stryker vehicle was hit by an [improvised explosive device]," he said. "On average, we respond to a call in nine minutes and that's from getting the call to wheels-up."
The company performs its duties much like a regular ambulance company in the U.S. Soldiers rotate on shifts, being on call, for 48 hours at a time and then they are off for 24 hours. A MEDEVAC crew consists of two pilots, a crew chief and a flight medic.
The crew starts their day by making sure their aircraft is ready to go at a moment's notice. As an essential part of their fast-paced, live by the seat of their pants lifestyle, maintenance checks are completed, medical supplies are stocked and personal protective gear is always within arm's reach. Then once the crew gets the call, "MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC..." it's time to sprint to the waiting helicopter and save a life on the battlefield.
"Today, we had an urgent patient at FOB Liberty," said Staff Sgt. Brad Stevens, flight medic from Crystal River, Fla. "From when we got the call, we had the patient to the CSH [Combat Support Hospital] in under 25 minutes. Whenever I hear, 'MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC' I try to mentally prepare myself for the worst possible scenario. When you do that, you can deal with anything."
Some of the their evacuations take them to the most dangerous parts of the battlefield including rescuing casualties from roadside bomb attacks, force against force casualties and suicide bomb attacks.
Improvements in medical care and the speed in which MEDEVAC's rescue patients have dramatically increased survivability on the battlefield from previous conflicts.
Over each of the past U.S. conflicts, enemy weapons used against troops have increased in firepower and lethality. Yet during the Global War on Terrorism, U.S. troops have seen a significant decline in fatalities.
According to a recent study by the Department of Defense, Soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, who were wounded in action, had a 42 percent chance of dying from the wounds they had suffered. During World War II, Soldiers had a 30 percent chance they would not survive and during the Vietnam conflict troops had a 24 percent chance of not surviving. Today, if a Soldier is wounded in action, the patient has more than a 90 percent chance of living through the traumatic event.
Simply put if a troop is wounded on the battlefield, he has a much greater chance of survival because of the use of body armor, blast resistant vehicles and advances in medicine.
However, the speed in which Soldiers get to the hospital has greatly contributed to the survivability of the modern day combatant.
"Today, with the speed of the MEDEVAC, we can save more lives than ever," said Stevens who is on his third deployment to Iraq. "I straight-up like helping people, and that is what I like most about this job."
| Date Taken: | 10.09.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.09.2008 11:13 |
| Story ID: | 24738 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 230 |
| Downloads: | 197 |
This work, CAB MEDEVAC saves lives on battlefield, by SFC Brent Hunt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
