Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel Gay | Sgt. Brandon Lowther attends to a casualty during a medical evacuation. Brandon is one...... read more read more
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KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – “Medevac, medevac, medevac!” These three words ignite a flurry of controlled movement among the men and women of Charlie Company 1-52. This is the medical evacuation arm of Task Force Thunder, and there are lives on the line.
From the command element to the door gunners, every person in Charlie 1-52 (which is sometimes referenced as Arctic Dustoff because they hail from Alaska) knows their job and what must be done after that first call goes out, but many things have to happen before that announcement is even heard.
“As the commander of a medevac company, it is my job to look at how and where assets are being placed and used,” said U.S. Army Maj. Shane Mendenhall, Commander of Charlie Company 1-52. “We have assets at four basses around here and besides flying missions ourselves, we need to support them logistically with maintenance and supplies, and make sure we have good communications with all of them.”
The command portion of Charlie 1-52 has many concerns, but the core of the mission remains the same.
“This company is designed to evacuate people off the battlefield using medical aircraft, plain and simple,” said Mendenhall.
Charlie 1-52 uses all of their assets to get this mission done and a medevac call originates from the operations room a room, which is manned 24 hours a day,.
“The operations guys are really the unsung heroes of this company,” said Mendenhall as he walked toward the door marked with the big “Secret” sign. “These guys man the computers all the time and they rarely get to leave, but without them the mission doesn’t happen.”
Behind the door is where Charlie 1-52 first learns of a soldier in need, and that info is displayed on the glowing screens spaced throughout the room.
“Briefly, what we do is receive the nine-line medevac from battalion HQ, then we push that information out to the company so that the birds can get into the air,” said U.S. Army Spc. Cody Allen, who works in the operations room.
The soldiers in operations deal with all the incoming messages, and it is their job to get the right information to the right people.
“Besides the patient on the ground, it is our pilots who rely on us the most,” said Allen as another soldier paced the room with his eyes glued to the monitors. “The information we get is critical for them to get in the air and get to the patients.”
The pilots of Arctic Dustoff know the importance of getting the proper information and getting it fast. When working a Category Alpha nine-line, which means a soldier needs urgent surgery, the helicopter needs to be off the ground in 15 minutes said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Smith, a pilot in command for Charlie 1-52.
“Our job really is simple, we fly the helicopter to the patient,” said Smith, with the type of modesty only someone who has done the job for a while can muster. “I love what I do, I don’t care if it’s 3:30 in the morning, you’re tired and would rather be in bed, when that mission comes in you’re ready.”
When a medevac pilot takes his helicopter into the air on that mission his ever present shadow takes off behind him, this shadow is the chase helo, the medevac’s only line of security.
“We exist, because of the Geneva Convention rules restricting the medical helicopter from having most weapons,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Whitney Boyles, one of the chase pilots.
Onboard the chase helicopter is two crew-served M240B machine guns manned by the company’s gunners. The company gunners come from all walks of the Army, like Spc. Michael Benitez-Mercado, an air conditioner technician, who mans a gun aboard the chase helicopter.
“It’s a big experience, it’s different but I really enjoy what I do,” said Benitez-Mercado while dismantling one of the machine guns. “I like what I do because it’s an important job and I might have the chance to give the medic the protection they need to get to the patient.”
While the aircraft gunner watches for threats, the crew chiefs watch everything else.
“We make sure the aircraft is working right and that everyone onboard is safe,” said U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Herndon, crew chief for Charlie 1-52. “We are an extra set of eyes for the pilot; we see what they can’t and make sure they are aware of everything that is going on.”
The crew chiefs serve as an extra set of eyes for the pilot, but they can also be used as an extra set of hands for the helicopter’s other occupant, the flight medic.
“I do this job because I know how important it is for me to get back home, and I like giving other soldiers the best chance possible to get back to their homes,” said U.S Army Cpl. Brett Schlieve, one of Arctic Dustoff’s flight medics.
The job of the flight medic is just what it sounds like, provide emergency medical care for patients while en route to the hospital, said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Thompson, Charlie 1-52’s senior flight medic.
“Our job as medics is very rewarding, and very combat enabling,” said Thompson. “The soldiers on the ground can be more effective and more focused on their job because they know that there is medevac available, and they know that we will come and get them if they get hurt.”
When the medical chopper gets the patient and delivers him to the Role 3 hospital that is when a particular mission ends for Charlie 1-52, explained Mendenhall. Once that mission ends the whole crew resets and gets ready to do it again.
Task Force Thunder’s Charlie 1-52 has many working parts that all come together smoothly, to make every mission as successful as possible, and everyone in the company echoed their commander’s words.
“The only thing I really worry about right now is that the servicemember that is out there in the field, no matter whether they are a U.S. soldier, Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, coalition forces or just the general population, they know without a doubt in their mind that if they are hurt we will come and get them. With over 150 missions under our belt, 50 of those in less than 30 days, the men and women of Charlie 1-52, no matter what job they do, have proven that they will give 100 percent to make that happen.”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2011 02:17 |
| Story ID: | 67256 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,275 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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