Combat Aviation Brigade's Lonestar Dustoff leads the way

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt | Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, prepare to evacuate a patient at Camp Liberty to the 10th Combat Support Hospital, Jan. 10. Soldiers from the company have one mission - save lives on the battlefield. Only six months into this tour, the Fort Hood, Texas, based Soldiers have achieved a 96 percent operational readiness rate, flown more than 254 patients in need of treatment, medially evacuated more than 120 urgent and priority patients and consistently exceeded the 15-minute call to launch standard.  

TAJI, IRAQ

01.13.2009

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt 

1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade

By Sgt. 1st Class Brent Hunt
Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Medical evacuation Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the "Lonestar" Dustoff company, have one mission – save lives on the battlefield.

During the first six months of their deployment, the Fort Hood, Texas, based Soldiers have achieved a 96 percent operational readiness rate, flown more than 254 patients in need of treatment, medially evacuated more than 120 urgent and priority patients and consistently went 'wheels up' in less time than the 15-minute call to launch standard – leading the way for Multi-National Corps – Iraq MEDEVAC companies, Jan. 10.

"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. 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 United States with Soldiers rotating on shifts. A MEDEVAC crew consists of two pilots, one crew chief and one 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 lifestyle, they complete maintenance checks, stock medical supplies 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, was my first day on my shift," said Sgt. Donald Jones, flight medic from Lawton, Okla. "For the first mission on this shift, we had a enemy prisoner of war with a gunshot wound to the leg which was urgent. We were off the ground and out of here in eight minutes."

The company facilitates the safest and most rapid evacuation of all casualties to include Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, civilians and even prisoners of war.

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.

"What I love most about this job is I'm helping make a difference in someone's life when they are injured," added Jones, who is on his second deployment to Iraq with the company. "Mentally, you just try blocking all the drama out when someone is injured and do your best when you MEDEVAC someone. That's when the training kicks in and you are focused on saving their life. This is a difficult job, but it is very rewarding."

In addition to continuing to get more efficient at launch time, Soldiers from the company have been rewarded for their hard work and dedication.

On July 18, 2008, with only three days under their belt after assuming the mission from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade out of Germany, four Soldiers from the company responded to a rescue mission where four Iraqi national police officers were trapped on top of a burning building in eastern Baghdad.

In a daring rescue using the helicopters hoist as a step, the air ambulance crew medically evacuated the trapped policemen and transported them to a combat support hospital for further treatment.

For their heroic actions, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew Nall, aeromedical pilot from Lubbock, Texas, Staff Sgt. Christina Martinez, flight medic from Alamogordo, N.M., and Spc. Lakwan Bonsu, crew chief from Bronx, N.Y., were awarded the Air Medal with Valor from Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey at Camp Taji, Dec. 22, 2008.

• Date Taken: 01.13.2009
• Date Posted: 01.13.2009 13:14
• Story ID: 28796
• Location: TAJI, IQ