CAMP COOKE, Taji, Iraq --The instant a person sustains a life-threatening injury from a roadside improvised explosive device or small-arms fire in the Baghdad area, the clock starts ticking for the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance).
"After we get a medevac [medical evacuation] request, our response time is about four-and-a-half minutes to be in the air," said 45th Med. 1st Sgt. Robert Boler. "On average, we are at the site in 10 minutes. We pride ourselves on getting there quick."
One of four medevac companies in theater, the 45th handles all calls from Baghdad on through the southern reaches of the Central Command's area of operations in Iraq."Our focus and direct support is to the 1st Cavalry Division within Baghdad and south. It is our primary mission," Boler said.
The 45th is a self-sustaining company with the same elements of an aviation battalion, only smaller.
"We have over 100 personnel in our company," Boler, a Detroit, Mich. native, said. "Of those personnel, we have our own medics, pilots, mechanics and headquarters elements; just platoon-size rather than company-size."The 45th has been in Iraq for the past eight months and in that time has transported more than 2,000 patients, been on more than 1,300 missions and logged more than 2,700 hours of flight time.
"We are the smallest and the busiest," said Company Commander Maj. Chris Knapp, a native of Milwaukee, Wis., and pilot for the company. "We are the busiest just because our [area of operation] is Baghdad. We cover some of the hottest areas in theater."In addition to maintaining its own necessary personnel, the 45th also maintains its fleet of helicopters.
Sgt. 1st Class Luis Arzadon, the maintenance platoon sergeant and native of San Gabriel, Calif. is in charge of the crew that maintains the aircraft currently on the ground. "I have mechanics, shop personnel, quality and production control and technical supply personnel," Arzadon said. "Our mission is to support the flight platoon. We make sure the helicopters are flyable at all times. I think the maintenance crew is the meat and potatoes of how we can get the medics where they need to be."
Sgt. 1st Class Vito Dichristina, flight platoon sergeant and native of Buffalo, N.Y., supervises approximately two-thirds of the company.
"I take care of the pilots, flight medics and crew chiefs," Dichristina said. "We can do everything in-house and are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week for medevac coverage."Dichristina explained the vital nature of the on-call crew's quick response.
"There is what we call the golden hour," he said. "That is the hour between the time a person sustains an injury to the time we get them to a hospital. Focusing our efforts on staying within that hour time frame means the patient's chances of survival are excellent. We also have what we call the platinum 10 minutes. The intervention on the ground within the first 10 minutes of a person's injury greatly increases their chances of survival."
Dichristina likes what he does and lauds the cohesiveness of his crew. "What I like most about flight crew is that we may all have our separate areas of responsibility, but we pull together for a mission," he said. "We can take a wounded guy from a dark alley in Baghdad to a beautiful hospital where he will be taken care of. It is the best job."
Since it was established at Long Binh, Vietnam in September 1967, the 45th has played a vital role in the success of military missions all over the world. From Kosovo to Iraq and their home base of Ansbach, Germany, the 45th is in the business of saving lives.
"I know every commander says this, but I've got some of the best people working for me," Knapp said. "I have top notch medics and crew chiefs, most of which are either combat lifesaver qualified or they receive on the job training. We've got the best mission in the Army and the satisfaction of knowing we save lives."
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2004 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 229 |
| Location: | CAMP COOKE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 179 |
| Downloads: | 66 |
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