Photo By Spc. Zachary Stahlberg | (From left to right) Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brady Freeman, Grafenwoehr Training Area...... read more read more
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany- The quick response of Soldiers in 7th Army Training Command’s Range Operations and 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, helped save the life of a local man seriously injured on Grafenwoehr Training Area in November.
Soldiers assigned to 7th ATC Range Operations and the Medical Evacuation crew assigned to 12th CAB were recognized for their emergency response at an informal ceremony on GTA, Germany, March 5, 2021.
The Soldiers recognized were: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brady Freeman, Grafenwoehr Training Area safety officer in charge, Staff Sgt. Albert Obaya, GTA range safety team chief, and Sgt. Pinzolo Whipple, range safety noncommissioned officer, all assigned to 7th Army Training Command Range Operations, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Clint Woodruff, pilot, Chief Warrant officer 2 Cody Haley, pilot, Sgt. Patrick Ritchie, flight paramedic, and Sgt. Mikkel Thomas, crew chief, all assigned to 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.
“I was off duty doing some physical training at range operations when the call came,” said Freeman. “Because the people calling didn’t speak English, all they knew was that there was an emergency at range 127. There isn’t a co-located medevac pad for the helicopter to land on, so we had to contact the (military police) to block off the road around the range and allow the helicopter to land on the road.”
Being a former medevac pilot with 1st Bn. 214th Aviation Regt., Freeman said he knew he could get a crew quickly. He called Haley and told him everything he could. After contacting medevac and coordinating where exactly he had to go, Freeman went to range 127 to provide medical support until the medevac could get there.
“I received a call from Freeman informing me of an emergency request,” said Haley. “The first thing I did was yell ‘MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC,’ to inform the crew that we would be receiving a mission.”
Haley has been flying Medevac for the last five and a half years, with eight months of that in Afghanistan. He recalls having picked up multiple patients with gunshot wounds, extreme frost bite, and broken limbs among other things.
“I was on duty at Grafenwoehr when we got the call,” said Woodruff. “When we arrived at range 127, we saw Chief Freeman on the ground waving a giant red flag, signaling where to land.”
“I heard the aircraft inbound and just saw someone holding the red range flag in their hands,” said Freeman. “I ran over and grabbed it, got myself in an area where the helicopter could see me and started waving it.”
According to Freeman, his 23 years of military service gave him the knowledge and skills to quickly assess the situation, call for medical assistance, and perform emergency first aid until they arrived.
“I have been a paramedic for 13 years both as a civilian and a Soldier,” said Ritchie. “My role on this mission was to evaluate and treat my patient to the best of my ability.”
Ritchie and Thomas both rushed out of the helicopter with a stretcher as soon as they landed.
“I had just gotten to the unit and it was only my second day on duty, so my adrenaline was rushing,” said Thomas. “Thankfully he was with people who could call for help. If he was alone, I’m not sure he would’ve survived.”
The injured man was taken to a local hospital where he received treatment.
“It was pretty amazing to see the staff at the hospital,” said Woodruff. “They came out in white robes waving at us as we landed. Our guys gave their report to the staff, and in just a few seconds the nurses were already taking care of the man.”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2021 09:59 |
| Story ID: | 391377 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 414 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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