Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Sgt. Christopher Bergendahl, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chief, torques bolts that hold the main rotor shaft to the swash-plate on a UH-60 Black Hawk after a transmission replacement Sept. 9, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Helicopters use swash-plates to control the pitch angles of the main rotor blades. Sergeant Bergendahl is a native of Enfield, Conn., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Pfc. Cody Hunt, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chief, connects the engine with the deswirl duct after a UH-60 Black Hawk transmission replacement Sept. 9, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The deswirl duct is an extension of the engine that helps channel hot exhaust away from the helicopter. Private Hunt is a native of Pickens County, Ga., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Specialists Donnie Calvery and Robert Ruoho, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chiefs, insert locking pins into the main rotor to hold a blade in place while in flight after a transmission replacement Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Only two pins hold the blade on the rotor while spinning at 258 revolutions per minute. Specialist Calvery is a native of Clarksville, Tenn., and Specialist Ruoho, is a native of Deltona, Fla. Both are deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Sgt. Floyed Viles, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chief, connects a main rotor blade to a crane while Spc. Robert Ruoho, Company C. crew chief waits to install the blade on the rotor after a transmission replacement Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Charlie Company uses a crane to lift the titanium fiberglass blades into position. Sergeant Viles is a native of Kansas City, Mo., deployed from Kansas National Guard, Kan., and Specialist Ruoho is a native of Deltona, Fla., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Soldiers of the Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, install a main rotor blade on a UH-60 Black Hawk after a transmission replacement Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The helicopter uses four titanium fiberglass blades to fly through the air. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Sergeants Floyed Viles and Christopher Bergendahl, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chiefs, refill a UH-60 Black Hawk’s transmission with oil after being replaced Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. UH-06 Black Hawk transmission holds approximately seven gallons of oil. Sergeant Viles is a native of Kansas City, Mo., deployed from Kansas National Guard, Kan. and Sergeant Bergendahl is a native of Enfield, Conn., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Soldiers of the Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, torque and measure a swash-plate to the main rotor on a UH-60 Black Hawk after a transmission replacement Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The 18-bolt assembly must be precisely installed or the main rotor will wobble as it spins. The soldiers are all deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Army Pfc. Cody Hunt, Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment crew chief, attaches an anti-icing wire harness to a UH-60 Black Hawk sump after a transmission replacement Sept. 10, 2010, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter. Private Hunt, is a native of Pickens County, Ga., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield)

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Soldiers maintain aerial ambulance

Published Sept. 16, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- After the 9-Line for medevac was received, two UH-60 Black Hawks lift off the Heli pad heading into the night to bring injured servicemembers to safety.

This life-saving service would not be possible without the hardworking Soldiers of Charlie Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. These Soldiers perform maintenance on medevac helicopters, ensuring the aircraft are ready to carry the medics to whoever needs help.

"The maintainers display their expertise with every job they do," said Army 1st Sgt. Keith Schultz, Company C. flight medic, a native of Enterprise, Ala., deployed from Fort Campbell, Ky. "Without the high quality work that they do, we wouldn't be able to provide the great medical care that we do."