An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Kirkuk's medevacs: ready, willing, able

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mindy Bloem
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE, Iraq --  When bad things happen outside the wire - improvised explosive devices, attacks, or even accidents - the most comforting sound can be the whir of the medical evacuation helicopter.

The helo medevacs at this location make up one of four teams in Iraq. The team here, Team 2, is deployed from Wheeler Army AB, Hawaii. All four crews on the team have two pilots, a crew chief and a medic for each mission. Kirkuk's Team 2 crews respond to any U.S forces injuries within 100 miles of the surrounding area.

Some missions go off without a hitch while some are not quite so seamless.

Army CW2 Dave Johnson, pilot, recalled a mission a few years ago when improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were more prevalent. His team landed in an area where a convoy had been hit by an IED attack. As soon as the helicopter landed and began to evacuate patients, the enemy set off another IED about 100 yards from the helicopter, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. Luckily, no one else was hurt, but a piece of shrapnel hit the engine - a discovery they made after the aircraft safely landed at their destination.

As long as the U.S. forces are fighting, the crew said they are happy to provide that peace of mind to them and their families.

"I think the guys know that if something bad happens, medevacs will come get them so that gives them the motivation to fight the war," said Army 1st Lt. Zach Mauss, pilot. "They know if they get hurt someone will come pick them up, so it's reassurance, and that is definitely a big enabler. And with the speed people are evacuated off the battlefield helps the military in general because guys are returned to duty so much quicker than they were in the Vietnam War or WWII. They're at a high level of care very quickly."

"I think the people we are really helping are the families because they are getting their family member back most of the time," Army CW3 Steve Conway, pilot, said. "It makes a big difference on the home front when kids get their dads or moms back."

While the pilots must sometimes fly in unfavorable weather conditions, they are quick to point to their crew members for the successful medical care their patients receive.
"When he's (the medic) trying to do his IVs he has people like me at the controls," Chief warrant officer three Conway said. "Can you imagine trying to do an IV while sitting on the ground versus in the helicopter with it shaking and vibrating, and wearing goggles at night when it's completely black in the helicopter, except for this little bitty blue light, and they're back there trying to work."

Army Staff Sgt. Hyun Kim, a medic for more than eight years, deployed this rotation as an aviation medic, downplayed his role on the team.

"It's not that hard," he said. "The mission is pretty much the same. I just do my job on the helicopter."

Chief warrant officer three Conway disagrees.

"They have to learn how to do things in an aircraft they wouldn't normally do like brace their back against the ceiling of the aircraft so they can do chest compressions because they're working on a litter that has a wall on one side, making the situation more than a little bit difficult," he said of the medics.

"And the same applies to the crew chiefs," he added. "They're not medically trained; I mean they have combat lifesaver skills, but most of them aren't trained in CPR. Our crew chiefs will do rescue breaths if they need to."

And of course, there are those rare, beautiful moments in which the crew gets take part.

They recalled what they termed a "bittersweet" memory involving a Soldier who got hit by an IED and was taken to Joint Base Balad, Iraq. His injuries were so severe that his doctors predicted he would live no longer than six hours on life support. His wife was also deployed at the time. The medevacs, seizing the opportunity, flew the wife to Balad to spend the final hours of her husband's life by his side.

"Being a medic is something I've always wanted to do," Sergeant Kim said. "It's the coolest job because you're helping someone. It's rewarding to know you made a difference in somebody's life."