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Squadron highlights capabilities during Afghan rescue mission

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Joseph Kapinos
  • AFCENT Combat Camera Team
CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan --  A soldier is wounded during a joint British and Afghanistan National Army patrol in Helmand Province. Shot through both legs, his condition worsens while being cared for by the medics. It is time to call in the professionals to get him off the battlefield and to the hospital. The radios erupt with words the crews had been standing by for:

"SCRAMBLE...SCRAMBLE...SCRAMBLE!"

Rushing from their squadron tents and huts, located close to the flight line and their HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, the crews run to the waiting aircraft, strap in, fire up the engines and within minutes they are airborne on their way to the patient.

Time is of the essence and these Airmen from the 66th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron take it very seriously.

On board the helicopter, racing back to the base, the pararescue jumpers, or PJs, work as a team, tending to the patient. One handles all injuries below the waist, while the other takes care of any concerns above. They work quickly to bandage the wound on the left leg, preventing any further blood loss and verifying no nerve damage occurred.

The goal for the crews is getting the patient from the battlefield to the nearest medical care in minimal time. If they can do that during the first hour after being wounded, the chances for survival are excellent. After that "Golden Hour," those chances diminish quickly.

"Time is always critical, so our ability to get to the patient quickly, have our PJs stabilize him, and then return the survivor to a medical facility is vital," said Capt. Stephen Homan, 66th ERQS flight surgeon. "In our world, having those faster transport and response times helps us give the wounded warriors the best chance possible, and in the end we can ultimately increase his quality of life."

Since the first of September, the squadron has been very successful in saving lives and assisting patients across Southern Afghanistan. According to 1st Lt. Caitlin Cima, 66th ERQS intelligence officer, the unit has recorded 253 saves and 580 assists while flying 620 missions, a blistering operations tempo for the crews flying out of the British-run Camp Bastion.

"Sometimes we may have five missions during a twelve-hour alert period, with 2-3 of those being 'scrambles,' or highest priority, which means someone's life is on the line," said Capt. Mark Uberuaga, 66th ERQS mission pilot.

"Needless to say, before the temperatures started to drop, we were extremely busy," he added.

The high operations tempo is mainly due to the changes in their mission.

Combat Search and Rescue, or CSAR, is the primary focus for the crews. They diligently train in penetrating deep into enemy-held territory to rescue downed fliers and have been conducting these types of missions since the Korean War in 1950. During the Vietnam War, rescue crews recovered 4,120 personnel, including 2,780 in combat situations. Their dedication to the mission continues even today, with 470 U.S. or Allied personnel rescued since Sept. 11, 2001.

However, over time, the mission changed from simply CSAR, and now includes casualty evacuation and humanitarian disaster relief missions. Their ability to adapt to the ever-changing combat and political environment further solidifies their reputation as the ones to call when lives are on the line.

"With the exception of the last few years, AF Rescue as a whole in the deployed arena has remained niche-based with the CSAR mission focus," said Major Joseph Alkire, 66th ERQS detachment commander. "Although always capable of full-spectrum personnel recovery options, the last few years have seen an increase and expansion across the board in PR mission set; most notably Casualty Evacuation, or CASEVAC in support of Operation Enduring Freedom."

According to Major Alkire, although other assets are able to perform certain functions under the "PR umbrella," the Air Force is the "only service to organize, train and equip a dedicated rescue force capable of full-spectrum PR across a wide range of threat and environmental operating conditions."

"The HH-60G and Guardian Angel pararescue forces are prepared for all PR missions, from CSAR to CASEVAC, along with humanitarian disaster relief and non-combatant evacuation operations," said Major Alkire.

The dual role tasking, for both theater PR and CASEVAC in Southern Afghanistan has AF rescue forces gainfully employed. The rescue squadron regularly employs with Army, Marine and British Rescue Forces responding to missions. The ranges of mission requests are often diverse, from ridgeline extractions to dive operations, casualty evacuations to CSAR recoveries. Major Alkire feels "the highly maneuverable Pave Hawk helicopter and the PJs are uniquely suited to accomplish them all in support of sister services and international partners."

"The rescue squadron has been very successful in taking on the broader roles in support of the medical evacuation mission in Afghanistan, while maintaining the constant alert required by the CSAR mission," said Major Alkire. "The aircrews and the pararescue teams continue to maintain the highest level of response and care in a highly professional manner day in and day out, whenever or wherever they are tasked.
"I can't ask more than that," he added.

While the number of alert calls is diminishing with the cold weather, the crew's willingness to fly into harm's way is not. And no matter who the patient is, the sense of urgency is still the same, something for which the wounded soldier is grateful.
Safely recovered at Camp Bastion, the soldier is quickly transported from the helicopter to the waiting medical facility, where he is given all the treatment necessary to return him to his unit.

It is another save and another successful mission completed by these Airmen. They return to their rooms to wait for the next call, ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get to those in need, risking their lives, "So that others may live."