That others may live

Senior Airmen Coty Polito, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron pararescue specialist, gives Master Sgt. Paige Frye, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing paralegal, an intravenous solution during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise, June 16, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Airmen from the 455th AEW acted as wounded patients, with injuries that included broken limbs, loss of eye sight and deliria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

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That others may live

The 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron pararescue specialists along with soldiers from Task Force Chosen work together to treat wounded patients during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise, June 16, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Airmen from the 455th AEW acted as wounded patients, with injuries that included broken limbs, loss of eye sight and deliria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

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That others may live

A U.S. Army soldier with Task Force Chosen, cuts the hood of a van during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise, June 16, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Task Force Chosen paired with the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron to increase interoperability with each other and demonstrate theater personnel recovery capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

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That others may live

Staff Sgt. Roderick Cambell, 83rd Expeditionary Squadron pararescue specialist, places a tourniquet on Senior Airman Christian Higgins, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise with Task Force Chosen. During the exercise scenario, Roderick treated the wounded and extracted patients from damaged and burning vehicles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson).

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That others may live

A U.S. Army soldier with Task Force Chosen, places a tourniquet on Capt. Joshua Nichols, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing military attorney, during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise with Airmen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. During the exercise scenario, the teams treated and extracted the wounded from damaged and burning vehicles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson).

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That others may live

A U.S. Army soldier guards the perimeter during a mass casualty and extraction exercise with Airmen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, June 16, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Patrol teams provide 360 degree security to combat enemy forces and ensure rescue and extraction teams can attend to the wounded and get them to a safe location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

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That others may live

Senior Airman Travis Holmes, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron pararescue specialist, assess the scene and annotates the wounded, during a joint mass casualty and extraction exercise, June 16, 2016 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Airmen from the 83rd ERQS, paired with soldiers from Task Force Chosen to increase interoperability with each other and demonstrate theater personnel recovery capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

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Making the difference on the battlefield

Published June 17, 2016
By Capt. Korey Fratini
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Living by the motto “That others may live” Air Force pararescue specialists ensure that they are trained to the highest standards to conduct personnel recovery operations. It is these highly skilled individuals that provide the only dedicated U.S. personnel recovery assets in Afghanistan.

Recently Airmen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron conducted a joint mass casualty and extrication exercise with U.S. Army Task Force Chosen to increase interoperability with each other and demonstrate theater personnel recovery capabilities.

“Realistic training and making the combat situations as realistic as possible is going to make the difference on the battlefield,” said Lt. Col. Russell Cook, 83rd ERQ commander. “Realistic training is key.”

In the realistic training situation Airmen acted as injured patients. There were Airmen spread across the grounds of the site including those stuck inside damaged vehicles. Airmen from the 83rd ERQS and Soldiers from Task Force Chosen responded to the scene and immediately began the work to identify injuries and extract patients.

The teams used a variety of tools including saws and the Jaws of Life in order to safely extract injured patients from the vehicles. The goal is to get the patient out as quickly and safely as possible in order to save their life.

“The reason we do these exercises is because there is only a certain amount of time before a patient could go south on you,” said 1st Lt. Nicholas Adagio, 83rd ERQS Combat Rescue Officer. “Trying to get the best extrication techniques possible out there and train to the highest standards is best for our isolated personnel.”

These realistic scenarios ensure that Air Force pararescue teams are ready at moments notice to execute a variety of personnel recovery operations in the differing terrain environments throughout Afghanistan.

“We train to this every single day and we are the most capable response force for personnel recovery,” said Adagio.