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CAMP CASEY, South Korea – M*A*S*H, a hit TV show from 1972 to 1983
about the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Uijeongbu, South
Korea, during the Korean War, showed a medical team's passion and
desire, as well as the guts required for caring and treating the
wounded during the war.
Today, Company C, 3rd General Support
Aviation Battalion, 2nd Combat Avn. Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division,
still supports that region with real-world air medical evacuation
services for U.S. Forces, Family members, Department of Defense
civilians and Korean nationals as needed.
They have two team
sites in South Korea: The main one is at Camp Humphreys at Area III
in and near Pyongtaek, and another is at Camp Casey, covering the
Northern area of the peninsula known as Area I.
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Crew members from Dustoff, Company C, 3rd General Support
Aviation Battalion, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 2nd Infantry
Division, practice procedures required for air medical evacuation
services Sept. 19, 2014. These services are provided in emergency
situations for U.S. forces, family members, Department of Defense
civilians and Korean nationals as needed.
(U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jessica Meyer)
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“We operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365
days a year,” said Capt. Phillip E. Walker, operations
officer for 3rd GSAB, 2nd CAB, 2nd Inf. Div. and native of
Gainesville, Fla. “They are on standby waiting for the call
at anytime to change their call sign from ‘Dust Off' to ‘Evac';
signifying a real-world mission where a patient is
transported from one site to a treatment facility as quickly
as possible.”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tristian Gates, a medevac pilot
with 3rd GSAB says he honestly wouldn't want to do anything
else, that he loves his job and that everyone can appreciate
the importance of it. The crew on the current rotation at
the Camp Casey site seems to share in Gates' sentiment.
“At any given time the crew doesn't know where, how far
or what type of medical treatment will be needed,” said
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan Trant, also a medevac pilot
with 3rd GSAB.
Trant emphasized the importance of being
able to get up and go at a moment's notice.
“They
have to be ready at anytime,” said Trant. “The crew has to
be ready to launch and be in the air within 15 minutes.”
That readiness equals saving lives. The medevac crew is
constantly orienting themselves to the Korean Peninsula,
because when they have a real-world mission, they have to be
able to maneuver quickly through the airspace to get the
patient to the treatment facility as quickly as possible.
“At Camp Casey, the crew is co-located with the Troop
Medical Clinic. “This provides the ability to get the
patient from site to treatment facility as quickly as
possible in this area,” said Trant.
Trant takes a lot of
pride in his job and requested to come specifically to a
medevac unit.
“The majority of the air medical
evacuations come from Area I,” said Trant. “When that phone
goes off, we are sprinting to the helicopter. Every person
here wants to make an impact and take care of the person on
the other end.”
In this mission, minutes can impact
someone's life; a consequence every member of this crew
understands. This significant real-world mission spans the
entire peninsula. It's carried out by medevac crews who are
skilled, trained and ready to take on anything that comes
their way.
Much like the medical team depicted in the
hit TV Show M*A*S*H, these crews are in the business of
saving lives. They operate in the same area the real MASH
units were once set up during the Korean War.
By U.S. Army Capt. Jessica Meyer
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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