Death comes for us all (Part III, But not Today)) (545 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 2 on 4 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Amusediniraq (View user info) at 2004-02-16 09:54:22 EST
Part I: http://www.ubersite.com/m/23903
Part II: http://www.ubersite.com/m/24140
Death comes for us all (Part III)
The radio chirped then squawked. The watchman picked up the hand mike and listened to the medevac request. The military had a system for everything. It was simply a matter of plugging in specific information at the appropriate time and place. A radio call for a medevac was no different than a request for supplies. Line by line the watchman copied down the information. Already one of the pilots was heading towards the aircraft on the flight line. He was accompanied by the crew chief.
The flight medic and pilot in charge listened to the speaker. They both made notes on their kneeboards. One was interested in location, the other was interested in the number and types of wounded. Unfortunately this was almost routine. They had been doing this job for months and with ever increasing number of incidents per day they knew each morning that they would have to fly. Once the watchman acknowledged the radio call he checked his information with the pilot and medic. Everything coincided and out the door they hurried.
It was a short walk to the flight line, only about three hundred meters. The UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was already pre-flighted and ready to go. The pilot and crew chief had the APU or auxiliary power unit running. This was essentially the starter. It powered all the aircraft's systems as the pilot ran down the check list before turning on the engines. He was sitting in the left seat diligently going down the checklist while the pilot in command and the medic finished getting their flight gear on. They all wore special flame retardant nomex uniforms and gloves, a ballistic vest, a survival vest over the top of that and a flight helmet. The flight helmet was a large lightweight helmet that had a dark visor that slid down over their eyes making the crewmen look like a fly. The flight helmet had a special microphone and speakers to allow each crewmember to speak to each other with a push of a button on the helicopter's internal communication system or ICS. As the crew chief posted as a fireguard for the engine run up, the medic was inside double-checking his equipment for the second time that day.
"Clear on One?" The pilot asked
"Clear on One!" The crew chief answered.
With that the pilot advanced the power control lever for the number one engine into the start position. There was a loud groan as the turbine engine caught and roared to life. The rotor system began to turn.
"Blades turning," the crew chief announced.
Faster and faster the blades spun until they disappeared into a continuous disc of movement. The pilot called out for the number two engine and received the all clear. Again a power control lever was advanced and the groan of the number two engine could be heard under the whine of the first. Once both engines were engaged the crew chief entered the helicopter and buckled in. The pilots moved the power control levers from idle to fly and the rotors raced even faster, whistling through the air. The pilot in command came up on the radio and asked tower for clearance to depart direct from the parking area. The tower controller recognized the medevac's call sign, checked for other traffic and approved the departure request.
An audible change in pitch could be noted as the power was brought in and the helicopter began to rise from the ground. With a slight forward adjustment on the controls the helicopter moved forward and gained altitude. The pilots scanned their sectors as they came around the airfield and headed off in the direction of their target. They flew fast, almost 150 knots an hour at approximately 100 feet above the surface of the sand. Each crewmember watched intently out the helicopter for obstacles. Wires at this speed could prove fatal. But, they had flown in this area for several months and were aware of the major hazards. Still the sky is very unforgiving of any mistakes.
The medevac was up and off in about ten minutes time and their pick-up zone was about a ten-minute flight away. With ten minutes or less on the ground and another ten minute flight to the combat support hospital the casualties will have reached a fully functional, state of the art, surgical suite in less than forty minutes from receiving the call. That and the improved personal protective devices, like the ballistic vest, soldiers wounded on the battlefield now had the best chance of surviving their wounds than at any other time in history. These men were going to test that theory once again.
Through the front wind screen the pilot could see a line of military vehicles along the side the road. Traffic was stopped at both ends of the convoy and backed up for quite a ways. There were two hummvee's on the other side of a field near the river and another hummvee on its side burning on the road. They raced once over the top to get a closer look at the situation on the ground. As they came around they noticed a cloud of billowing red smoke rising from the field where someone had thrown a smoke grenade. The helicopter lined up into the wind and began a slow descent onto the field.
"Light dust at the tail," the crew chief announced, as the rotor wash began to stir up dust from the field. As the helicopter continued its descent the dust was blown clear and the ground could clearly be seen rising up to meet the aircraft. There was a small bounce as the wheels came into contact with the ground and the pilot released power and the helicopters weight came to rest firmly on the ground. Without hesitation the medic threw open the cabin door and with his aid bag ran out to meet someone on the ground.
"Whatta you got?" He yelled over the roar of the helicopter.
"We got two...One's pretty bad, his arm is all fucked. He's on the litter. And the other is banged up pretty good but is up and talking." The medic walked over to where the litter was laying on the ground. There was a pale almost naked man lying on his back. There was a large bandage around his right arm, an IV in his left and a splint on his right leg. He also had a plastic tube inserted into his mouth to keep him from choking on this tongue. The other patient was brought up with some help. He also looked pale. His eyes were wide and he was unsteady. The flight medic came up to him and asked him his name. The man answered but it was too soft to be heard over the noise of the aircraft. He then asked if he was hurt anywhere as he reached out and gently felt his arms and chest to see if he could elicit any pain. The man looked up at the burning truck then at the man on the litter and started to say something else. His lips were moving but no one could understand or hear him over the persistent noise of the aircraft. The medic pulled out a pair of earplugs gave them to the man and motioned for him to put them in. He watched to see if the man would comply. He slowly opened the box and began to put in the earplugs. Good, the medic thought. He grabbed the man under his arm and guided him to the helicopter. He instinctively stooped low when he was under the rotor disc and he handed the man off to the crew chief. The crew chief in turn took the man into the helicopter and sat him in a seat along the back wall of the aircraft and buckled him in.
The medic turned around and ran back to the litter patient. He knelt down next to the medic and asked for some vital signs. While the medic was relaying his report the flight medic did a complete once over, reassessing the bandages and treatment rendered. He didn't like the looks of the bandage on the arm and the ankle splint looked as if it would fall off. But the man was secured to the litter and the IV was flowing wide open and the patient was breathing on his own. It would have to do. He pointed at three people standing around and indicated for them to grab a handle of the litter. They did. As they lifted him up he again guided the group towards the helicopter.
In the passenger compartment of the helicopter was the carousel. The carousel was a rotating contraption with four spaces to hold litters, two on either side with one above the other. The carousel spun around inside the open passenger compartment and allowed the medic to have access to all patients on board. He brought the litter up to the carousel and loaded it on board. The crew chief immediately began helping the flight medic secure the patient. The litter bearers turned and ran clear of the rotor discs. Once the litter was all secure the crew chief returned to his side of the aircraft. The medic checked the seatbelt of the first patient and gave him a thumbs up. The patient lifted his arm and lazily extended a thumb. The flight medic nodded grabbed the cargo door and slid it shut behind him as he climbed into the aircraft.
"Patients and crew secure," he announced as he hooked up his monkey harness, which was nothing more than a nylon strap that would prevent him from hurting the pilots if they were to crash. The flight medic began to hook up a monitor to the patient to try and get a better picture of his vital signs. He steadied himself as the aircraft lifted off and headed towards the hospital. Next, he looked at the bandage around the man's injured arm. It was loose but not dripping blood. The flight medic pulled out an ace bandage and began to wrap the bandage around the shredded arm to reinforce the dressing. He then moved his hands over the casualty to see if he could find any other injuries. He found none. As he worked down the body he came to the ankle splint. It was functional but not very tidy. He tied a few more appropriate knots and checked the patients breathing one more time. Everything was as it had been.
The litter patient was injured badly. The flight medic knew that his arm was a total loss. He resisted looking into his face to see if he recognized him from around camp. He did look back at the first patient sitting in his seat. He was holding his head in his hands and mumbling something to himself. The medic then looked out the window. They were at a high hover coming in for a landing at the hospital. An ambulance was parked on the edge of the landing zone with several people hunched behind the vehicle hiding from the wind. There was another familiar bump as the helicopter settled onto the ground once again. The door slid open as the hospital medics came out to unload the litter patient. The flight medic handed a piece of paper from his kneeboard to the senior man present. On it was a diagram of a person and the medic had made marks to show where the injuries were, also on the paper were a set of vital signs and a note concerning the IV. The senior medic took the paper and stuffed it into his pocket.
The flight medic then helped the first patient out of his seat. He handed the man off to the senior medic who nodded and turned away. The flight medic climbed back into the helicopter and everyone watched as the hospital ambulance drove off to the hospital. Once the vehicle was clear the medevac helicopter lifted off to clear the pad in case another casualty came in. The helicopter returned to its home and shut down, got refueled and the flight medic cleaned up and took stock of the items he used. Finally it was back to the ready room where they would sit and make idle conversation or watch TV. That's all there was to do they had six more hours of their shift remaining.
User Reviews
Submitted by Scott_James (user info) at 2004-02-17 00:00:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Fantastic.
Submitted by Scientifik (user info) at 2004-02-16 14:22:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
It must suck when you get called into work AIQ
Submitted by Heimdallsman (user info) at 2004-02-16 14:20:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn, you're good.
--HeimdallsMan
Submitted by Sarah_Lano (user info) at 2004-02-16 13:22:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment