US Army, June 03, 2019 - CIERKJLE, SLOVENIA by Capt. David Preczewski - “MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC, MEDEVAC!” 1st Lt. Matt Reynolds, Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Roy Page, Sgt. Taylor Mitchell and Spc. Ashton Hornung of C Company, 2-1 General Support Aviation Battalion, assigned to Task Force Nightmare of the 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division heard over the radio in the early hours on May 15, 2019.
It’s a call that no one likes to hear, but is something that this HH-60 Medical Evacuation, or DUSTOFF crew has been training for.
DUSTOFF is the common call sign for a MEDEVAC helicopter, a tradition dating back to the Vietnam War.
When asked what goes through his mind when getting this call as a DUSTOFF crewmember, CW2 Page responded that you, “…focus on your training. [I] try my best to do everything I can to make sure this patient and my crew are safe.” Page went on to state that, “We constantly drill our abilities in everything we do as soldiers. In MEDEVAC, that means practicing your role in the aircraft and running through all possible scenarios in your head to make sure you are ready when it counts.”
For this DUSTOFF crew, not only did this mission count, but it was each crewmember’s first MEDEVAC mission. The crew delivered the patient, who was a soldier with a suspected spinal injury, to a nearby hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The 2-1 General Aviation Support Battalion and 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion are both currently supporting the NATO exercise Immediate Response.
This exercise is a part of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade’s rotational mission in Europe, Atlantic Resolve.
It’s a call that no one likes to hear, but is something that this HH-60 Medical Evacuation, or DUSTOFF crew has been training for.
DUSTOFF is the common call sign for a MEDEVAC helicopter, a tradition dating back to the Vietnam War.
When asked what goes through his mind when getting this call as a DUSTOFF crewmember, CW2 Page responded that you, “…focus on your training. [I] try my best to do everything I can to make sure this patient and my crew are safe.” Page went on to state that, “We constantly drill our abilities in everything we do as soldiers. In MEDEVAC, that means practicing your role in the aircraft and running through all possible scenarios in your head to make sure you are ready when it counts.”
For this DUSTOFF crew, not only did this mission count, but it was each crewmember’s first MEDEVAC mission. The crew delivered the patient, who was a soldier with a suspected spinal injury, to a nearby hospital in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The 2-1 General Aviation Support Battalion and 3-1 Assault Helicopter Battalion are both currently supporting the NATO exercise Immediate Response.
This exercise is a part of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade’s rotational mission in Europe, Atlantic Resolve.
See also |
1st CAB
1st Combat Aviation Brigade US Army Aviation 
Slovenia Sikorsky HH-60M Black Hawk
Black Hawk in
US Army Aviation 
