Wyoming Guard members awarded for rescue from hot LZ
Two Wyoming Army National Guard members were awarded the Dustoff Association’s Rescue of the Year award.
The US National Guard has shared the news that two Wyoming Army National Guard members were awarded the Dustoff Association’s Rescue of the Year award in a ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Cheyenne on 5 May. The award was given for a medical evacuation mission in Afghanistan almost two years ago.
On 4 December 2015, pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Herget and medic Staff Sgt Derrick Perkins loaded a Charlie Company, 5-159th Aviation Regiment, UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to respond to friendly forces in southern Afghanistan. They were part of a four-man crew that would join a second Black Hawk in responding.
The mission would be the first medevac of the tour for both men, who had been deployed for less than a month, said the Guard. While monitoring a satellite radio, their team leader heard chatter about enemy contact with ground forces about 10 minutes away.
“We heard the chatter on the radio and anticipated we needed to go,” Perkins said. “They said, ‘Hey, we’re calling in a nine-line’, so we said, ‘Let’s go’," Herget added.
Lifting 10 minutes later, the two helicopter crews learned the number of casualties on the ground: eight casualties and a wounded dog from a handler team. During the flight, as Herget flew the helicopter, Perkins started walking himself through possible scenarios for the wounded, preparing for the worst. “I was going through traumatic scenarios, going through numbers and steps ahead of landing, thinking which casualties would go where,” Perkins said.
Later in the flight, the crews were told that the casualties had been hit by the detonation of an improvised explosive device and that the injuries would vary. However, three were urgent care patients, meaning their injuries were severe enough they needed to be evacuated immediately.
While inbound, the medical helicopters had trouble contacting the ground forces. Eventually, information was relayed to them that they would be facing a hot landing zone (LZ), meaning enemy combatants were engaged in the area by friendly troops. “I’d not landed in that hot of an LZ before,” Perkins said.
Green smoke was used to mark the LZ, which was inside a building compound that was surrounded by wires. “As we got closer, we decided a quick, direct approach would be best because there were enemy forces with weapons in the area,” Herget said. “Lead [aircraft] announced there were wires as we approached.”
Crews prefer to fly over and assess an LZ at least once, but in this case a direct approach was chosen. One benefit of the direct approach was that it would prevent the enemy on the ground from preparing for the landing and attack the helicopters, noted the Guard.
Herget’s crew brought their aircraft safely into the compound. However, it became apparent that friendly forces were still in an active firefight with enemy forces. “As soon as we landed, I saw a bunch of enemy combatants on the right side,” Herget said. “You could tell they were shooting.”
On the ground, Perkins immediately got off onto the ground to link with the friendlies and evaluate the casualties. “We sent the walking wounded to our aircraft to take,” Perkins said. “There were a lot of head injuries.” The most seriously wounded friendlies went onto the lead aircraft. “We took on five, [plus] a dog, and an escort from the ground forces.”
The troops on the ground continued their firefight with the enemy while the evacuation was under way. After six minutes at the LZ, the two aircraft took off to reach Kandahar Airfield and a military combat hospital. The pilots pushed their machines to the limit to make the flight in 35 minutes. Herget commented: “The lead aircraft pulled all the power it had.” Perkins added: “We went directly over bad spots. We went over areas we get briefed by [intelligence] not to fly over.”
Touching down at the airfield, the crews helped unload the wounded soldiers and transfer them to waiting medical personnel. Herget and Perkins then went to work resupplying their aircraft and preparing for follow-on missions. Even in the moment of the rescue, there was little time to think about what was just accomplished, said the Guard. “It was the last thing you think of when you’re doing your job,” Perkins said. Medical personnel later stated that had the aircraft not arrived so quickly, some of the soldiers could have succumbed to their injuries.
Both men have been recognised for their commitment to their duties and courage under fire.