10th Combat Aviation Brigade demonstrates medevac capabilities with German army

By Spc. Thomas Scaggs, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade JournalistApril 6, 2017

MEDEVAC training with German army
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – German army medics rush a casualty toward a C Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopter during a demonstration March 29 at Lehnin Training Area, Germany. This was part of a robust demo of the German army's ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
MEDEVAC training
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
MEDEVAC training
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BRÜCK, Germany (April 6, 2017) -- UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crews from C Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (LI), assisted the German army with a demonstration of combined medevac capabilities at Lehnin Training Area on March 29.

The multistage demonstration, shown to members of NATO allied forces and German parliament, detailed the process of casualty care from the battlefield to the hospital, and in doing so, showcased the high level of medical capability offered by the partnership.

"This demonstration shows the capacity and capabilities of the German Medical Service," said German army Lt. Col. Andreas Walter, the medical demonstration's director and head of the medical school in Bavaria.

"We like to use helicopters, especially American helicopters, because it is really important to train on cooperation and procedures, for transporting casualties into a helicopter, on a multinational level," he added.

The demonstration had four different stages, sometimes with stadium seating and live-action camera footage projected on a theater-sized screen.

The first stage saw mock live fire from tanks and infantry, setting the stage for a battle in the distance. Mock casualties, complete with fake blood, were transported before the seats and triaged before being loaded into a massive German boxer medical vehicle.

At the second stage, the vehicle arrived and its casualties were unloaded into the care of skilled staff members who tended to wounds inside tents while the screen outside projected all of the action.

The wounded, now stable enough for long-range transport, were moved by vehicle to the next stage, where a green smoke grenade had been tossed in a field to signal the incoming medevac helicopter. A thunderous rumble echoed through the trees as C Company's UH-60 Black Hawk approached the landing zone. A crew chief threw the helicopter's door open and rushed to meet the medical staff transporting a patient on a stretcher to the helicopter. Once two patients have been secured and the helicopter departed over the field's tree line, the crowd erupted in applause.

The final stage showcased the drop-off of casualties and the care they would receive in a German hospital setting, a place highly regarded among service members for receiving medical care.

Members of the 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion who were assisting with the demonstration, which ran for nearly a week just an hour outside of Berlin, said it was an excellent opportunity to learn about each other's capabilities and practice procedures that may one day save someone's life.

"We always talk about NATO partners and partnering up, and we're actually getting to do that here," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joseph Torres, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot with C Company, 3-10 General Support Aviation Battalion. "I think we need to get together more often, like we're doing now, to get to know each other and learn what our capabilities are."

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