Soldier of Fortune: BLEEDING OUT FOR POLITICS
By Dalton Fury, SOF Editor on Sunday, 01/29/2012 – 5:26pm [snip] “The point here is that warriors rely on speed to survive, both on the assault and after they’ve been hit. If Army policy in Afghanistan is to wait for an armed escort before the red cross-marked MEDEVAC can fly, then the answer is obvious. … Continue reading
Army Times: Rep. Todd Akin Tells DoD Savings Lives more important than Geneva Convention
01-17-2012 “A key lawmaker says the military could save more lives in Afghanistan if the Army would arm its Medevac helicopters rather than worry about its commitment to the Geneva Convention. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a letter sent Tuesday to the Defense Department that … Continue reading
Stripes.com: Controversial debate brewing: Should Army medevacs be armed?
A military blogger’s report blaming Army policy for the death of a solider has sparked a contentious debate in Congress, Politco reports — an issue that has military and lawmakers asking: should Army medevacs should be armed? Politico reports that blogger Michael Yon blamed the September death of Spc. Chazray Clark on the Army’s policy … Continue reading
Politico.com: Should Army medevacs be armed?
Politico.com By CHARLES HOSKINSON| 1/25/12 10:23 PM EST “A contentious debate over arming Army medevac helicopters sparked by the death of a soldier whose wounding in Afghanistan was videotaped by an embedded blogger is spilling into the halls of Congress.” [snip] “This is an issue that has been subjected to considerable review by senior, experienced, … Continue reading
Examiner.com: Is Army medevac policy killing our wounded troops?
By Lawrence Wood “The United State Army has a policy that is killing our wounded troops in Afghanistan. U.S. Army medevac UH60s are unarmed and require by policy an armed escort before proceeding to pick up wounded troops. Given the high demand for AH64 Apache gunships in-theater, this policy results in unnecessary and unreasonable delays. … Continue reading
Gen. Dempsey talks about trust
What the Profession of Arms requires of us first and foremost is trust. So let me speak to that picture for a second and ask you to emblazon it in your memory.
That squad leader is obviously serving in Afghanistan. He is operating because he trusts that that man or woman to his right flank, that rifleman, is protecting him while he does his job. And similarly, that rifleman who is oriented outward is confident and trusts that the squad leader has his back.
It doesn’t get any more fundamental than trust. And trust is built on confidence in each other. And confidence comes from recognizing the competence, the character, the quality of each of us. You’ve got to have it.
The other thing about that picture is that squad leader—you can see in his eyes if you can see the picture clearly enough, the conflicting emotions that mark a battlefield—courage and fear, confidence and uncertainty. He’s on the radio and he’s calling for something. It could be close air support, could be medevac, could be additional guidance. I don’t know what it is. But whatever it is, you know that he’s going to get it and he knows that he’s going to get it. Because what makes us unique on the face of the earth is that as a military if you need something, we’re going to get it for you. You can trust in that.
So that whole picture is an image of trust and trust is the very foundation of our profession. And if you’re not living up to earning your part of that equation, you’re not living up to being a member of the profession.
U.S. Army Chief PAO: Army statement on MEDEVAC issue
WASHINGTON (Jan. 20, 2012) — Statement by the Chief Public Affairs Officer – U.S. Army “Recent news items about the use of Army medical evacuation, or MEDEVAC, helicopters in Afghanistan contain troubling information. The reporting suggests that putting red crosses on MEDEVACs, and not arming them somehow, is putting injured Soldiers’ lives at risk. The … Continue reading
CBS Evening News: Did a military rule cost a soldier’s life?
Did a military rule cost a soldier’s life? January 19, 2012 4:51 PM On a September night in Afghanistan, a wounded American soldier died waiting to be evacuated. David Martin reports on a military rule that could have contributed to the soldier’s death. The CBS Evening News video report can be viewed here: Did a … Continue reading
Military.com: Amid Criticism, Army Defends Medevac Mission
By Philip Ewing “The Army has no evidence its unarmed medical evacuation helicopters marked with the red cross are attacked more often than other helicopters in Afghanistan, the service said Wednesday, and it strongly defended its medevac policies in the face of criticism from a member of Congress. [snip] “The Army has legal and practical … Continue reading
Dennis Miller interview of Michael Yon 2012-01-18
Michael Yon gives a concise review of the problems with the U.S. Army MEDEVAC policies in the wake of the death of SPC Chazray Clark on September 18, 2011. Dennis Miller interview of Michael Yon 2012-01-18
Washington Times: Bureaucracy killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan – Political correctness keeps Army medevac helicopters grounded
By James Simpson “The U.S. military has developed the best system in the world for dealing with combat casualties. As medical technology has advanced, new methods of treatment have been developed, and the speed and efficiency of transport from the battlefield to essential medical services has greatly increased chances for combat wounded to survive. So … Continue reading
“So That Others May Live”
This project started with the heart-wrenching death US Army Specialist Chazray Clark in a farmer’s field just a mile and a half from a MEDEVAC helicopter that waited ZZZ minutes for permission to fly the 3 minutes to that field and another 10 minutes to one of the world’s finest trauma treatment facilities located at Kandahar Air Field.
What started as a campaign to remove the Red Cross symbols and arm the MEDEVAC helicopters has broadened to address other policies and procedures that conspired to result in Chazray’s death last September 18.
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersmen: Medevac policy is costing lives
By Larry Wood “The U.S. Army has a policy that is killing our wounded troops. The Army refuses to arm its medevac helicopters and insists on marking them with red crosses on white backgrounds so the enemy has a good aiming point and knows that they are not armed. The other services do not have … Continue reading
Big Peace: A Pilot’s Perspective on Michael Yon’s Medevac Debate
By Bill Tuttle “Connectivity, lack thereof, being what it is over here in Afghanistan, I was aware of the latest brouhaha Mike Yon has started about medevacs having target markers — ummm — big red crosses painted on them so we’d be in compliance with the Geneva Accords. I figured the controversy, which … Continue reading
MEDEVAC Matters 