US Army Report: 2011 After action report blasts MEDEVAC shortcomings
United States Central Command Joint Theater Trauma System HQ, BAF, APO, AE 09354 MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD 7 February 2011 SUBJECT: After action report for MEDCOM Tasker 1039.01C. (90 Day TSC deployment of an Emergency Physician to serve as the medical director for Enroute Critical Care Nurses (ECCN) and MEDEVAC units performing patient evacuation in the … Continue reading
Point-Counterpoint: 92% Casualty Survival Rate in Afghanistan
The Department of Defense defines Killed In Action (KIA) as someone who “is killed outright or who dies as a result of wounds or other injuries before reaching a medical treatment facility.” Someone who is wounded in battle and survives his wounds and is later returned to duty or transported to a higher level Medical … Continue reading
Point-Counterpoint: Geneva Convention Applicability to the U.S. in Afghanistan
A familiar argument against changing the Army’s MEDEVAC policies is that the United States is a signatory state on the Geneva Convention and we are prohibited from providing medical evacuation to wounded troops in unmarked, armed helicopters. The argument often is buttressed by the admonition that even if our adversaries (the Taliban and al Qaeda) … 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
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
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
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
MEDEVAC Matters 