Spring 07 - DUSTOFF Association

THE
DUSTOFFER
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
DUSTOFF ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
In this issue:
2007 DUSTOFF HALL
NOMINEES
AND
OF
FAME
BALLOT
✰✰✰
PLAN NOW
FOR
DUSTOFF REUNION 2008
29 FEBRUARY–2 MARCH 2008
Marines prepare to hook an immobilized DUSTOFF UH-60 Blackhawk to
their CH-53E Super Stallion in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. The Blackhawk was
disabled during a routine training mission.
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 1
President’s Message
Greetings to all DUSTOFF members and those associated
with DUSTOFF units. I hope this message finds you safe
and in good spirits. I am honored to be the president of this
illustrious organization and look forward to an exciting year
with the Association.
I want to thank Doug Moore for his commitment as president during the past year; judging by this year’s reunion, it
was a very successful year. Check out the pictures on the
website. I also want to thank Dan and Suzie Gower, Anthony Garcia, Patrick Zenk, and Jim Truscott for all their
work in keeping the Association running smoothly.
The rich heritage of DUSTOFF is sustained through
activities including the Scholarship program, DUSTOFF
coin presentations to soldiers returning from deployment,
recognition and awards, the Website, and of course, the
Annual Reunion. I urge you to stay involved in your Association and help me to sustain and improve the success we
currently enjoy. If you have ideas or comments please send
DUSTOFF Association
Executive Council
President:
Timothy Burke ... [email protected]
Executive Director:
Dan Gower ......... [email protected]
Vice President:
Robert Mitchell .. [email protected]
Treasurer:
Dan Gower ......... [email protected]
Secretary:
Anthony Garcia . [email protected]
Historian:
Patrick Zenk ....... [email protected]
DUSTOFFer Editor:
Jim Truscott ....... [email protected]
Web Site: http://www.dustoff.org
Ronald Huether .. [email protected]
✰✰✰✰✰
DUSTOFFer layout & design
Susan Gower .................................. [email protected]
Printing
Ink, Spot, Ink Printing & Publishing
PAGE 2
them to me at my E-Mail address: [email protected].
DUSTOFF!
—DUSTOFFer—
Hall of Famer Egor Johnson, Mike Novosel, and By Howlett
at the 2007 DUSTOFF Reunion.
DUSTOFF Association
Past Presidents
Chuck Mateer (1980–81) .............. deceased
John Hosley (1981–82) ................. [email protected]
Byron Howlett (1982–83) ............. [email protected]
Ed Taylor (1983–84) ..................... [email protected]
Thomas Scofield (1984–85) .......... [email protected]
Joseph Madrano (1985–86) ........... [email protected]
Jim Ritchie (1986–87)
Donald Conkright (1987–88) ........ [email protected]
Roy Hancock (1988–89) ............... [email protected]
Glen Melton (1989–90) ................. [email protected]
Gerald Nolan (1990–91) ............... [email protected]
Jim Truscott (1991–92) ................. [email protected]
Roger Opio (1992–93) .................. [email protected]
Ed Bradshaw (1993–94) ................ [email protected]
Robert Romines (1994–96) ........... [email protected]
Daniel Gower (1996–97) .............. [email protected]
Charlie Webb (1997–98) ............... [email protected]
Herb Coley (1998–99) .................. [email protected]
Merle Snyder (1999–2000) ........... [email protected]
Gregg Griffin (2000–01) ................ [email protected]
Jeff Mankoff (2001–02) ................ [email protected]
Ken Crook (2002–03) ................... [email protected]
Art Hapner (2003–04) ................... [email protected]
Ernie Sylvester (2004–05) ............ [email protected]
Garry Atkins (2005-6) ................... [email protected]
Doug Moore (2006-7) ................... [email protected]
Founder
Tom “Egor” Johnson ..................... [email protected]
Members at Large
Michael Kelley .............................. [email protected]
Jack Leech .................................... [email protected]
Scott Avery .................................... [email protected]
Mike Bishop ................................. [email protected]
Johnny West .................................. [email protected]
The DUSTOFFer
DUSTOFF Reunion 2006
2007 Aviator of the Year, Jason Didonato, Mrs. Didonato,
MAJ Ricky Ortiz
Egor Johnson speaks at Hall of Fame Induction.
MAJ Rob Howe, Commander, 159th Med. Co., with
2007 Rescue of the Year crew
MAJ Rob Howe, Commander, 159th Med. Co., with
Judith Craig, widow of 2007 Flight Medic of the Year,
Heathe Craig
Anthony Nunez, 2007 Crew Chief of the Year, with family
DUSTOFFers at the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame: Ed Taylor,
Craig Honaman, Tom Hill, Egor Johnson, Percy Hurtado,
Jim Truscott, Jerry Thompson, Pat Brady, and Doug Moore
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 3
Saviors from Above
by Jeremy Gentry
Fort Rucker’s FLATIRON saves the
life of a North Georgia woman on Easter Day 2006.
O
n Easter Day 2006, a modernday savior descended in the
dense forest of northern Georgia. Soldiers from Fort Rucker’s FLATIRON were called on to aid local emergency personnel in the rescue of an elderly woman.
Ms.Winona Bailey of Fannin
County, Georgia, was out boating in a
swift-moving river with her dog when
her boat lodged onto rocks in a shallow part of the river. Ms. Bailey swam
to the bank and set out for help at a
house on a nearby slope. The steep
slope got the best of her, however, and
she fell and broke her ankle, leaving
her stranded.
Ms. Bailey lay in the rocky crags
of the slope for two days before anyone noticed her plight. A civilian search
and rescue helicopter was dispatched
to locate the stranded woman, and local volunteers hastily organized a rescue party to retrieve Ms. Bailey from
the slope. After repeated attempts to
evacuate her, however, the terrain
proved too great a hindrance for the
personnel and equipment at hand.
Warrant Officers Paul Bretey and
Brent Welsch of Fort Rucker, Alabama,
received the familiar but all too rare
“MAST” (Military Assistance to Safety
and Traffic) call on the afternoon of
Easter Sunday. Immediately, the pilots
and crew made the necessary calls to
prepare for the mission and after receiving the green light from their command
were in route to what would be a truly
unique and memorable experience.
When the call came, the pilots had
just returned from a flight in which the
crew familiarized themselves with the
location of area hospitals. Dispatched
to northern Georgia to support Army
Ranger training, the FLATIRON crew
was, up until this point, prepared to
settle in for another routine duty. However, a MAST mission is anything but
routine, and for two OH-58D Kiowa
Warrior scout pilots recently converted
to the UH-1 Huey and the MEDEVAC
PAGE 4
mission, the idea of being tapped for a
real-world rescue was far from their
mind. Accompanying the pilots on the
mission were Specialists Andrew
Kimmell and Adam Montavon. Unlike
their pilots, these two flight medics had
long prepared for a mission of this type,
and both eagerly awaited the opportunity to put their training to the test.
The crew encountered their first of
many obstacles not long after takeoff.
The pilots had the general location but
were unfamiliar with the area, and the
Ms. Bailey lay in the
rocky crags of the slope
for two days before anyone noticed her plight.
precise location of the patient was unknown.
To counter this, SPC Montavon decided to attempt contact with the local
911 service via cell phone to connect
with the ground personnel. Through the
noise, Montavon was told to look for
“orange vests” and “arms waving” in a
small boat on the river. But of course,
Easter weekend meant there were many
such orange-vested, arm-waving folks
eager to be noticed by the low-flying
helicopter.
The crew eventually spotted the rescue site, but the difficulty the crew
faced in locating the site was just the
beginning of their troubles. For this
mission, the crew looked down upon
the bank of a rushing river, only occasionally visible through the branches of
overhanging trees.
Kimmell, the senior medic by both
experience and rank, would be the one
to go below to treat and secure the patient. Neither was sure just how
Kimmell was to be safely lowered to
the bank, and Kimmell told his partner
to lower the hoist into the water if he
needed to. Unsure of Kimmell’s swimming ability in the swift-moving river,
Montavon continually sought an alternative as Kimmell descended.
Midway down, Kimmell felt the
hoist start to swing and first began to
wonder if there was a problem. However, his partner had found an ingenious
alternative—Montavon was instructing
the pilot on the controls, Mr. Welsch,
to move the aircraft side to side to swing
the hoist under the trees. This allowed
Kimmell to land with only his feet in
DUSTOFF Heroes from Flatiron: Flight Medics Andrew Kimmell, Adam Montavon, and
Pilots, Warrant Officers Paul Bretey and Brent Welsch.
The DUSTOFFer
the water, avoiding the potential of being swept in the current.
Once on the ground, Kimmell found
himself navigating along an unstable
bed of jagged rocks that cut through the
boulder-laden slope to the stranded patient. This terrain had been the cause
for Ms. Bailey’s plight and had already
thwarted a ground evacuation by the
civilian EMS crew. Kimmell began the
arduous walk up the slope to the patient, taking what he later recalled was
“a solid five minutes to walk twentyfive or thirty feet.”
Once at the patient’s side, Kimmell
assessed the patient, taking over for the
civilian rescue personnel. One fact was
quickly determined: Ms. Bailey needed
more intensive care—immediately. She
was found to have a severely broken
leg and was suffering from the effects
of exposure. The medical personnel on
the ground had applied limited treatment to the patient, but she needed
much more and fast.
Surprisingly, Ms. Bailey had
splinted her leg by herself. The improvised splint was made of sticks, boot
laces, and a dog leash. It was so well
applied that Kimmell decided to leave
it in place.
Kimmell then contacted the helicopter to request the evacuation litter.
Montavon lowered the device, which
began spinning rapidly, preventing the
pendulum technique used earlier to
swing Kimmell onto the bank.
Montavon was forced to drop the gear
into the water, leaving Kimmell to go
in and retrieve it, the first of two times
he would have to swim across the raging river. After a difficult swim,
Kimmell secured Ms. Bailey in the litter and contacted the aircraft, this time
by hand signal due to weakened radio
communication.
Having lost his gloves in the torrent
of activity, Kimmell used his bare hands
to hold the guide rope for the litter as it
twisted its way to the hovering aircraft.
Bleeding and soaked to the bone,
Kimmell fought wind and current to
steady the litter.
Above, Welsch wearily held the
helicopter to a hover, occasionally
swinging to one side or another, responding to Bretey’s instructions as
pilot in command to avoid the nearby
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
trees.
Meanwhile, Montavon was busy
carefully operating the hoist. The litter
again began to spin as Kimmell slacked
the rope to avoid obstacles, and
Montavon wondered how he would get
the spinning litter into the aircraft. The
spin would have to be timed perfectly
to allow the litter to pass the aircraft’s
skids as well as to allow the patient to
be loaded with her head forward so the
crew would be able to provide aid en
route to the hospital.
“I had to time it just right . . . I’m
leaning all the way out of the aircraft .
. . one foot on the skid and the other
trying to catch her. . . . It ended up being just perfect.” Montavon later recalled.
Montavon secured the patient and
prepared to receive Kimmell, who, exhausted and eager to depart, saluted the
civilian onlookers as he began his ascent to the aircraft.
A combat veteran who served in an
infantry company, Kimmell had little
difficulty with the operation as a whole.
However, he cited the difficulties of
managing the fifteen to twenty wellmeaning civilians on the ground as his
biggest challenge. He was required at
various times to prevent near disaster
as the civilians attempted to assist in
an operation for which they were not
qualified.
Ms. Bailey’s severe dehydration
required she be given intravenous fluids while in-flight. Kimmell recalled the
difficulty of starting the needle in spite
of the unpredictable bumps of turbulence. In spite of her condition and the
rush and tumble of her first helicopter
evacuation, Ms. Bailey still displayed
the grit that got her into trouble in the
first place.
“After the first two attempts [to start
the IV],” Kimmell laughingly related,
“Ms. Bailey raised her head and asked,
‘Have you ever done that before?’”
Ms. Bailey was taken to the Northeast Georgia hospital and turned over
to awaiting medical personnel. In her
five days of treatment, Ms. Bailey was
given five blood transfusions, had filters placed in her veins to prevent clotting, and underwent surgery to repair
her broken leg. The crew later visited
her in recovery where they were
thanked by someone Montavon remembers was “a pretty feisty lady.”
In interviewing the crewmembers,
I was impressed by the willingness of
each to refer to the contributions their
fellow crewmen. Mr. Welsch quickly
pointed to the medics as the real stars
of the operation, conceding, “They
were awesome. We just flew the aircraft.” Each of the two medics was full
of praise for the other, as well as for
the pilots they collectively considered
the best they had ever flown with.
The mission, far from typical for
these Fort Rucker soldiers, required
unparalleled professionalism and creativity from the entire crew. Each one
went above and beyond his training to
secure success in an intense situation,
a situation requiring a great deal of improvisation and careful timing throughout.
According to research by the crew,
this mission was also the first of its kind
for Fort Rucker’s FLATIRON in over
ten years. Each member expressed a
strong sense of pride in being involved
in such a rare and rewarding mission.g
Wanted!
100 DUSTOFFers—
each with $100—who
are willing to donate
the money to the
DUSTOFF Association
At the 2007 Reunion, the membership voted to pay itself back for the
$10,000 placed into the Quad-A
Annuity for our DUSTOFF Scholarship.
These donations will be tax-deductible and help fund necessary
programs of the Association, primarily the funding of DUSTOFF
Association Coins, given to units
returning from combat operations.
At the Reunion we raised almost
$1,000 toward that goal. Be a sustaining part of the DUSTOFF Association. Mail your donation to the
DUSTOFF Association, P.O. Box
8091, Wainwright Station,
San Antonio, TX 78208. On the
“for” line note “100/100.”
PAGE 5
Army Europe Restructures
Activates 12th Combat Aviation Brigade
An article published in the 31 October 2006 Army Aviation,
by Greg L. Davis, an aviation photojournalist based in Manheim, Germany
n 8 August, the U.S. Army, Eu
·2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regi·45th Medical Company (Air amburd
rope activated its only combat ment, is now reflagged as 3 Battalion, lance) is now Company C, 5th Battalaviation brigade at Katterbach Army 159th Aviation Regiment (Attack/Re- ion, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiconnaissance).
ment.
Airfield, Germany.
·6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment
The re-flagging and activation cerMore than an activation ceremony,
units from the existing V Corps 12th is now the 2nd Battalion, 159th Aviation emony comes as the Army restructures
Aviation Brigade and the 4th Battalion (Attack).
to a light, more maneuverable force caof the 1st Infantry Division were re·2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regi- pable of better dealing with today’s miliflagged under the newly formed 12th ment, is now Company B, 5th Battal- tary operations tempo and threats. g
Combat Aviation Brigade, led by COL ion, 158th Aviation Regiment.
Timothy J. Edens and CSM Hector
Martin. The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade now falls under the 1st Armored
Division.
Formed from units located at two
Army airfields, the 12th CAB operates
OTHER FRIENDS – Never ask for food.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Ask the reason you have no food.
38 UH-60 and 12 UH-60 Medevac helicopters, and 12 CH-47D Chinook
OTHER FRIENDS – Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
helicopters from Katterbach AAF, with
MILITARY FRIENDS – Call your parents Mom and Dad.
48 AH-64D Longbow helicopters flying from nearby Illesheim AAF.
OTHER FRIENDS – Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did
The 12th CAB is comprised of units
wrong.
from the following transformation iniMILITARY FRIENDS – Would be sitting next to you saying, Damn…we
screwed up…but that was fun!
tiatives:
·Headquarters and Headquarters
OTHER FRIENDS – Have never seen you cry.
Company of the former 1st Infantry
MILITARY FRIENDS – Cry with you.
Division Aviation Brigade, is now
th
HHC, 12 CAB.
OTHER FRIENDS – Borrow your stuff for a few days and then give it
·The 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation
back.
Regiment, in now an assault battalion.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Keep your stuff for so long they forget it’s yours.
O
Other Friends vs. Military Friends
OTHER FRIENDS – Know a few things about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Could write a book with direct quotes from
you.
NATIONAL GUARD
Article in the August 2006
issue of The Mercury.
A helicopter crew from the 1042nd
Medical Company (Air Ambulance) rescued two climbers after
they were injured in a 500-foot
fall near the top of Mount Hood
in Oregon. One man had a fractured ankle, nose, and vertebrae,
and the other suffered a broken
jaw and lacerations. They were
flown to a hospital in Portland,
where both were listed in fair condition the next day.
PAGE 6
OTHER FRIENDS – Will leave you behind if that’s what the crowd is
doing.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Will kick the whole crowd’s ass that left you.
OTHER FRIENDS – Would knock on your door.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Walk right in and say, ‘I’m home!’
OTHER FRIENDS – Are for a while.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Are for life.
OTHER FRIENDS – Will take your drink away when they think you’ve
had enough.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Will look at you stumbling all over the place
and say, ‘You’d better drink the rest of that, you know we don’t waste.’
OTHER FRIENDS – Will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Will knock them out!
OTHER FRIENDS – Will ignore this.
MILITARY FRIENDS – Will share it with you.
The DUSTOFFer
10th CAB Flight Medic, AA Crew to be Honored
An article published by the Task Force Falcon Public Affairs Office, written by MSG Doug Sample.
Also MSG Sample informed the DUSTOFF Association that the military hospital at Bagram Airfield
was recently named in honor of SSG Heathe Craig.
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan—A medic and flight forgotten; this award could not have gone to a finer individual.”
crew with the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) were
Meanwhile, the crew of DUSTOFF 57 earned the honor
recently selected as “Medic” and “Rescue of the Year.” The of “Rescue of the Year” for a daring cliff-side rescue they
honorees were chosen by the DUSTOFF Association, which performed in April. Receiving the award are Chief Warrant
represents Army MEDEVAC personnel worldwide.
Officer 2 Robert Macy, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jeremy
Col. (Ret.) Daniel Gower, executive director of the San Smith, SP Nathaniel Umanos, and SGT Brian Bolton.
Antonio-based association, notified the unit in December
The crew’s selection was not a surprise to Howe, who deof the two honors, which will be presented during the scribed the mission that earned Dustoff 57 the award.
association’s annual meeting in February
“When you consider the complexity
at the Army Medical Department Museum
involved in the execution of a high-risk
With each MEDEVAC hoist mission performed at nearly 11,000
in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
call (we) respond to . feet mean sea level with a UH-60A, it is
“Our team is incredibly honored by
these awards,” said Maj. Robert Howe,
. . We are making a not surprising they were selected,” he
159th commander. “When you consider the
said. “Watching (flight medic) SP
difference.
amazing contributions made every day by
Umanos on the AH-64 gun tape truly
our fellow DUSTOFF Soldiers, it is pretty
brought the mission into perspective.”
humbling to think that our unit was selected from across the
During the rescue, Umanos was hoisted down a sheer
Army for both of these prestigious awards. The DUSTOFF cliff and then climbed hand-over-hand to reach a critically
Association is a tremendous group comprised of current and injured Soldier. After reaching the Soldier, Umanos held onto
veteran ‘DUSTOFFers,’ so this selection means a great deal the cliff with one hand while assessing the casualty with the
to our unit.”
other.
The “Medic of the Year” will be awarded posthumously
“The aircraft barely moved as the pilots held it steady in
to Staff Sgt. Heathe Craig, who died June 21 while per- a near-perfect hover,” Howe said. “Once secured, (crew
forming rescue operations to medevac wounded troops from chief) Sgt. Bolton expertly hoisted the Soldier into the waitthe Kamdesh District of Nuristan Province. Craig, who be- ing aircraft. They saved that Task Force Titan trooper’s life
comes the first medic to receive the award, was killed while that day based on their heroism. This honor was well dehoisting an injured Soldier to safety when the hoist cable served.”
snapped.
Since arriving here in January, the 159th has played a
“It is most fitting that (Craig) be honored,” Gower wrote vital role in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, as atin a letter announcing the winners. “While it will be awarded tested to by the unit’s first five months of operations. Durposthumously, he certainly embodies the DUSTOFF ethos ing that time, the unit flew more than 250 medevac misthat has transcended the decades since Maj. Charles Kelly sions, saving the lives of dozens of U.S. and coalition serset the standard we all live by, ‘I will not leave here until I vice members and Afghan civilians, who surprisingly account for as much as 43 percent of the medevac missions.
have your wounded on board!’”
According to Howe, unit medevacs rescued 31 Afghan
Kelly, a MEDEVAC pilot who first assumed the call sign
“Dustoff,” commanded the 57th Medical Detachment in Viet- civilians in May alone, 17 of them children.
nam in 1964. He was killed July 1 that year trying to rescue
Howe said he was surprised by the number of calls the
injured Soldiers during an intense firefight. Kelly made fa- unit gets to rescue local Afghans, but is proud his unit can
mous the DUSTOFF motto, “When I have your wounded,” be of service. With each MEDEVAC call his unit responds
the words he replied to Army ground crews who told him to to, he said, “We are making a difference.”
withdraw.
“We have an unofficial motto at the DUSTOFF: it’s ‘one
During his tour of duty, Craig executed 17 combat village at a time,’” Howe explained. “Because every time
MEDEVAC missions, rescuing Soldiers, Marines, and Af- we move a child or move a father, some village is affected
ghan civilians alike. Craig is survived by his wife Judith positively by what we do.”
and two children, Jonas and Leona. Mrs. Craig, who lives
While Howe and his crew are excited by the honors they
in Germany, is expected to accept the award on her husband’s have earned, he said they don’t do what they do because
behalf.
they want to be recognized.
“This is an extremely well-deserved recognition in
“Seeing the adults and children we help rescue getting a
memory of one of the finest NCOs with whom I have second chance at life is the real fruit of our labor,” he said.
served,” Howe emphasized. “He truly was a hero doing
The 159th, based out of Wiesbaden, Germany, recently
hero’s work, and he died in combat doing what he loved. became a part of the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade and will
Though he was taken from us all far too soon, his legacy relocate to Fort Drum, New York, upon redeployment. g
lives on in every DUSTOFF crewmember. He will never be
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 7
Legacy of Excellence: The Soldiers
and Families of the 421st
The U.S. Army Medical Department Journal featured the famous 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion in the Oct.-Dec.
2005 edition. The lead article was written by LTC (P) Kyle D. Campbell, commander of the 421st at the time.
I
want to open this edition of the AMEDD Journal honoring every Soldier and family who has ever served in
the 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion (MEB), by thanking them for their demonstrated excellence and unwavering
adherence to the Warrior Ethos. It is due to these great
DUSTOFF Soldiers’ exemplary efforts and achievements
that the 421st MEB is routinely referred to as the best and
most powerful medical battalion in the Army.
the 236th will be assigned to the 1/214th Aviation Regiment
in February 2006. While the exact future of the 421st MEB
is unknown at this time, current plans call for the conversion of one Germany-based Medical Battalion to a MultiFunctional Medical Battalion.
Legacy of Excellence
As the 421st MEB goes through this transformation, it is
critically important to note that, while the DUSTOFF misRestructuring
sion and air ambulance companies are assigned to different
In May 2005, after several months of staff coordination, headquarters, the personal and collective excellence of the
the United States Army in Europe (USAREUR) leadership Soldiers and their companies will not change. Their legacy
made the decision to accelerate the Aviation Transforma- of excellence in the medical evacuation and aviation comtion Initiative timelines for the 421st MED. The acceleration munity is unmatched.
of ATI was directed due to the
These are the Soldiers who earned
battalion’s planned Fall 2005 deploythe LTG Ellis D. Parker Award recog“You are truly the best
ment in support of Operation Iraqi
nizing them as the best Aviation BatFreedom 05-07.
talion in the Army in the Combat Serand most powerful
As a result, 1 July 2005 marked the
vice Support category in January 2005.
medical battalion in
restructuring of one of the most sucThis was not a new accolade. The Solthe Army.”
cessful battalions in the Army Medical
diers of DUSTOFF Europe earned this
Department’s history. The 421 MEB,
honor eight of the twelve years since
—BG (P) Daniel Hahn
DUSTOFF Europe, began transformthe inception of the award in 1993. Few
ing when two of the subordinate air amother units, in any category, have come
bulance companies were attached to the Germany-based 2nd close to the achievement of the 421st MEB.
Battalion/1st Aviation Regiment in support of Aviation and
In May 2005, the V Corps Deputy Commanding GenArmy Transformation.
eral, BG (P) Daniel Hahn, conducted a Battalion-wide cerPrior to July 2005, the Germany-based 421st MEB con- emony to honor these Soldiers, and at the conclusion he
sisted of the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, awarded each of the Soldiers with a commemorative Parker
the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) and the 557th coin. I have included a portion of the comments made by
Medical Company (Ground Ambulance), all in Wiesbaden, BG (P) Hahn during the awards ceremony, as I believe they
and the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) and the 236th tell the story of the 421st MEB in a very clear and powerful
Medical Company (Air Ambulance) in Landstuhl. The bat- manner.
talion was comprised of just over 600 Soldiers, with 45 UH“Solders of the 421st, I am very proud of you and am
60A Blackhawk helicopters and 40 M997 wheeled ambu- honored to be part of this great ceremony. I congratulate
lances with the following mission: On order, rapidly deploy you for winning the LTG Ellis D. Parker Award as the best
and provide continuous air and ground medical evacuation Aviation Battalion (Combat Service Support) in the United
support and services in support of full spectrum operations States Army. Your service to the Victory Corps and our Army
is tremendous, and I want to thank you and your families
in a joint and combined environment.
The deployment plans called for the 421st MEB to de- for your sacrifices, your dedication, and your demonstrated
ploy as a medical battalion headquarters providing command excellence.
and control over five to seven subordinate units. As part of
“You truly are the best and most powerful medical batdeployment preparation, the 30th Medical Brigade executed talion in the Army!
the certification exercise validating the 421st MEB’s ability
“Today we honor the accomplishments of the Soldiers
to successfully command and control two Medical Compa- of DUSTOFF Europe. These Soldiers standing before you
nies (Ground Ambulance), one Medical Company (Area now represent themselves and also their teammates who
Support), two Medical Detachments (Preventive Medicine), cannot be here today because they are deployed around the
and one Medical Company (Dental Services). We have cur- world performing lifesaving medical evacuation support.
rently been informed that the 421st MEB will not deploy,
“The deployed Soldiers of DUSTOFF Europe include
and it will maintain command and control over the 557th two forward support MEDEVAC teams in Afghanistan, the
Medical Company (Ground Ambulance) and the 236th Medi- area support team in Iraq, and a company headquarters and
cal Company (Air Ambulance). As ATI continues in Europe, maintenance and flight platoon in Kuwait. Additionally, and
PAGE 8
The DUSTOFFer
on a near continual basis, these Soldiers serve in Hohenfels,
Graffenwoehr, and here in Wiesbaden performing immediate response medical evacuation support to the central region.
“As I reviewed the facts that earned you this distinction
as the best Aviation Battalion (CSS) in the United States
Army, I was moved by the fact that your mission never stops.
Your business is special, and each of you is special. I understand that the majority of you were back out on the training
areas of Germany within 60 days of redeploying from Iraq
and/or Afghanistan. Your dedication to your fellow Soldiers
is what makes the Army the greatest organization in the
world.
“I am aware of your history and am very impressed that
you continue to live the immortal words of Major Charles
Kelly from Vietnam. When Major Kelly was inbound to pick
up wounded Soldiers from a landing zone, the ground forces
screamed at him to get out, the area was not secure. Major
Kelly replied very simply, ‘When I have your wounded.’
“The great Soldiers of the 421st live this very creed today. You have demonstrated it in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Bosnia, Egypt, France, and of course, here
in Germany. I certainly don’t need to remind you of the
warrior creed—you fully understand and practice the fact
that as Soldiers, you never ’leave a fallen comrade.’
“I am exceptionally proud and humbled because I fully
understand the tremendous difference you have made for
our Soldiers and their families. During the period of this
award, you evacuated over 8,800 patients, flew over 9,000
hours (6,300 combat or imminent danger), and drove over
210,000 miles without a single recordable aviation accident
or any ‘at fault’ class A-D ground vehicle accident.
“Most important is the fact that each of these patients
represents a Soldier, a son, a daughter, or a family member
who, because of your excellence, has a second chance to
serve this great nation and live their dreams with their families. Your dedication to your mission is inspiring, and I thank
you! I am very pleased to have been part of this event, and I
look forward to coining each of you at the end of the ceremony. Victory!”
BG (P) Hahn’s comments ring true and moved the Soldiers, families, and guests alike. I am deeply grateful to BG
(P) Hahn for taking the time to spend an entire morning
with the remarkable Soldiers of the 421st MEB.
Clearly, the Soldiers and families of the 421st MEB represent the very embodiment of the Warrior Ethos.
They always place the mission first—their first thoughts
and actions are always geared to providing the best medical
evacuation support and services possible.
They never accept defeat. At no time did these Soldiers
or their families stop working to improve the execution of
the mission; whether that mission was vehicle maintenance,
flight training, or family readiness group fundraisers, they
always kept working until they achieved success.
They never quit. Whether it was executing medical evacuation missions via ground or air in the 130-degree heat of
Baghdad or the minus 10-degree cold in the mountains of
Afghanistan, they never quit.
They never left a fallen comrade. In addition to their mission of medical evacuation, they absolutely excel at taking
care of each other. Whether it was helping a fellow Soldier
complete a maintenance procedure by the book or supporting a family by delivering meals after the birth of a baby,
the Soldiers and families of the 421st MEB always take care
of each other and never leave a fallen comrade. g
The DUSTOFF Pilot
A Veteran’s Day ode forwarded by famed DUSTOFFer Vince Cedola.
Casually he walks to the bird, a helmet with dark visor
in his hand. Stepping from the skid into the cockpit, the
switches and dials are under his command.
He may be tired from many flights; it seems like he lives
under this plexi-dome. But with the stick between his legs
and the pedals at his feet, he feels once again at home.
He fires up that tired turbine as the pre-flight is completed. The Jesus nut begins to turn; the machine begins to
rock. Now starts that steady “whop,” and air begins to churn.
As those massive blades begin to claw the air, he skillfully lifts his baby off the ground. The tail begins to rise,
and the front seems slow to follow, but no better pilot will
be found.
I never saw his face, never knew his name, but I’ll never
forget the day the DUSTOFF Pilot came.
With surgical precision, he causes that Huey to hover,
dip, and dance behind a hill. Then he routinely skims the
tops of the trees, rising only to have the crew take a look for
the bad guys.
He listens to the Peter Pilot, the Crew Chief, and Flight
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
Medic, as he watches for popped smoke. Glancing down,
he sees looks of relief on haggard faces. They know he will
not choke.
With bullets pinging on the thin metal and stars appearing on the windshield, he holds steady to the stick. People
are screaming to his rear, mortars dropping dangerously near,
but he maintains a firm control of his baby.
He saves a dozen lives and takes medical supplies where
no one else wishes to go. For him it is just another day. At
base camp, he helps wash blood from the rear cabin, and
after he fingers new bullet holes, he casually walks away.
I never saw his face, I never knew his name, but I’ll never
forget the day the DUSTOFF Pilot came.
—DUSTOFFer—
PAGE 9
DUSTOFF Pilot Insulted by Line in Movie
An electronic interchange between DUSTOFFer Gary Potter and the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.
E-mail from Gary:
Medevac pilot: “Looks pretty hot down there!”
Slick pilot: “Just follow me in.”
That’s a radio transmission (that just sticks in my craw)
between a Medevac pilot and a slick pilot in one of my favorite movies, We Were Soldiers.
Having been a DUSTOFF pilot serving in the 45th Medical Company in 1967–68, and performing extractions in the
II and IV Corps areas, allows me to comment with firsthand experience on that exchange.
I never followed a slick or gunship into any “Hot LZ,”
and quite frankly, with the exception of gunships supporting me on one hoist mission and an F-104 I talked into coming down to buzz the enemy while I accomplished an extraction (I called him on guard while he passed overhead), I
never saw a slick or gunship in the same LZ I was in, “hot”
or otherwise.
That is not to say that they were less heroic or would not
have responded if called, but the reality was that when a
DUSTOFF mission was called in, waiting for guns or a slick
to “lead us in” would have meant probable death for the
injured soldier.
In reality, a typical radio exchange between a DUSTOFF
pilot and the ground trooper on a night mission sounded
more like this:
Ground: “LZ is secure.”
DUSTOFF pilot: “If the LZ is secure, why are you whispering?”
And then we would go in and complete the mission.
We all have our war stories but the simple fact is we did
the jobs we were assigned. That radio communication between the slick driver and the Medevac pilot in the movie
still sticks in my craw!
Gary Potter—DUSTOFF 15
Bruce Crandall responded: I was in the lead helicopter
into LZ X-Ray all day on 14 November 1965. The battle
had nothing to do with DUSTOFF.
Gary Potter needs to see the movie and or read the book
We Were Soldiers Once and Young again. No place in the
book or movie does it refer to DUSTOFF. Both reference
the Medevac unit organic to the 1st Cavalry Division. (Not
all Medevac units used the DUSTOFF call sign.)
The fact is that from 1965 through at least 1967, the Division Medevac SOP was for their helicopters not to go into
an LZ until it was “green” for at least five minutes. “Green”
meant no enemy fire. The refusal shown in the movie was
accurate, although the radio transmissions were not as I recall them.
In my recollection, the only comment from the two
Medevac ships while in the air was on short final when the
second ship yelled he was receiving fire and his aircraft had
been hit, and both aborted. No Medevac ship came into the
LZ again that day or night. The two Medevac crews were
told the LZ was hot before we lead them in. It should be
made very clear that the refusal to go was not a reflection
PAGE 10
on the pilots in the Cav Medevac unit. The SOP prohibiting
flights into hot LZs was a command decision, not theirs.
There is no doubt now, nor was there any then, concerning
the bravery of individual aviators in that unit.
It is appropriate to note that Ed “Too Tall” Freeman received the Medal of Honor, and a number of other aviators
in slick units that day received recognition and decorations
for making evacuations after Medevac units refused in XRay. It is common knowledge about the bravery of
DUSTOFF pilots, and there was simply no insult to them in
the book or movie. Snake 6, 1965–66, and helicopters involved in X-Ray, November 1965.
Gary responded: Thanks for the e-mail. The DUSTOFF
Association made an inquiry into that particular scene in
the movie a few years ago, and it was explained to us just as
you said. Believe me when I say that my comment was made
more for the response you gave, since it will be circulated to
other members of the VHPA. The story of DUSTOFF will
probably never be completely revealed, since so many of
our missions were alone and at night to remote Long Range
Patrol (LRP) units and units that did not have any organic
aircraft.
I take my hat off to you and the other pilots who flew that
mission. I own and watch that movie with my children (my
son, James, is at West Point, 2009) many times, and I consider it one of the best movies made depicting the risk to
helicopter pilots and the importance of the mission to ground
troops. I have friends that flew in the Cav, and you guys
certainly deserve the accolades due to heroes.
Bruce responded: Thanks for your e-mail. I almost never
write a response to anything I read, but in this case, I knew
there was a misunderstanding out there that was almost surely
not just limited to you. I have spoken to a number of
DUSTOFF units in the U.S. and overseas and gave them
basically the same explanation. I still do not understand why
the commander adopted the green LZ policy. Even harder is
why the policy was allowed to stand for so long.
My comments to the Editor of the VHPA, which I copied to you, came back as undeliverable, noting that their inbox was full. I will snail mail it to try to clear up the misconception. I would appreciate it if you would pass on my comments to your DUSTOFF friends and the DUSTOFF Association. DUSTOFF and the bravery/courage of individual
aviators in the Division during those days was never the
issue! Leadership certainly was!
Hope this helps to clarify that. I am sure you realize there
were a few scenes in the movie that were strictly Hollywood. Most of us involved in its making thought it was about
75-80% accurate and the rest Hollywood. I guess that is
pretty good for today’s entertainment standards. We were
very pleased it did not try to represent the Hollywood norm
of depicting those of us serving our country as drunken/
drug-using baby killers. Regards! Bruce—Snake 6
—DUSTOFFer—
The DUSTOFFer
An Experience to Remember
T
A note from DUSTOFF Hall of Famer Egor Johnson in early December 2006.
oday I had an experience that has affected me, and I
I told him I would pass on his thanks to all the
would like to pass it on to the members of the DUSTOFFers I know. I was hoping to be able to see him
DUSTOFF Association.
later, but he had to leave and return home. To have him say
We had gone through our first snow storm of the season to me, with tears in his eyes, how much DUSTOFF has meant
here in Wichita, and after two days we were finally able to to him, makes all I ever did worthwhile. I know his story is
get out. I was down at the supermarket and
not unique, but the tribute given from one
had just loaded up the car with our grocergrunt to all of us who lived and breathed
ies when a man came up to the car next to He never knew who the tradition that Major Kelly gave us,
mine. He was walking with a cane and
shows not only the heritage of valor our
struggling with a bag. There was some ice picked him up. The crews have given over so many years.
left in the parking lot, so I went over and doctors told him that if
He showed me in the brief time in a
asked if I could help.
parking
what our mission has really
not for the crew who meant tolot,
He let me take the bag, and as we apthose we served. I felt so humble
proached his car, he saw my DUSTOFF got him to the Evac standing there, being praised for the job
Association decal on the back of my SUV. Hospital, he would not we did, and this from a man who lost his
He asked me if I was in Vietnam, and I told have made it.
leg in a firefight during Tet of 1968.
him I was and that I flew with DUSTOFF.
What was true then is true now—
He put out his hand and shook mine and
knowing that we will go through shot and
said, “For 38 years I have wanted to say thanks to the guys shell to make sure the wounded get out, is worth everything
who saved me.” He told me he was hit on the 16th of Febru- to those who go in harm’s way. His comments to me were
ary 1968 near Can Tho in the Mekong River Delta. He said worth more than if I was awarded the Medal of Honor. May
he didn’t remember too much, but the one thing that stuck the Army never forget the valor and sacrifice our DUSTOFF
in his head was being told to “Hold on, DUSTOFF’s on the crews have given.
way.”
He said they were under so much fire he didn’t think he
—DUSTOFFer—
was going to be able to get out. For all these years, he remembered the sound of the firing and the mortar rounds
hitting. In the middle of what he said was hell on earth, he
heard the sound of the Huey and saw the big Red Cross
coming into the clearing. Lying on the ground, he saw one
of the crew members jump from the skids as the DUSTOFF
bird landed and run over to him. The DUSTOFF medic
picked him up and carried him to the helicopter. He was
told he was going to be okay and to hold on.
He told me he passed out on the way to the hospital, and
it was several days before he could remember what was happening. By then, he was in Camp Zama, Japan. He never
Army Aviation’s Late-breaking News
knew who picked him up. He was discharged after a year
Announcement, in its 31 October 2006 edition
and six major surgeries. The doctors told him that if not for
focused on yet another DUSTOFF moment.
the crew who got him to the Evac Hospital, he would not
have made it.
A Task Force Falcon medical evacuation helicopter
He was here in Wichita visiting his wife’s family, and I
carrying an injured two-year-old Afghan girl came unwas the first DUSTOFFer he had met since so many years
der small arms fire on 1 August in Afghanistan’s Zabul
ago. What he said next, I will remember until the day I die.
province, forcing it and an escort helicopter to take
He said, “For all these years I have wanted to tell the
evasive measures. The incident happened just days after
DUSTOFF guys what they really meant to us guys on the
reports of Taliban leaders urging followers to target
ground. Every day we were beating the bush, and I got shot
U.S. and coalition medical personnel. The child was
at so many times. But the one thing I always knew was if I
being transferred for treatment of third-degree burns
was hit, you guys would come in and get me.
to more than 45 percent of her body after pulling a pot
You DUSTOFF guys proved it to me when I was hit.
of boiling oil onto herself. A door gunner on the escort
Before I was hit, three resupply ships refused to come in
helicopter returned fire, killing the gunman. The
because the area was so hot. That was all going through my
medevac crew completed the transfer of the child to a
mind as I was lying there. I will tell you the most beautiful
U.S. aid station at forward Operating Base Sweeny for
sight I have ever seen was that helicopter and the big Red
initial treatment. hen she was flown to another mediCross. I want you to know from a grunt that you guys are
cal care facility in Kandahar.
the greatest.”
Taliban Target Medical Flight
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 11
DUSTOFF Crews Bring Mercy From Above
by SGT Eric Jensen, USA.
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan
(August 30, 2006)—U.S. Army SPC
Gary Scott stands on the sun-drenched
flight line with three Blackhawk helicopters resting behind him.
“What do you like most about your
deployment?” he is asked.
A voice bursts through the radio
strapped to his waist. “Medevac,
medevac, medevac,” it announces.
Scott smiles and says, “Well...the
missions. I gotta go!”
The crew chief for the 159th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) bounds
A Special
Watch
A DUSTOFF pilot
walks into a bar and
takes a seat next to a
very attractive woman.
He gives her a quick
glance, then casually
looks at his watch.
The woman notices
this and asks, “Is your
date running late?””
“No,” he replies, “I
just got this state-of-theart watch, and I was
testing it.”
Intrigued, the woman
says, “A state-of-the-art
watch? What’s so special about it?”
The pilot explains, “It
uses alpha waves to talk
to me telepathically.”
The
lady
asks,
“What’s it telling you
now?”
“Well, it says you’re
not wearing any panties
. . .”
The woman giggles
and replies, “Well, it
must be broken because I am wearing
panties!”
The DUSTOFF pilot
smirks, taps his watch,
and says, “Damn thing’s
an hour fast!”
PAGE 12
off to the aircraft with the rest of his
flight crew to provide aid to people in
need.
Soldiers of the 159th have been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom for more than six months
now. During that time, they have con-
“Anytime we get to do
our job, we’re making
a tangible impact on
somebody’s ife.”
ducted 500 missions helping save the
lives of U.S. service members, coalition soldiers and the Afghan people.
The motto “Anyone, anywhere, anytime,” which can be read in the unit’s
recreation room, explains the unit’s
mindset.
“We will go where we are called and
accomplish our mission faithfully,”
says MAJ Robert Howe, 159th commander. “There’s no different standard
on any type of care we provide.”
Roughly 700 patients have been
flown into medical facilities by 159th
“DUSTOFF” crews. Thirty percent of
those are locals who are injured from
crossfire in combat. More than 50 percent of the evacuation missions are in
support of the Afghan people.
The unit attributes its success to
working together. From the soldiers in
the operations center to the flight crews,
everyone plays an important part in accomplishing the mission.
“I never thought I’d directly be affecting people’s lives, but I’ve seen it,”
says SPC Franklin Cornejo, flight operations specialist. “I’ve been to the patient ward and I’ve seen how the flight
crews help and the way we help the
crews.”
Operations personnel help the flight
crews in a variety of different ways.
They are responsible for processing the
medevac requests that put the crews
into action. They also coordinate approvals needed for the aircraft to leave
on a mission.
Howe agrees. “If it weren’t for that
operations soldier giving us good in-
formation on the enemy, good information on the weather, we wouldn’t be
able to execute our mission, and we
wouldn’t be able to get to that patient
who needs our care.”
The 159th is familiar with working
together. Half the company served a
year-long deployment in Iraq, ending
in February of 2004. Soldiers have
noted that there is a distinct difference
between flying missions in Iraq and in
Afghanistan. In particular, Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain makes it
one of the most challenging aviation
environments in the area.
“You can’t replicate this environment anywhere in the world. You just
have to fly in it,” says Howe.
Aside from the rugged landscape,
DUSTOFF crews identify other obstacles, such as weather and enemy activity, when taking to the air. The unit
has come to expect that no mission is
routine.
In August of this year, a flight crew
came under small-arms fire while rescuing an Afghan child. With the help
of an escort helicopter, the gunman was
subdued and the mission was completed. For the 159th, accomplishment
of the mission means another life can
be saved.
CPT Jason Davis, operations officer
says, “Anytime we get to do our job,
we’re making a tangible impact on
somebody’s life.”
Doing its job is just what the 159th
loves to do for anyone, anywhere, and
anytime. g
The DUSTOFFer
Military Spouses
A very thoughtful article penned by Paige Swinney.
I
t was just another harried Wednesday afternoon trip to the commissary. My husband was off teaching
young men to fly. My daughters were
going about their daily activities, knowing I would return at the appointed time
bearing, among other things, their favorite fruit snacks, frozen pizza, and all
the little extras that never have to be
written down on the grocery list.
My grocery list, by the way, was in
my 16-year-old daughter’s mouth, and
I was lamenting the fact that the next
four aisles of needed items would pass
by while I extracted the last of my list
from her mouth, when I nearly ran over
an old man.
This man clearly had no appreciation for the fact that I had 45 minutes
left to finish the grocery shopping, pick
up my four-year-old from tumbling
class, and get to school where my 12year-old and her carpool mates would
be waiting.
I knew that men don’t belong in the
commissary, and this old guy was no
exception. He stood in front of the soap
selection staring blankly, as if he’d
never had to choose a bar of soap in his
life. I was ready to bark an order at him
I don’t think a 22,000pound Mother of All
Bombs could have had
the same impact.
when I realized there was a tear on his
face. Instantly, this grocery aisle roadblock transformed into a human. “Can
I help you find something?” I asked.
He hesitated and told me he was
looking for soap.
“Any one in particular?” I continued.
“Well, I’m trying to find my wife’s
brand of soap.”
I started to loan him my cell phone
MORE AVIATION TRUTHS
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Fixed-wing aircraft use only a single stick to fly. This is why
bulldozers and helicopters—in that order—need two.
Only God and helicopter pilots can hover.
Before each flight, make sure your bladder is empty and your fuel
tanks are full.
The aircraft limits are only there in case there is another flight by that
particular aircraft. If subsequent flights do not appear likely, there are
no limits.
Flying is a great way of life for men and women who want to feel like
little boys and girls, but not for those who still are.
Flying is a hard way to earn an easy living.
If black boxes survive air crashes, why don’t they make the whole
plane out of that stuff?
It’s not that all helicopter pilots are good-looking—just that goodlooking people seem more capable of flying helicopters. Or so
seasoned observers contend. A matter of self-confidence? No doubt.
An old pilot is one who can remember when flying was dangerous
and sex was safe.
I’ve flown in both pilot seats. Why the other one is always occupied
by an idiot?
You must tell your sons and daughters that they have to make up their
minds about growing up or becoming pilots. They can’t do both.
You know they invented wheelbarrows to teach Instructor Pilots (IPs)
to walk on their hind legs.
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
to call her when he said, “She died a
year ago and I just want to smell her
again.”
Chills ran down my spine. I don’t
think a 22,000-pound Mother of All
Bombs could have had the same impact.
As tears welled up in my eyes, my halfeaten grocery list didn’t seem so important. Neither did fruit snacks or frozen pizza.
I spent the remainder of my time in
the commissary that day listening to a
man tell the story of how important his
wife was to him—how she took care
of their children while he served our
country. A retired, decorated World War
II pilot who flew over 50 missions to
protect Americans still needed the protection of a woman who had served him
at home.
My life was forever changed that
(Spouses, continued on page 14.)
112TH MEDICAL
COMPANY RETIRES
FLAG
A small note in the 30
November 2006 issue of
Army Aviation.
The flag of the Maine Army
National Guard’s 112th Medical
Company (Air Ambulance) was
officially retired on 16 October,
with the unit being redesignated a C Company, 1st
Battalion, 126 th Aviation
Regiment, in a short ceremony
at the Army aviation flight
facility in Bangor. The change
is part of the Army National
Guard’s
transformation
process. The 112 th Medical
Company has performed
aviation missions since 1960
and will now be three different
Maine ARNG units specializing
in air assault, air ambulance,
and surveillance missions.
PAGE 13
(Spouses, continued from page 13.)
day. Every time my husband works too
late or leaves before the crack of dawn,
I try to remember the sense of importance I felt that day in the commissary.
Sometimes the monotony of laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping,
and taxi driving leaves military spouses
feeling empty—the kind of emptiness
that is rarely fulfilled when our spouses
come home and don’t want to or can’t
talk about work. We need to be reminded at times of the important role
we fill for our family and our country.
Over the years I’ve talked a lot
about military spouses . . . how special
they are and the price they pay for freedom, too. The funny thing is: most military spouses don’t consider themselves
different from other spouses. They do
what they have to do, bound together
not by blood or merely friendship, but
with a shared spirit whose origin is in
the very essence of what love truly is.
Is there truly a difference? I think
there is. You have to decide for yourself.
Other spouses get married and look
forward to building equity in a home
and putting down family roots. Military
spouses get married and know they’ll
live in base housing or rent, and their
roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.
Other spouses decorate a home with
flair and personality that will last a lifetime. Military spouses decorate a home
with flair tempered with the knowledge
that no two base houses have the same
size windows or same size rooms. Cur-
tains have to be flexible, and multiple
sets are a plus. Furniture must fit like
puzzle pieces.
Other spouses have living rooms
that are immaculate and seldom used.
Military spouses have immaculate living room/dining room combos. The
coffee table got a scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks
pretty good.
Other spouses say good-bye to their
I would never say
military spouses are
better than other
spouses. But I will say
there is a difference.
spouse for a business trip and know
they won’t see them for a week. They
are lonely but can survive. Military
spouses say good-bye to their deploying spouse and know they won’t see
them for months or, for a remote, a year.
They are lonely but will survive.
Other spouses call a handyman
when a washer hose blows off and then
write a check for having the hose reconnected. Military spouses will shut
the water off and fix it themselves.
Other spouses get used to saying
hello to friends they see all the time.
Military spouses get used to saying
good-bye to friends made in the last two
years.
Other spouses worry about whether
their child will be class president next
year. Military spouses worry about
whether their child will be accepted in
yet another school next year and
whether that school will be the worst
in town . . . again.
Other spouse can count on spouse
participation in special events—birthdays, anniversaries, concerts,
ballgames, graduation, and even the
birth of a child. Military spouses only
count on each other because they realize that the flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. It has to be that way.
Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperiled
across the globe, and they take them
down when the troops come home.
Military spouses wear yellow ribbons
around their hearts, and they never go
away.
Other spouses worry about being
late for Mom’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Military spouses worry about getting
back from Japan in time for Dad’s funeral.
The television program showing an
elderly lady putting a card in front of a
long, black wall that has names on it
touches other spouses. The card simply says, “Happy Birthday, Sweetheart.
You would have been sixty today.” A
military spouse is the lady with the card
and the wall is the Vietnam Memorial.
I would never say that military
spouses are better than other spouses.
But I will say there is a difference. I
will say, without hesitation, that military spouses pay just as high a price for
freedom as do their active duty husbands and wives. Perhaps the price they
pay is even higher.
Dying in service to our country isn’t
nearly as hard as loving someone who
has died in service to our country and
having to live without them. g
Reunion 2006. DUSTOFF spouses attend luncheon.
PAGE 14
The DUSTOFFer
A LETTER TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS
An articulate, touching letter written by Major David M. Spero, DUSTOFF 6, in Afghanistan
some time ago to all persons close to the Soldiers in his unit.
reetings and Salutations! It is ergy, and effort so they can return home taking on the duties of both parents,
with great pride and an over- safely to you and hope that in so doing caregiver, and disciplinarian for the
flowing amount of honor that it makes our world, our country, our children, or just plain old missing someI contact you all to update and inform homes, a little safer place to be.
one so badly that you’re emotionally
you of the many great and wonderful
I also won’t tell you that we are hurt, your sacrifices are just as importhings your Soldiers are doing as we miserably situated without a few pleas- tant and just as honorable to acknowlnear our six month mark here in Af- antries that the Soldiers who came be- edge and thank you for.
ghanistan.
fore us probably didn’t enjoy and will
In closing, I’d like to thank each and
I really can’t begin to share with you
every one of you who have supported
all the tremendous endeavors that have
continue to support your loved ones
. . . it brings a smile to and
and continue to amaze me with the Solwhile they are here fighting for our freeour faces that connects doms. I know, from personal experience
diers we have here now, but I will try
to share with you some of the accomour hearts with yours in that we couldn’t do it without you.
plishments of the last few months.
have the fortitude to
the spirit of all your pushWeonwouldn’t
Let me start by saying that this dewhen the voice inside wants
best wishes.
ployment with your loved ones is abso badly to be back in your company.
solutely the most professionally assoIf it weren’t for the enduring support
ciated I have ever felt with an organi- hopefully be better for the Soldiers who and love we feel from you and knowzation in over 21 years of military ser- follow us, as we continue to make im- ing that you’re behind us every step of
vice. They never stop impressing, not provements. We are able to sleep un- the way, we would not be able to do
just our immediate leadership, but the der cover and, for the most part, work what we do so well. There is no nobler
entire Combined Joint Task Force that in hangars that, although extremely an- job I could ever possibly imagine than
we serve, proudly providing aeromedi- tiquated and in need of major repair, to endure the hardships of separation
cal evacuation support on a daily basis. afford us some shade in extremely high from our loved ones for a cause that will
As many of you are aware, we are temperatures.
serve its turn long after we’re gone.
representatives of three different
We are eating three meals a day, at
For all those things, I thank you . . .
MEDEVAC units, the 159th Medical least if we so choose. Friday nights are I thank our Soldiers . . . and I thank
Company out of Germany, the 68th “Surf and Turf” nights in our chow hall, God that He has given me the opportuMedical Company from Alaska, and the and sometimes they can really put to- nity to be acquainted with and work
68th Medical Company from Hawaii. gether a great meal. We have recreation with such a professional group of SolAll our units bring a high level of ex- facilities with some phone and Internet diers who have taught me so much
perience and maturity to the battlefield, access available, large gyms for exer- about sacrifice, duty, and honor in servwhich has proven each day to be a win- cise, and although poorly stocked at ing our great country. g
ning combination.
times, PX and Shopettes that sometimes
As a commander, I can’t tell you offer a brand we’re used to using.
that this has been easy, but when I look
On occasion, there are USO shows
at the caliber of folks we have here and with well-known entertainers that come
relish being on the receiving end of through and perform for us. We, too,
their bright, creative way of approach- manage to entertain ourselves with
The DUSTOFF Association
ing every situation, it is truly a joy to sheer wit, humor, and ingenuity.
membership voted at the
be part of this team.
Probably most important to our
2007 Reunion to change
I could tell you we have flown more morale is the fact that we are on the remembershp rules. Currently,
missions than any other unit here to ceiving end of your letters and Care
the DUSTOFF Association
date. I could tell you we have saved packages. Even if it’s something we
is accepting only LIFEmore lives while risking ours, fixed don’t need, it brings a smile to our faces
TIME Memberships. We
more helicopters, developed more tac- that connects our hearts with yours in
are no longer accepting
tics and techniques for doing our jobs the spirit of all your best wishes.
“year-to-year dues paybetter—I could tell you all that and
Still, in acknowledging our Soldiers
ments.” The cost of the
more . . . but I think what’s more im- and their sacrifices, I would be remiss
LIFETIME Membership reportant than trying to impress you with not to acknowledge yours. Your supnumbers and military jargon is the fact port and hard work in literally survivmains the same as before,
that your Soldiers—your husbands, ing without your loved ones is, I know,
$100 for Officers/Civilians
wives, children, and loved ones—are not an easy job. Your sacrifices in dealand $50 for Enlisted Memhere doing all they possibly can to give ing with your loved one’s absence,
bers.
all their determination, ambition, en- whether it’s keeping together the home,
G
NOTICE!
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 15
Closing Out the Flight Plan
David W. L. Wik
MAJ David W. L. Wik took his final flight on April 7, 2007, in Corpus Christi, Texas, with his family at his side.
He was born on May 16, 1933, in Cresbard, South Dakota. After college he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he
became a helicopter pilot. His assignments included a tour of duty in Korea and two tours in Vietnam, where he
served as commanding officer of the DUSTOFF helicopter unit.
His career consisted of flying 1,174 combat hours and the evacuation of 4,368 wounded soldiers and civilians to
medical facilities. MAJ Wik’s many honors include 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 37 Air Medals. His final
command was at Ft. Sam Houston, where he utilized his medical evacuation experience to develop and implement
MAST, Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic, a program that aids in the evacuation of civilians severely injured
in highway accidents. MAJ Wik retired in 1973 and was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in
2005.
Dave was known for being a colorful, spirited man who never met a stranger. His retirement years were spent
fishing and traveling the world with friends and family, living his life to the fullest each day. His zest for life was
unyielding, and he will be lovingly missed and warmly remembered.
DUSTOFF 6, you are cleared to hover to the ramp. . . .
John Winston Cook
John Winston Cook, a wonderful husband, father, and friend, died peacefully on April 15, 2007. He was born in
Madison, Wisconsin, on October 24, 1921, to Maynard Albert and Chorale Boyd Cook, and was raised in Winnetka,
Illinois. He graduated from New Trier High School in 1939, then from Dartmouth College in 1943.
Following graduation, John attended flight school with the Royal Air Force. During World War II, he served in
the 348th Fighter Group, 342nd Squadron, flying P47 (Thunderbolt) and P51 (Mustang) fighters, and attaining the
rank of First Lieutenant. He was stationed in the Pacific Theater, specifically the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. The camaraderie, dangers, and excitement of World War II were favorite topics of conversation for the rest of
his life and gained him the respect and admiration of many.
Following his military service, John moved to San Antonio, where he began his career in the life insurance and
real estate businesses. He enjoyed staying in touch with friends in the military through the years and assisted many
of them in purchasing homes and insurance. Together with his wife Bette, John co-brokered Cook Company Realty
before joining Kuper Realty more than 20 years ago. He was a kind and gentle man who took a genuine interest in
everyone he met. His friends considered him a gentleman’s gentleman.
John enjoyed the Revelers and Los Alegradores Dance Clubs, and he was an avid bridge player and recreational
sailor. He also was a member of Club Giraud and of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for nearly 50 years. In 1985 he
was made an honorary member of the DUSTOFF Association for his longtime friendship and service to its members.
David C. Danhouser
David C. Danhouser, age 69, of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, May 26, 2007, after a long
struggle with COPD. David was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 6, 1937, a son of Carl W. and Grace (Robbins)
Danhouser. He graduated from Mount Horeb High School in 1955, where he lettered in football and basketball.
David graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1959, where he was a member of the TKE fraternity and the
UW marching band. He later received his M.B.A. from his beloved alma mater and remained active in the alumni
marching band, often playing during halftime shows at Homecoming celebrations post graduation.
David joined the R.O.T.C. in 1956 and continued active duty service with the U.S. Army until his honorable
discharge in 1974. It was in the Army that David developed his passion for flying helicopters. David was a member
of the Air Ambulance Corps and dutifully served in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, before ending his service in
Europe. His family is most proud of the bravery and self-sacrifice he displayed during this time.
David received numerous awards and medals for his heroic efforts, including 12 Air Medals, the Distinguished
Service Medal, and the Gallantry Cross with Silver Star. He ended his military career in the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel. He continued his service to those in need of medical attention in his civilian life. David spent many years
as the Director of Materials Management for hospitals in Madison and Duluth, Minnesota, and Freeport and Chicago, Illinois.
PAGE 16
The DUSTOFFer
An Honest Confession of an American Coward
Well-known author Pat Conroy, who wrote The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides,
among others, wrote this essay for his latest book, My Losing Season.
he true things always ambush Robertson, Al was getting ready to de- quorum of people who ever had even
me on the road and take me by liver their payload when the fighter- minor disagreements about the Vietnam
surprise when I am drifting bomber was hit by enemy fire. Though War. But my small group managed to
down the light of placid days, careless Al has no memory of it, he punched out attract a crowd of about 150 to
about flanks and rear guard actions. I
Beaufort’s waterfront.
was not looking for a true thing to come
With my mother and my wife on
upon me in the state of New Jersey.
either side of me, we listened to the feaWhen Al awoke, he
Nothing has ever happened to me in
tured speaker, Dr. Howard Levy, sugcouldn’t move. A
New Jersey. But came it did, and it came
gest to the very few young enlisted
Viet Cong soldier
to stay.
Marines present that, if they get sent to
In the past four years, I have been
Vietnam, here’s how they can help end
held an AK-47 to his
interviewing my teammates on the
this war: Roll a grenade under your
head. His back and
1966–’67 basketball team at the Citaofficer’s bunk when he’s asleep in his
neck were broken,
del for a book I’m writing. For the most
tent. It’s called fragging, and it’s bepart, this has been like buying back a
coming more and more popular with the
and he had shattered
part of my past that I had mislaid or
ground troops who know this war is
the left scapula in
shut out of my life. At first, I thought I
bullshit.
the fall.
was writing about being young and
I was enraged by the suggestion. At
frisky and able to run up and down a
that very moment, my father, a Marine
court all day long, but lately I realized somewhere in the middle of the ill-fated officer, was asleep in Vietnam. But in
I came to this book because I needed to dive and lost consciousness. He doesn’t 1972, at the age of 27, I thought I was
come to grips with being middle-aged know if he was unconscious for six serving America’s interests by pointing
and having ripened into a gray-haired hours or six days, nor does he know out what massive flaws and miscalcuman you could not trust to handle the what happened to Major Robertson, lations and corruptions had led her to
ball on a fast break.
whose name is engraved on the Wall in conduct a ground war in Southeast
When I visited my old teammate Al Washington and on the MIA bracelet Asia.
Kroboth’s house in New Jersey, I spent Al wears.
In the meantime, Al and his captors
the first hours quizzing him about his
When Al awoke, he couldn’t move. had finally arrived in the North, and the
memories of games and practices and the A Viet Cong soldier held an AK-47 to Viet Cong traded him to the North Vietscreams of coaches that had echoed in his head. His back and neck were bro- namese soldiers for the last leg of their
field houses more than 30 years before. ken, and he had shattered the left trip to Hanoi. Many times when they
Al had been a splendid forward-center scapula in the fall. When he was well stopped to rest, the local villagers tried
for the Citadel; at 6 feet, 5 inches and enough to get to his feet—he still can’t to kill him.
carrying 200 pounds, he played with recall how much time had passed—two
His captors wired his hands behind
indefatigable energy and enthusiasm. armed Viet Cong led Al from the his back at night, so he trained himself
For most of his senior year, he led jungles of South Vietnam to a prison in to sleep in the center of huts when the
the nation in field-goal percentage, with Hanoi.
villagers began sticking knives and
UCLA center Lew Alcindor hot on his
The journey took three months. Al bayonets into the thin walls.
trail. Al was a battler and a brawler and Kroboth walked barefoot through the
Following U.S. air raids, old women
a scrapper—from the day he first most impassable terrain in Vietnam, and would come into the huts to excrete on
stepped in as a Green Weenie as a he did it sometimes in the dead of night. him and yank out hunks of his hair.
sophomore—to the day he graduated. He bathed when it rained, and he slept After the nightmare journey of his walk
After we talked basketball, we came to in bomb craters with his two Viet Cong north, Al was relieved when his guards
a subject I dreaded to bring up with Al, captors.
finally delivered him to the POW camp
but which lay between us and would
As they moved farther north, infec- in Hanoi, and the cell door locked benot lie still.
tions began to erupt in his body, and his hind him.
“Al, you know that I was a draft legs were covered with leeches picked
It was at the camp that Al began to
dodger and an antiwar demonstrator.” up while crossing the rice paddies.
die. He threw up every meal he ate and
“That’s what I heard, Conroy,” Al
At the very time of Al’s walk, I had before long was misidentified as the
said. “I have nothing against what you a small role in organizing the only anti- oldest American soldier in the prison
did, but I did what I thought was right.” war demonstration ever held in Beau- because his appearance was so gaunt
“Tell me about Vietnam, Big Al. Tell fort, South Carolina, the home of Parris and skeletal. But the extraordinary came what happened to you,” I said.
Island and the Marine Corps Air Sta- maraderie among fellow prisoners that
On his seventh mission as a navi- tion. In a Marine Corps town at that
(Confession, continued on page 18.)
gator in an A-6 for Major Leonard time, it was difficult to come up with a
T
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 17
(Confession, continued from page 17.)
sprang up in all the POW camps caught
fire in Al—and did so in time to save
his life.
When I was demonstrating in
America against Nixon and the Christmas bombings in Hanoi, Al and his fellow prisoners were holding hands under the full fury of those bombings,
singing God Bless America. It was
those bombs that convinced Hanoi they
would do well to release the American
POWs, including my college teammate.
When he told me about the C-141
landing in Hanoi to pick up the prisoners, Al said he felt no emotion, none at
all, until he saw the giant American flag
painted on the plane’s tail. I stopped
writing as Al wept over the memory of
that flag on that plane, on that morning, during that time in the life of
America.
It was the same long night, after listening to Al’s story, that I began to make
judgments about how I had conducted
myself during the Vietnam War.
In the darkness of the sleeping
Kroboth household, lying in the thirdfloor guest bedroom, I began to assess
my role as a citizen in the ’60s, when
my country called my name, and I shot
her the bird.
Unlike the stupid boys who
wrapped themselves in Viet Cong flags
and burned the American one, I knew
how to demonstrate against the war
without flirting with treason or astonishingly bad taste. I had come directly
from the warrior culture of this country, and I knew how to act.
But in the 25 years that have passed
since South Vietnam fell, I have immersed myself in the study of totalitarianism. During the unspeakable century
we just left behind, I have questioned
survivors of Auschwitz and BergenBelsen, talked to the Italians who told
me tales of the Nazi occupation, French
partisans who had courted German
tanks in the forests of Normandy, and
officers who survived the Bataan Death
March. I quiz journalists returning from
wars in Bosnia, the Sudan, the Congo,
I looked for some
conclusion, a summation
of this trip. . . . I wanted
to come to the single
right thing, a true thing
that I may not like but
that I could live with.
Angola, Indonesia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Chile, Northern Ireland, Algeria.
As I lay sleepless, I realized I’d
done all this research to better understand my country. I now revere words
like democracy, freedom, the right to
vote, and the grandeur of the extraordinary vision of the founding fathers,
Do I see America’s flaws? Of
course. But I can now honor her basic,
incorruptible virtues, the ones that let
me walk the streets screaming my ass
off than my country had no idea what
it was doing in South Vietnam. My
country let me scream to my heart’s
content—the same country that produced both Al Kroboth and me.
Now, at this moment in New Jersey, I came to a conclusion about my
actions as a young man when Vietnam
was a dirty word to me. I wish I’d led a
platoon of Marines in Vietnam. I would
like to think I would have trained my
troops well and that the Viet Cong could
have had their hands full if they entered
a firefight with us.
From the day of my birth, I was programmed to enter the Marine Corps. I
was the son of a Marine fighter pilot,
and I had grown up on Marine bases
where I had watched the men of the
Corps perform simulated war games in
the forests of my childhood. That a novelist and poet bloomed darkly in the
house of Santini strikes me as remarkable irony.
My mother and father had raised me
to be an Al Kroboth, and during the
Vietnam era, they watched in horror as
I metamorphosed into another breed of
fanatic entirely. I understand now that
I should have protested the war upon
my return from Vietnam, after I had
done my duty for my country. I have
come to a conclusion about my country that I knew then in my bones but
lacked the courage to act on: America
is good enough to die for even when
she is wrong.
I looked for some conclusion, a
summation of this trip to my
teammate’s house. I wanted to come to
the single right thing, a true thing that I
may not like but that I could live with.
After hearing Al Kroboth’s story of
his walk across Vietnam and his brutal
imprisonment in the North, I found
myself passing harrowing, remorseless
judgment on myself. I had not turned
out to be the man I had once envisioned
myself to be. I thought I would be the
kind of man that America could point
to and say, “There. That’s the guy.
That’s the one who got it right. The
whole package. The one I can depend
on.”
It had never once occurred to me
that I would find myself in the position
I did on that night in A Kroboth’s house
in Roselle, New Jersey: an American
coward spending the night with an
American hero. g
COL Dave MacDonald, Chief, Medical Evacuation Proponency speaks at the Saturday
Professional Development meeting during DUSTOFF Reunion 2006.
PAGE 18
The DUSTOFFer
Top of the Schoolhouse
O
n behalf of the soldiers and
family members of USASAM,
I would like to say Thank You
and Best Wishes to COL Monica
Gorbandt and her family. COL
Gorbandt retires after 25 years of service and dedication to the Aviation and
Medical communities. Col Gorbandt
will be truly missed, but she will always
have a home here at USASAM.
LTC (P) Carnazza, who was the Assistant Dean, will be assuming the duties of the Dean, and LTC Olins will be
the Assistant Dean. CPT Broussard, the
Director of the Flight Medic Course,
has been notified that he will be deploying with the 1st Aviation Brigade out of
Ft. Riley. He will be living the life of a
PROFIS headed for the fight. Our
thoughts and prayers will be with CPT
Broussard and his family.
It has been a really busy time here
at USASAM since we last spoke. In the
continuing effort to remain current and
relevant, USASAM has conducted
Critical Task Selection Boards for the
Flight Medic course, Flight Surgeon’s
course, Joint En Route Care course, and
the MEDEVAC Doctrine course.
I would like to personally thank the
numerous Subject Matter Experts who
contributed to ensuring our course materials were what our students needed
to better prepare themselves for medical support to the Global War on Terror.
The MEDEVAC Doctrine course
(2C-F7) has been continually busy and
is getting more and more requests from
the Aviation community, in particular
our National Guard GSAB’s, to bring
the course by MTT to their locations.
This increase in MTT requests is in direct relation to Transformation, and we
expect this to continue.
Currently, the 2C-F7 course is in
Guam teaching our brothers and sisters
from the Navy who are scheduled to
deploy and support Detachment 2515,
currently providing MEDEVAC support in Kuwait. I highly encourage anyone who has not attended this course
to give it serious consideration. This
course is built for Officers and Senior
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
by 1SG Michael Stoddard
NCO attendance and provides baseline
knowledge of Force Health Protection
Planning and integrating MEDEVAC
planning and operations into the Global War on Terror.
The MEDEVAC Doctrine course has been
. . . getting more and
more requests from
the Aviation community . . . to bring the
course by MTT to
their locations.
The Flight Medic Course continues
to improve and grow to ensure the
Flight Medic students who graduate
this course are ready for the rigors they
will face in combat. The course has
added Evacuation Doctrine, Lessons
Learned, History of MEDEVAC, and a
Dog class to its curriculum, which ensures our Flight Medic Students are not
only technically proficient but tactically
proficient, as well.
USASAM has introduced the Flight
Medic Mentorship program to the
Flight Medic Course. The reality is that
most of our students will be deployed
within eight months and will be doing
most of their Readiness Level progression under fire.
This program aligns three to four
students with two instructors who have
been deployed as Flight Medics. This
allows the instructors to share experiences, TTPs, knowledge of what made
them successful in combat, and to better prepare the students for the their
deployment as Flight Medics. It also
provides them a baseline for what to
expect when they get to their
MEDEVAC units. The Mentorship program has been very successful, and the
feedback we get from the students has
been overwhelmingly positive.
In closing, I would like to acknowledge the Distinguished Honor graduate and the Honor Graduates of the last
two Flight Medic Courses. In Class 0701, the Honor Graduate was SGT
Whorton from the Sacramento, California National Guard. In Class 07-02, the
Distinguished Honor Graduate was
SSG Davis from the Texas National
Guard, and the Honor Graduate was
SGT Smithson, who is scheduled to report to Hawaii.
Thank you for your service and continued support. DUSTOFF . . . ATW!
—DUSTOFFer—
PAGE 19
From the Consultant
by COL David MacDonald
M
uch has transpired since my
last newsletter. I am pleased
to report that many of the big
issues, briefed during AMEC 2006,
have been resolved positively for the
DUSTOFF community. New initiatives
have been started to resolve emerging
issues as a result of Army Aviation
Transformation. Overall, this is a positive beginning to the new year and I
believe continued good news is forthcoming throughout 2007.
First and foremost, MEDEVAC
doctrine has been updated to reflect
current and future contingency operations. The Army should publish FM 402.2 “Medical Evacuation” by 31 May
2007. FM 4-02.2 outlines the Army
Medical Evacuation system in support
of Combined Joint Task Force and
Homeland Security operations. This
document also addresses air ambulance
company operations under the command and control of Combat Aviation
Brigades and this also was incorporated
into applicable Army Aviation doctrinal manuals.
The Joint Staff has updated their
doctrine as well, with the publication
of 4-02 “Health Service Support” on 31
October 2006. The new doctrine recognizes the Army as the preferred service to provide intra-theater medical
evacuation. This is a major departure
from the previous joint doctrine, where
there was no mention of a preferred
service to perform the intra-theater
medical evacuation mission. Furthermore, this is a positive step toward realizing MEPD’s vision of achieving
“Executive Agency” for the Army
Medical Evacuation mission.
Recently, the aeromedical evacuation company structure has come under scrutiny. The Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) has recognized
the MTOE structure as inefficient to
support mission requirements due to a
deficiency within the enlisted flight
medic and NCO structure. CALL is
scheduled to brief the TRADOC Commander (GEN Wallace) on this finding,
which will more than likely generate a
PAGE 20
Force Design Update (FDU) to address
these deficiencies.
Also structure related, the Army
Aviation Branch has recognized that
there are not enough MEDEVAC companies to support mission requirements
and the Army Force Generation model.
To address this issue, the Army Aviation Branch developed an FDU to add
nine MEDEVAC companies to the ex-
The new doctrine
recognizes the Army as
the preferred service to
provide intra-theater
medical evacuation.
This is a major departure from the previous
joint doctrine. . . .
isting structure. Three companies
would reside in the U.S. Army Reserve,
and six companies would reside in the
Army National Guard. This FDU was
approved by the Combined Arms Directorate and is currently being staffed
at TRADOC.
On the personnel front, significant
positive changes have been made concerning the Aeromedical Evacuation
Officer (67J) career path. DA Pam 6004 “AMEDD Officer Development and
Career Management” was published
recently. This document outlines a viable career path that includes: 67J specific Long-Term Health Education and
Training opportunities; an officer education system that supports Army Aviation and AMEDD requirements; increased battalion and brigade command
opportunities, to include General Support Aviation Battalion command opportunities; and new Joint Staff, Department of the Army Staff, and Homeland
Security opportunities. With the publication of this document, the 67J profession is better defined and will allow
several career paths to support the
AMEDD, Army, Joint communities,
Department of Homeland Security, and
the Department of Defense.
Another positive personnel outcome concerns the flight medic
(68WF). The Aviation Branch has formally recognized the 68WF as a nonrated crewmember and will allow them
to attend the Air Crewmember Standardization Instructor course; this will
allow flight medics to act as flight standardization NCOs within MEDEVAC
companies. On the horizon MEPD is
working with AMEDDC&S to develop
a medical evacuation MOS to manage
effectively and provide a viable career
path for the 68WF.
In regard to equipment, the
MEDEVAC fleet has begun its modernization process. The HH-60M program is on schedule, and the first unit
equipped will occur by next fiscal year.
The LUH, designated UH-72A Lakota,
has begun fielding at Fort Irwin in support of the National Training Center.
These positive outcomes are a result of hard work by the Active, Reserve, and Retired DUSTOFF community, as well as the AMEDD and Army
Aviation communities. MEDEVAC
transformation continues to evolve to
assure an efficient organization and
system. MEPD is currently working 38
initiatives to ensure this desired efficiency, and I expect the next newsletter to contain more positive news. Additionally, MEPD is planning the
AMEC, in conjunction with the
DUSTOFF reunion, in late February
2008.
Finally, in support of OEF/OIF, our
companies and aircrews continue to
perform superbly, with many challenges, attributing to the highest survivability rate in the history of warfare.
Their performance is upholding the
highest standards and is maintaining the
proud tradition of DUSTOFF. I am extremely proud to be a part of this unique
and august group. Thank you for who
you are and what you do every day.
—DUSTOFFer—
The DUSTOFFer
Nominate Your Hero
for the
DUSTOFF Hall of Fame
DUSTOFFers, don’t let our legacy go untold.
The Hall of Fame honors those who exhibited
our ethics and standards in their actions and their
contributions to DUSTOFF. Do your homework.
Find out about that man or woman who made a
difference in your career by his or her inspiration. Research your hero and nominate them.
Deadline is May 1. Details are on the dustoff.org
homepage. Click on the Hall of Fame tab at the
left of the opening page for information. It’s
OUR Hall of Fame; let’s make it complete.
Treasurer’s Report
5/1/2006–4/30/2007
Interest Income
Membership Dues
Memorial Donations
Reunion Income
Historical Project—Book
Sales Income
Scholarship Fund Income
Total Income
$412.46
$4,472.50
$2,718.12
$18,160.38
$500.00
$9,112.70
$6,070.00
$41,446.16
AMEDD Museum Support $1,000.00
Memorial Expenses
$1,171.94
Newsletter Publishing
$4,035.55
Operating Expenses
$1,126.43
Reunion Expenses
$13,584.06
Sales Expenses
$6,338.38
Scholarship Fund Expenses $5,300.00
$695.71
Tax
Total Expenses
$33,252.07
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
New Entries on the
Flight Manifest
William E. Brown
L
CW3 Scott H. Forbes
L
CW3 Curtis D. Foster
L
CW3 Jack M. Grass
L
SSG Jon Jordan
L
CW2 Jordon Long
L
Mark W. McCall
L
Allan Parkhurst
L
SGT Jerry B. Paul
L
Steven L. Vaughn
L
LTC Lee P. Washburn
L
CW2 Wills D. Wilbert
L
CW5 William W. Williams IV L
How to Contribute Articles
to The DUSTOFFer
The DUSTOFFer would like to publish your
article. If you have a recollection of a particular DUSTOFF or MAST mission, please share
it with our members. If your unit has been involved in an outstanding rescue mission or
worthwhile program, please submit your essay
about it to The DUSTOFFer. Don’t worry about
not being the best writer. We will edit your
material professionally. Send photographs with
your article or attach them electronically to your
e-mail.
Send typed, double-spaced hard copy to the
address below, or e-mail your article to
[email protected] or [email protected].
Please send your submissions to:
The DUSTOFFer
P. O. Box 8091
San Antonio, TX 78208
PAGE 21
2007 DUSTOFF Hall of Fame Nominations
Announcement and Call for Votes
The DUSTOFF Association established the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame to further the goals of the DUSTOFF Association: to
document and preserve our legacy of Dedicated and Unhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces. Using the construct of
the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) Hall of Fame, criteria were established and a process of nomination
adopted at the Annual Reunion in 2001.
The first inductees were five members of the AAAA Hall of Fame with a DUSTOFF background. Those inductions
occurred in 2001 by Executive Council action. Nominations from the membership began in 2001, and Wayne Simmons,
Steve Hook, and John Temperilli were elected that year. Since that time, we have elected eleven more DUSTOFFers into
the Hall of Fame. Along the way, the Executive Council has modified its procedures and made the voting process as easy
as possible through the use of the “virtual voting booth” on the DUSTOFF Association Website.
The Hall of Fame remains one of the more important programs of the Association aimed at preserving the legacy of the
DUSTOFF mission. It is clear that the members of the Hall of Fame “stand on the shoulders” of the more than 250
members of the DUSTOFF family who paid the ultimate price with their lives in service to our nation. While the DUSTOFF
history is replete with heroes and outstanding service, the Hall of Fame is designed to honor those men and women who
clearly set high standards of honorable service in both peace and war and who embody all the highest qualities of military
service.
The DUSTOFF Hall of Fame is our legacy to preserve, and therefore, the Executive Council operates with the highest
standards and strictest accountability. Preferential treatment of any nominee over others in nomination does not occur, and
all the elections are conducted so as to avoid any appearance of a “popularity contest.” Nominations come from the
membership and interested DUSTOFF supporters. Membership in the DUSTOFF Association is NOT a criterion for
nomination or election.
It is the responsibility of the Excutive Council to place emotions to the side and consider the narratives and the facts
presented on their face in comparison to the criteria. It is the responsibility of the nominator to do the research, make the
nomination, and support that nomination with factual information. The Hall of Fame belongs to the membership, and
therefore, it is key that nominations emanate from the membership.
Your Executive Council urges you to take the time to read these narratives, consider the criteria, and then VOTE! We need
your participation in this, one of our more important programs of the DUSTOFF Association. More information on the
Hall of Fame can be found on the Association Website <http://dustoff.org/hall-of-fame/index.htm>.
—DUSTOFFer—
PAGE 22
The DUSTOFFer
2007 Hall of Fame Nominees
W
SP5 James Coleman
hen the dust had settled and the DUSTOFF crews organized and began to receive
the appreciation they deserved, many recognized that SP5 James Coleman was at
the top of the list among those most deserving of recognition. Those who served
with him in the 498th Medical Company and the 54th Medical Detachment realized that he
embodied every quality and skill of the ultimate combat medic.
Then began the hunt for this remarkable soldier. For over 38 years members of the
DUSTOFF Association and his comrades in arms had searched for Jim Coleman. He was
found in ill health living in North Carolina. He had left the military at the request of his
wife, for family reasons. He had been within two years of a pension that he sacrificed for his
family. He had children and grandchildren who needed care, and his career came second.
James had no idea of the reverence with which he was held by his fellow soldiers. He
did not even know the details of his many awards—nor did he care. They had to be dug out
of the archives. But he was delighted to hear from the many friends of his past service, and
he was proud of the lives he had saved. After he was found, the American Legion heard of
him. In 2006 they invited him to their annual convention, where he was treated like the American hero he truly is.
James “Pappy” Coleman trained and led a group of medics that evacuated and treated over 21,000 patients in a nine-month
period. They flew 28 combat missions and carried 70 patients each day in a unit where an aircraft was hit every four to five days.
The number of Purple Hearts earned by his medics equaled 100% of their number. Coleman was wounded twice, yet refused to
leave his unit. In addition to two Purple Hearts, he earned three Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Stars,
both for valor, an Air Medal for valor, and numerous other Air Medals. (He does not know the number, but based on those earned
by his subordinates who flew less than he did, the number is surely over 33 in one year.) He was involved in the evacuation and
treatment of some 4,000 patients in over 1,600 combat missions in one year. Little wonder he was known through out his AO as
“Super Medic.”
On one mission his helicopter landed in a minefield where numerous wounded were scattered among the mines. The ground
troops would not move to help Coleman load their wounded. Ignoring his own safety, Coleman immediately entered the minefield
and began to carry the wounded to his helicopter. On one trip he detonated a mine, which blew him into the air, filled his chopper
and his body with shrapnel, and set his pants on fire. Despite his wounds, he got up, put out the fire on his fatigues, and would
not leave until all the wounded had been loaded. Once airborne, he ignored his own wounds and treated his patients all the way
to the hospital. That was not his only minefield experience. In another minefield, when once again no one would move, he made
four trips alone through the mines to rescue all the wounded.
On another mission he departed his helicopter and went over a hundred yards into a hostile jungle to rescue five seriously
wounded members of a long-range reconnaissance patrol. One at a time, he picked up each of the casualties and carried them
back to the rescue helicopter. The area was so hot and the enemy so close, his bird actually landed on a dead VC. Despite the fact
that he was near complete physical exhaustion, he did not rest until all the casualties were loaded. He devoted his remaining
strength to the needs of the wounded as they were flown to the hospital.
On yet another mission, he refused to leave the wounded on the battlefield, despite the fact that a soldier helping him carry
the wounded was shot dead at his side. On another mission the fire was so intense the troops again refused to stand and help load
the patients. Despite the fire, Coleman was able to load two seriously wounded soldiers. Enemy fire knocked out all the engine
instruments and the hydraulics. The fuel tank was also hit, and fuel was leaking rapidly. Once in the air, Coleman discovered his
crew chief had been shot in the leg, severing an artery and was rapidly bleeding out. Coleman was able to stop the bleeding and
saved the man’s life. Throughout the bedlam Coleman remained calm, treating the wounded as the bird made a running landing
without hydraulic assist. He then jumped in another aircraft and continued the missions.
On hundreds of missions, in numerous minefields and countless bullet-swept battle zones, Coleman tread where others
would not. His fellow soldiers were amazed at his calm in the most chaotic situations. If he experienced fear, it was never in
evidence. He cared more for the care of others than he did for his own life. The great military analyst Carl von Clausewitz wrote
that you can get soldiers to go into battle, but once they see a buddy get shot, getting them to go back is a problem. Clausewitz
was wrong about Coleman. He saw his fellow soldiers and his own helicopters, shot over and over, and he went back again and
again.
James Coleman epitomizes the Dustoff medic, totally fearless, professionally expert, and indefatigable in his dedication to
lifesaving. No soldier who served with this man would not want him above all others to be their medic if they were wounded in
battle. Surely, he is among the most highly decorated medics of the Viet Nam war. He is also one of the most competent and
courageous.
Perhaps his whole attitude about the dangers of his job was best expressed after a bullet passed between his lips filling them
with blood. When a fellow soldier rushed to his aid, Coleman quipped through the blood: “I’m good to go. I just kissed the bullet
that had my name on it.”
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 23
2007 Hall of Fame Nominees
Colonel Robert B. Romines
R
obert B. Romines is nominated for induction into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame for
his lifelong impact on the DUSTOFF mission and the DUSTOFF Association.
Bob helped create the legacy, as one of DUSTOFF’s most heroic aviators. He passed the
legacy on to the generations behind him with his unparalleled leadership and mentoring.
Thomas L. “Egor” Johnson founded the Association with his vision and leadership, but Bob
perpetuated it by breathing life into it and making policies to ensure its long life. His backto-back terms as President of the DUSTOFF Association are unmatched.
During the height of World War II, October 2, 1942, Robert B. Romines was born to
Richard and Ruby Romines in Henderson, Texas. He graduated from Carlisle High School
in 1960 and attended Stephen F. Austin College. Other than the 30 years Bob spent on
active duty, he has lived his entire life in his beloved East Texas. Bob entered the Army at Ft.
Polk, Louisiana, as an enlisted soldier in April 1967. He then entered the Warrant Officer
Flight Training program, which he completed in May, 1968, as an honor graduate. This
enabled him to volunteer to become a DUSTOFF aviator—and the rest is history.
Bob’s performance as a DUSTOFF aviator in combat is legendary. He learned quickly
from some of our great heroes like DUSTOFF Hall of Fame members Jim Truscott and
Doug Moore. He soon earned the Aircraft Commander designation and performed at a level far above what would normally be
expected of a pilot with his limited experience. He’s remembered by his fellow crewmembers as having no fear. During his tour
with the 45th Med. Co. (AA), no one flew more hours, evacuated more patients, took more hits from enemy fire, or completed
more evacuation missions. He flew more than 1000 hours, completed 1,471 missions, while evacuating 3,620 patients.
Kelly’s “when I have your wounded” spirit was clearly evident on February 1, 1969, when the crew he commanded completed a heroic evacuation of American casualties. Friendly elements were encircled by the North Vietnamese. Enemy fire from
a bunker at the edge of a wood line raked the area so heavily that the patients could not be moved back for evacuation. Twice,
Bob landed his helicopter within 75 meters of the hostile fortification. Despite several direct hits to his craft, he and his crew
successfully evacuated the patients and flew them to a hospital for treatment.
When we remember Bob Romines in combat, we think of “scarfing.” This was done by monitoring the universal DUSTOFF
frequency while retuning from completed missions or on routine missions—then scarfing up and completing the mission before
the normally assigned crew could react. The impact was significant. Wounded were rescued more quickly, thus saving even
more lives. It also created a competitive atmosphere among fellow crews to be as good as Bob Romines. Morale could not have
been higher. Countless missions were completed more quickly. Imagine the impact to our soldiers on the ground — it only
shortened their time to wait for a DUSTOFF. No one was better at scarfing than Bob Romines.
Upon his return from Vietnam in 1969, Bob was assigned to Ft Wolters, Texas, where he trained new flight school students
as an instructor pilot. Based on his documented heroic performance, his potential was recognized at the Department of the Army.
Soon after arriving at Ft. Wolters, he was notified of his selection to become an officer in the Medical Service Corps as a First
Lieutenant. After serving as a fixed-wing aviator at the Health Services Command Flight Detachment, he attended the Officer
Advanced Course and then held more significant positions, where he contributed to the DUSTOFF legacy.
While teaching at the Academy of Health Sciences (AHS), Bob had a tremendously positive influence on our young officers
and NCOs. Future crewmembers all came through the schoolhouse. Many joined the DUSTOFF family after being introduced
to DUSTOFF traditions by Bob and are continuing the legacy today. No one taught our future generations better. He added a new
level to being tactically and technically proficient.
Bob moved back to the field in 1979, commanding the air ambulance company of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. While at Eagle DUSTOFF, he led and inspired his unit to an unprecedented level of performance. His
leadership and seasoned combat flying experience made him vital to the flight training and preparation of the company for
combat. His example again led many crews to extend and stay with DUSTOFF. He continued serving with the division as the
battalion operations officer and executive officer.
Following an assignment at the Office of the Surgeon General, where he was the chief of the Force Modernization Branch,
Bob led the Medical Service Corps Career Activities Office. He was responsible for the lifecycle management of our DUSTOFF
aviators. This included the acquisition, training, leader development, and assignment of our DUSTOFF aviators. Bob mentored
numerous DUSTOFF aviators. They will all testify to the wise counsel they received regarding training, leader development,
and assignment, and are now carrying on DUSTOFF traditions because of his mentorship.
From 1994 through 1996, he served as the President of the DUSTOFF Association. During those years, the Association was
in transition. Finances were low, and management of the membership dues was lacking. Bob had the opportunity thrust upon
him to serve two tours as the president when the president-elect opted to resign due to health and personal reasons. Bob stepped
into the breach (or remained in the breach) and led the efforts to bring dues payments back in line. The Association’s financial
(Romines, continued on page 26.)
PAGE 24
The DUSTOFFer
2007 Hall of Fame Nominees
C
Colonel Dan Gower Jr.
olonel Dan Gower Jr. was born 9 May 1948 to Dan and Gail Gower. He was to
become the fourth in a line of career Army Officers. His great grandfather
served 30 years in the Army as a Quartermaster Corps officer. His grandfather
served 33 years in two World Wars as a Coast Artillery Officer. His father served
during WW II as a Corps of Engineers officer and then served 30 years in the U.S.
Army Reserves.
Dan soon carried on the tradition in his family, as he launched a lifetime of service to
his country and to DUSTOFF. Dan graduated from Texas A&M University in 1970 as a
Distinguished Military Graduate and entered active duty in May 1971 as an Infantry 2nd
Lieutenant. During his flight school training, a tornado ripped through Enterprise, Alabama, and destroyed the mobile home in which he and his wife, Suzie, were sleeping.
Undaunted by the challenges they faced with Suzie being paralyzed by that tornado, he
remained on active duty and sought reassignment to San Antonio, Texas, to continue Suzie’s
recovery.
Dan forfeited a coveted Cobra transition in taking that assignment. However, upon his
assignment to the 507th Medical Company (AA), he realized how much more fulfilling a career as a Medical Service Corps
aviator and DUSTOFFer would be. In 1973 he pinned on the brass of the Medical Service Corps. Dan dedicated the next 26 years
of service to the Officers and Soldiers of the United States Army Medical Department, serving 96 months in command of
medical units and 147 months as a DUSTOFF pilot. He earned the designation of Master Aviator and was awarded the Legion of
Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Oak leaf Clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal.
Dan’s career was marked with outstanding leadership, selfless service, and astute organizational ability, even in his early
assignments as the Section Leader with the 507th Medical Company and as the Flight Operations Officer for the 68th Medical
Detachment (AA). It was here that he developed complex and challenging training regimens, including Nap of the Earth (NOE),
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), and tactical communications with en route medical care, preparing his units for combat.
While serving with the 68th Medical Detachment, he was given a Hawaii Senate Resolution for Outstanding Support of
Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) for his part in the recovery operations of a crashed civilian airplane on the
Island of Molokai.
Later, he served as the Commander, 3/507th Medical Company, Fort Hood, Texas, where he was instrumental in the unit
receiving three years of outstanding Aviation Resource Management Surveys (ARMS), the award of the FORSCOM Commander’s
Plaque for Aviation Safety in 1980 and 1981, signifying the number-one-rated unit of that size in FORSCOM. Despite the
challenging pace of that six-ship detached platoon, Dan ensured that the flight crews were trained in patient care, tactics, and
instrument flight, as well as cockpit resource management.
His next assignment was to the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Lab, following obtaining two master’s degrees with
honors in Safety. Here, Dan developed and conducted the Army’s first documented studies in Simulator Sickness. He developed
the Army’s safety guidelines for that syndrome, and they are still in place today. He also spearheaded and managed the development of and deployment of the SPH-5 lightweight aviation helmet that significantly improved weight reduction and impact crash
attenuation capabilities of the standard aviation helmet.
Dan commanded the 16th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, where his leadership and organizational ability were a positive
example to his peers and subordinates alike. His hallmark was training based on “lane training” concepts, something extremely
difficult to do in a mobile surgical hospital. The results were marked increases in crew battle drill proficiency and unit performance.
Colonel Gower served as the DUSTOFF Association President in 1996–97, and during his term lead in the development of
the DUSTOFF Association Crewmember of the Year and the DUSTOFF Rescue of the Year programs, which were first awarded
at the 1997 reunion. During his tenure as president, he launched a campaign to upgrade the UH-1 memorial to our Viet Nam
KIAs. In 1997 he assumed the duties as treasurer of the DUSTOFF Association, a position he holds today. Here, he performs the
critical mission of keeping the Association on strong financial grounds.
Dan completed the campaign to upgrade the memorial plaza, having developed the plans and raised the financial backing,
and to name the resulting plaza at Fort Sam Houston in honor of Major General Spurgeon Neel. He has, as the Association’s
Executive Director, developed the concept for and implemented the program to honor DUSTOFFers who had inspired others or
served with distinction.
It was Dan who developed the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame and worked with the AMEDD Museum Foundation to secure a
prominent site on the grounds of the AMEDD Museum for the Association’s Hall of Fame. He spearheaded the effort to raise the
money for and install the brick pavers that honor the DUSTOFFers killed in action, which are now installed at the base of the
DUSTOFF Hall of Fame.
(Gower, continued on page 26.)
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 25
2008 Hall of Fame Nominees
(Romines, continued from page 24.)
status turned around and allowed meaningful programs to be started. The programs begun in the following years saw the DUSTOFF
Association accomplish the vision of its founder, Thomas “Egor” Johnson—to be the keeper of the legacy of DUSTOFF. Bob
has remained active in the Executive Council since his term as president, lending guidance and support to subsequent presidents
and the valuable programs the Association has begun.
Bob traveled from Private to Colonel. Along the way, in addition to his DUSTOFF assignments, he commanded a Combat
Support Hospital and attended numerous military schools, including resident attendance at the Command and General Staff
College, where he was an honor graduate. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross,
five awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal with 30 oak leaf clusters. He is a Master Army Aviator and was
awarded the Expert Field Medical Badge.
From 1968, when his career as a DUSTOFF Aviator first began, through 30 years of distinguished service, exemplary
leadership, and outstanding accomplishments, Colonel Romines has personified the best of DUSTOFF traditions, making him a
worthy inductee into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame.
(Gower, continued from page 25.)
Dan served as the Association’s lead person in the establishment of the DUSTOFF Scholarship Program and obtained the
partnership with the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) to match the association’s funds. Further, he worked with
the Vietnam Veterans Association of America Mike Novosel Chapter to raise an additional $5,000 to bring our annuity to
$30,000, thus allowing the Association to award a $1,000 scholarship each year.
In his dedication to the DUSTOFF Legacy, Dan served as the LZ Coordinator for “In the Shadow of the Blade,” honoring
the crew who saved “Baby Kathleen” during the Vietnam War. He serves on the Board of Directors of the non-profit corporation
that serves to educate high school students about the Vietnam War and the DUSTOFF Legacy, using the “In the Shadow of the
Blade” documentary as its basis.
As the Executive Director since 1998, Dan has served as the DUSTOFF Store Manager. He developed and produced the
Major Charles Kelly and CW4 Mike Novosel Hall of Fame Coins and developed and maintains the updated database that
accurately reflects the names, dates, and units of the DUSTOFFers KIA. He has spent his own time and money to visit units
returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he presents DUSTOFF Coins to the men and women returning from their
combat deployment.
His dedicated service to his country and to the DUSTOFF Association and the legacy of DUSTOFF is such that whenever
there is an issue or a program where the Association is involved, you will find Dan in the lead, making sure it happens. His
personal example and dedication to the DUSTOFF legacy and the Association is such that we now have a strong Association
advocating improvements in Aeromedical Evacuation and keeping the DUSTOFF legacy alive. It has been said of Dan Gower
that he is “the heart and soul of the DUSTOFF Association.” Dan’s lifelong dedication to DUSTOFF and the DUSTOFF Association deserves a place in the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame.
PAGE 26
The DUSTOFFer
DUSTOFF ASSOCIATION
HALL OF FAME BALLOT
This ballot is for the 2007 election for DUSTOFF Hall of Fame induction. Those elected will be inducted into the DUSTOFF
Hall of Fame at the 2008 Annual DUSTOFF Reunion in San Antonio, Texas, 29 February–2 March 2008.
Nominees must capture two-thirds of the votes cast to be elected. Please participate in this endeavor. It’s your hall of
fame and our legacy. Vote yes or no for the nominee below.
SP5 James Coleman
q
Yes
q
No
COL Robert B. Romines
q
Yes
q
No
COL Dan Gower Jr.
q
Yes
q
No
You may vote online (instructions below), or mail this ballot and any donation you wish to make to:
DUSTOFF Association
P. O. Box 8091
San Antonio, TX 78208
Your ballot must be received at the post office box or online on or before October 31, 2007, to be counted.
✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTING ONLINE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Log on to http://dustoff.org.
Click HALL OF FAME
Click 2007 NOMINEES to read narratives of the nominees
When ready to vote, click VOTING BOOTH
To log in, use the following:
Username:
dustoff
Password:
hof2007
Fill in all blanks, including your member number. The member number is above your name on the
mailing label of this DUSTOFFer or the letter notifying you that the DUSTOFFer is ready for viewing on
the website.
If you experience problems, call Dan Gower at (210) 379-3985.
SPRING/SUMMER 2007
PAGE 27
DUSTOFF Association
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San Antonio, TX 78208-0091
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PAGE 28
DUSTOFF Association
P. O. Box 8091
Wainwright Station
San Antonio, TX 78208
The DUSTOFFer