Airmen medevac two wounded Afghans Published Aug. 1, 2005 By Capt. David Small U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- A combat search and rescue crew evacuated two Afghan nationals who had been wounded by stray shrapnel from an anti-coalition militia mortar attack against a forward-operating base in a village northeast of Kandahar, Afghanistan, on July 28.After the attack, the two -- an adult and a 12-year-old boy -- were brought to the local firebase set up by Soldiers who had gained the trust and confidence of the villagers there. Because the village is 8,000 feet into the mountains and the sun had set, the only option for immediate medical evacuation was an Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue crew from Kandahar. “Because of the Pave Hawk’s capabilities, it can fly during periods of very low illumination,” said Capt. Chris Roness, Joint Search and Rescue Center watch supervisor deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. “They fly when it’s too dangerous for conventional medevac.”Helicopters at that altitude have to push the envelope, he said, adding that the pitch-black darkness without moonlight would have compounded the flight risks for other rescue options. HH-60G pilots use night-vision goggles, infrared lighting and a forward-looking infrared system that greatly enhance night low-level operations. “These guys did it like it was old hat,” Captain Roness said.Within 30 minutes of being tasked, two helicopters standing alert took off from Kandahar -- each crewed by a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two pararescuemen.Search and rescue crews stand alert at all times to respond to any situation, the captain said.The mortars had taken out the normal landing zone, so ground forces secured an alternate site. It took 10 minutes to load the two patients and one of the boy’s parents onto the helicopter. The pararescuemen on board tended to the patients during the flight. “Their unique rescue qualifications make them ideally suited for these high-risk medevac missions,” said 1st Lt. Jonathan Harmon, a combat rescue officer deployed from Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. “In layman’s terms, they are paramedics, but they’re trained in field trauma and surgical techniques above and beyond the normal paramedic -- they’re combat trauma specialists.”Within an hour, the patients and crew landed at Kandahar for treatment at the medical facility there.“The bottom line is that helping these two individuals was not only the right thing to do, it also fosters the trust of the Afghan civilian populace,” Captain Roness said.The two patients were treated at Kandahar’s military medical facility and released.