WEBVTT 00:01.778 --> 00:03.624 - I'm Captain Wade Jeffries. 00:03.624 --> 00:07.791 I'm a platoon leader with Gulf Company 1-168 Medevac. 00:08.195 --> 00:11.702 We're out here at Southern Strike providing medevac coverage 00:11.702 --> 00:14.975 to all the ground units participating in the training. 00:14.975 --> 00:18.773 So at Southern Strike, for the medevac unit for us here, 00:18.773 --> 00:21.317 it's really integrating with the ground units, 00:21.317 --> 00:23.993 that a lot of times are gonna be supporting overseas 00:23.993 --> 00:25.243 when we deploy. 00:25.266 --> 00:29.235 So it's just, kind of, working out some of that coordination 00:29.235 --> 00:32.435 and how it's actually gonna go overseas. 00:32.435 --> 00:34.401 So while we're here at Southern Strike, 00:34.401 --> 00:37.683 we're working with several different ground units, 00:37.683 --> 00:41.506 and we've done a lot of hot/cold load training with them. 00:41.506 --> 00:44.027 That's basically just how to operate safely 00:44.027 --> 00:46.156 around the medevac aircraft. 00:46.156 --> 00:47.719 We're doing hoist training, 00:47.719 --> 00:50.886 we've got rescue basket, rescue seats. 00:51.721 --> 00:54.221 We're doing Skedco Operations, 00:54.953 --> 00:58.304 and just showing the ground units how to do it properly. 00:58.304 --> 01:01.786 So that if we ever are doing this real world, 01:01.786 --> 01:03.869 they know what to expect. 01:04.279 --> 01:06.395 Well there's a lot of things that can go wrong 01:06.395 --> 01:07.836 operating around the aircraft, 01:07.836 --> 01:10.443 with the rotor system, the tail rotor. 01:10.443 --> 01:13.474 So, we don't want this to be the real world scenario 01:13.474 --> 01:14.722 for it to be the first time 01:14.722 --> 01:18.118 that they're operating around the aircraft. 01:18.118 --> 01:20.785 That way, it's just safer for us 01:22.332 --> 01:23.938 and for them when we actually go 01:23.938 --> 01:26.146 in real world picking them up. 01:26.146 --> 01:27.296 I guess the normal challenge 01:27.296 --> 01:30.190 would be the communication with the ground units. 01:30.190 --> 01:32.002 That's been one of the challenges we've had, 01:32.002 --> 01:33.595 but I think we've been able to work through it, 01:33.595 --> 01:34.845 and correct it. 01:36.743 --> 01:40.910 It's really now, the second weekend of Southern Strike, 01:40.990 --> 01:42.215 we've kind of worked that out. 01:42.215 --> 01:45.976 So Southern Strike for us is, with the training we get here, 01:45.976 --> 01:50.052 is very beneficial, and probably better than training 01:50.052 --> 01:51.975 we get anywhere else throughout the year. 01:51.975 --> 01:54.358 Just because this is actually what we're gonna do 01:54.358 --> 01:57.469 when we deploy, and these are the guys we're working for. 01:57.469 --> 01:59.762 These are the guys we're supporting. 01:59.762 --> 02:01.337 You know, they're on the ground, 02:01.337 --> 02:04.004 and we're coming in to get them. 02:04.017 --> 02:08.100 Alright, well really, we provide medevac coverage 02:08.471 --> 02:11.508 for the guys on the ground kicking in doors. 02:11.508 --> 02:15.675 So when something bad happens, we're coming to save them, 02:16.991 --> 02:18.672 and to get them where they need to go 02:18.672 --> 02:21.830 to get that next level of medical care. 02:21.830 --> 02:24.492 Alright, so medevac on the Blackhawk, 02:24.492 --> 02:27.992 we have fully qualified flight paramedics. 02:29.404 --> 02:31.151 We have the ability, we can land, 02:31.151 --> 02:33.256 pick them up from the ground. 02:33.256 --> 02:37.293 One really unique ability that we have is we have the hoist. 02:37.293 --> 02:41.210 So there's gonna be times where the ground guys 02:41.695 --> 02:43.318 are not at a spot where we can land. 02:43.318 --> 02:46.027 So we have to go in and hoist them out. 02:46.027 --> 02:48.735 So that's really a unique capability we have.