WEBVTT 00:00.212 --> 00:02.962 (haunting music) 00:07.550 --> 00:09.250 ^- As pararescuemen here at Bagram, 00:09.360 --> 00:11.913 ^the primary job is to save lives. 00:12.400 --> 00:14.740 ^Inevitably people have a bad day in war 00:14.740 --> 00:17.440 ^and it's these guys' job to, at any time of the day, 00:17.440 --> 00:20.743 any environment, to go in there and save people's lives. 00:22.130 --> 00:23.030 This is the first time 00:23.030 --> 00:25.710 that we've had joint Air Force and Army 00:25.810 --> 00:28.253 combat search-and-rescue in Afghanistan. 00:30.120 --> 00:32.933 For those that are flying missions every day, 00:33.919 --> 00:36.320 they can rest a little easier or they can fight harder 00:36.320 --> 00:39.760 knowing that they have a group a highly motivated guys 00:39.760 --> 00:42.920 back here that will risk themselves to go get them. 00:43.830 --> 00:46.653 In this particular area of operations in Bagram, 00:46.740 --> 00:49.840 the CH-47 or the Army Chinook is the best platform 00:50.070 --> 00:51.258 to conduct this mission. 00:51.258 --> 00:54.008 (dramatic music) 01:00.395 --> 01:02.845 - All air crew members take as a solemn vow 01:02.920 --> 01:05.380 that if you go down there will be assets 01:05.380 --> 01:06.520 that will come and get you, 01:06.520 --> 01:07.913 ^and that's a pararescueman's vow, 01:07.913 --> 01:09.940 ^that's something that we've taken on 01:10.000 --> 01:11.598 and we take that vow very seriously. 01:11.598 --> 01:15.793 (dramatic music) (helicopter rotors whirring) 01:15.840 --> 01:17.630 The benefit of having the Chinook integrated 01:17.630 --> 01:19.980 into the rescue squadron with the pararescuemen 01:20.410 --> 01:24.510 over other airframes is the space and the power available 01:24.510 --> 01:26.743 in the high altitude areas of Afghanistan. 01:28.990 --> 01:31.000 - [Robert] Here at Bagram, we're surrounded 01:31.000 --> 01:34.003 by 12 to 13,000-foot, snowy mountains, 01:34.220 --> 01:36.910 which aircraft have to fly over or through 01:36.920 --> 01:40.593 every single day to operate in and out of Afghanistan. 01:40.810 --> 01:42.310 - If somebody's up in the mountains 01:42.310 --> 01:45.320 and they need to be hoisted out of the mountains 01:45.320 --> 01:47.520 ^because there isn't a suitable landing zone, 01:48.520 --> 01:50.040 ^their aircraft has the power 01:50.040 --> 01:52.173 ^to actually hold a stable hover. 01:52.510 --> 01:53.970 A lot of aircraft can't do that. 01:53.970 --> 01:56.280 - [Man] With the Chinook having as much power as it does, 01:56.280 --> 01:58.880 it allows us to reach very high altitudes 01:58.880 --> 02:01.140 without the degradation of the power margin 02:01.370 --> 02:04.040 that most other tail-rotor aircraft experience 02:04.110 --> 02:05.963 as you go up in higher altitudes. 02:07.090 --> 02:10.700 - So mass casualty operations is an inherent risk 02:10.700 --> 02:12.620 that takes place within Afghanistan. 02:12.620 --> 02:14.350 What's nice about the 47 is 02:14.350 --> 02:18.850 I can pick most of those folks up all in one trip. 02:18.850 --> 02:21.517 (ominous music) 02:24.240 --> 02:27.793 - By being able to load multiple patients on one aircraft, 02:28.320 --> 02:30.900 much more than most aircraft, out of a fire fight 02:31.270 --> 02:34.040 and get them to the care that's required 02:34.500 --> 02:38.070 is literally life or death for a lot of people. 02:38.070 --> 02:38.957 - [Man] Give me Patient Two, what is it? 02:38.957 --> 02:41.763 It's a GSW where? - M to your chest. 02:41.800 --> 02:43.370 - Okay. - Single entry. 02:44.650 --> 02:46.350 - [Man] We can fill the entire aircraft 02:46.350 --> 02:48.693 without it ever reaching its weight limitations. 02:48.800 --> 02:51.860 - [Man] The space that a 47 allows us gives the PJ 02:51.860 --> 02:55.583 more room to operate around the patient to give better care. 02:55.720 --> 02:59.170 - [Man] From time of injury to time on that cold steel, 02:59.170 --> 03:02.280 on that OR table, we try to get that within an hour 03:02.280 --> 03:03.890 and the easiest way to do that is 03:03.890 --> 03:06.113 move as many people as possible at one time. 03:11.330 --> 03:12.650 - As long as anybody's on the ground 03:12.650 --> 03:14.300 and aircraft are flying overhead, 03:14.500 --> 03:16.923 rescue is needed within Afghanistan, period. 03:22.580 --> 03:25.790 - You can put more pararescuemen inside the aircraft. 03:25.790 --> 03:28.120 You can render better aid, we can carry everything 03:28.120 --> 03:30.633 that they need to carry to the battlefield, 03:30.800 --> 03:33.393 and that's not an issue for the CH-47. 03:33.850 --> 03:36.010 - The Chinook's easily capable 03:36.010 --> 03:38.820 for what we're doing here, the ability to load patients, 03:38.820 --> 03:40.970 the ability to pull the power that we need, 03:41.240 --> 03:42.690 there's a lot of capabilities 03:42.840 --> 03:44.690 that the Chinook brings to the fight. 03:44.830 --> 03:48.650 - At the tactical level, the PJs and the Army 03:49.020 --> 03:50.297 work seamlessly together. 03:50.297 --> 03:52.923 It's as we've been doing this for years. 03:55.050 --> 03:57.210 We need that aircraft to get to places 03:57.210 --> 03:59.433 that we couldn't reach before, 03:59.500 --> 04:01.490 and the 47 and the relationship with the Army 04:01.490 --> 04:03.490 and the Air Force allows that to happen. 04:03.857 --> 04:06.607 (dramatic music) 04:12.610 --> 04:15.277 (serious music)