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High Desert Warrior September 2021
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Desert DUSTOFF MEDEVAC Crew rescue downed Naval Aviator
By Abraam Dawoud
NATIONAL TRAINING CEN- TER, California — A MEDEVAC crew from C Company, 2916th Avia- tion Battalion “Desert DUSTOFF” rescued a Naval Aviator shortly after the pilot’s F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in Death Valley National Park, California, on Oct. 4.
“We received initial notification of the crash at approximately 3:14 p.m., on Oct. 4,” said Maj. Mi- chael Chase, commander of C CO,
2916th Aviation Battalion. “Upon receiving the required information, it took our crew less than 8 minutes to get the bird wheels up.”
The flight crew for the rescue op- eration consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, crew chief, flight paramedic, as well as a Fort Irwin Firefighter Paramedic.
Upon reaching the crash site at Death Valley National Park, the paramedics rendered care to the Aviator for possible fractures and lac- erations. The wounded patient was
in stable condition on the scene and was then transported for treatment at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.
“Our primary mission is to pro- vide support to Fort Irwin and the National Training Center with im- mediate response air MEDEVAC support,” said Pilot in Command CW2 Adam Murphy, who was overall responsible for the rescue operation. “On occasion, and based on need and urgency, we support
missions off post to save life, limb, or eyesight. This incident met that criteria, and due to the remoteness of the incident, we were the closest medical response to the scene.”
“Desert DUSTOFF provides premier air MEDEVAC support 24/7/365. I could not be more proud of the dedication and unhesitating service the DUSTOFF crew exhib- ited in their actions to recover and evacuate the downed aviator,” said Chase. “This was truly a joint effort
with our sister services and govern- ment partners to respond quickly to the scene and provide the necessary care for the downed aviator.”
According to Naval Forces Public Affairs, the Aviator was released from the hospital later that night. Search and rescue units from Fort Irwin as well as NAWS China Lake, and Ma- rine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron (MAWTS) 1 from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma responded to the scene to rescue the pilot.
Command and Control and Evacuation capabilities of Role 1 and Role 2 medical operations training. LeMaster took the op- portunity to conduct a leader professional development session during a visit to Weed Army Community Hospital LeMaster.
LeMaster was accompanied on the three-day trip by Maj. Davarius Sharpe, an instructor at the Captains Career Course, or CCC, and Officer Project Warrior Manager.
LeMaster said, “During the visit, Maj. Sharpe helped us assess the Project Warrior program to ensure we get the right talent in observer controller/trainer positions as well as manage their follow-on assignments well.”
Project Warrior is a four-year course designed for Army of- ficers with the objective to infuse observations and experiences gained from multiple, immersive Combat Training Center, or CTC, rotations and Army exercises back into the Army Profes- sional Military Education system as instructors. The goal of the program is to pass on insights and knowledge from the CTCs
to benefit the U.S. Training and Doctrine Command Centers of Excellence and the force.
Project Warrior Officers like Sharpe serve two years at a CTC followed by years at a CoE as a small group instructor. Sharpe, who served two years at the NTC, now shares his knowledge with students at MEDCoE since his arrival, June 2021.
“I chose the Project Warrior program to take everything I learned and pass it on to junior leaders,” said Sharpe in an interview just after his arrival to the MEDCoE. He said the pro- gram helps bring operational experience from a combat training environment and insight from different Brigade Combat Teams and doctrine back to new leaders at the centers of excellence.
“As a small group leader in the CCC, I will be providing more insight on the operational side of medical operations,” Sharpe continued. “A lot of the times, junior leaders come to the CoE without a lot of operational experience in the combat environment, so I will bring that to the table and teach our
From MED, Page 1 junior officers how to employ themselves operationally.”
LeMaster, who has commanded the MEDCoE since Janu- ary 2020, views his first visit to NTC while in command as a success. He said Sharpe brought a great perspective during the entire trip. He was most impressed by the entire NTC command and staff. “Many thanks to Brig. Gen. Curtis Taylor and his team,” said LeMaster. “It was a wonderful and productive visit.”
The Army Project Warrior Program is open to Active Com- ponent captains in the following branches: Infantry, Engineer, Armor, Field Artillery, Air Defense, Aviation, Signal, Military Police, Military Intelligence, Chemical, Logistics, and Medical Service. Officers and/or the chain of command interested in the Project Warrior Program should contact the individual’s Assignment Officer for more information about the program and specific questions regarding an individual candidate’s status.
For more information go to home.army.mil/irwin