MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Working in partnership with 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, the 927th Aeromedical Staging Squadron trained its Citizen Airmen on procedures for loading and unloading patients from the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a unit training assembly here, April 7, 2024.
“As we look to the future and the possibility of a conflict with a near peer adversary, it is imperative that we train and fight jointly,” said Air Force Maj. Melissa Laughrey, 927th ASTS chief nurse.
“Understanding the medical evacuation mission of the 5-159th, integrating with them and sharpening our medical skills in the 927th ASTS will be essential to saving lives on the battlefield.”
Airmen from the 927th ASTS carried patients on litters and practiced loading them safely into the Black Hawk with the assistance of the Army crews. Soldiers from the 5-159th briefed the airmen on approach procedures for safely navigating the aircraft, answered questions and facilitated the training hands-on by guiding the airmen through the safe lanes of approach while the aircraft was running.
“It’s not only the skills to work with the aircraft but the knowledge of what to do when the aircraft shows up and we have patients medically requiring transport.” said U.S. Army Sgt. Timothy Buckland, UH-60 crew chief.
Airmen from the 927th ASTS train regularly to support a wide variety of aerospace medicine capabilities and this training served to help them become familiar with aeromedical evacuation using aircraft designed to reach locations without access to runways.
“I’ve never seen Black Hawks in person so it’s a great experience,” said Senior Airman Jamesha Bronner, 927th ASTS Commanders Support Staff admin.
“I’m CSS, so I don’t usually get to experience the hands-on part of the mission. Experiencing what the members go through hands on allows me to relate to them – to know what they do when I send them out the door.”
Joint training between the Air Force and Army allows both soldiers and airmen the chance to practice interoperability before deploying to a totally joint environment.
“I think this will make me more aware of my surroundings and helpful in a mission.” said Bronner when asked about working with the Army.
“The 927th ASTS working with the Army’s HH-60 crews to conduct joint training is an example of Agile Combat Employment and interoperability,” said Chief Master Sgt. Vishal Rose, 927th ARW command chief. “We look forward to more joint training opportunities like this on MacDill.”