The following excerpts are from the June 1996 DUSTOFFer Newsletter. The complete newsletter, and all the stories are mailed to each DUSTOFF Association member. If you are not a member, become a member now and read the complete, intriguing stories.

MEMORIAL BOARD UPDATE

The DUSTOFF Memorial Boards have been relocated to the end of the entry hallway and now stands out as a most moving testimony. The light from the full wall windows causes a reflection upon the brass plaques; whenever anyone stands before the Moemorial their reflection can be seen. The museum wants to display some photographs of DUSTOFF with an emphasis upon those lost during Vietnam service and since. These would be surrounding the exhibit. If you want to share a photograph and a few words please contact the DUSTOFF Association: Attention Memorial Board.

CH-47 CHINOOK HIGH CAPACITY AIR AMBULANCE

Helping people in need has been a hallmark of rotor craft from the start. The first helicopter mercy mission was performed in 1944, when a Coast Guard helicopter delivered blood plasma to treat more than 100 victims of a Navy ship explosion. Thousands of wounded Korean War GIs and Marines owe their lives to helicopter crews who flew them from battlefield aid stations to mobile hospitals and MEDEVAC choppers are credited with transporting over 100,000 casualties during the war in Vietnam.

A recent U.S. Army Surgeon General's requirement study defines new expectations for added value in medical evacuation and related missions, such as response to mass casualties in natural disasters, lateral movement of casualties between medical treatment facilities, movement of special medical personnel such as burn teams, and re-supply of surgical equipment, pharmaceuticals, whole blood and other life saving materials. The report also suggests a reorganization of battlefield medical facilities with quick transfer to corps-level support areas on the extended battlefield.

One way to meet the demand for this new medical helicopter is to utilize a proven airframe with the capacity to carry a treatment facility. The goal is to use a rotorcraft with the range and capacity to address Army requirements while generating significant savings in numbers of dedicated helicopaters, mission flights, flight hours, personnel and maintenance.

Casualty evacuation is nothing new for the Chinook. The standard CH-47D can accommodate 23 litters and two attendants to transport people in need of rapid treatment. The chinook HCAA departs from mere transportation, however, and provides an integrated medical facility in the helicopter to treat casualties in transit to hospitals. Installation of a full Emergency Medical Services treatment suite still allows room for 12 litters with two attendants in crashworthy seats. Each litter station can be rigged with two intravenous holders with positive pressure infusion.

In summary, the Chinook offers large increases in overall capability, making possible new and more effective operations and higher quality treatment. No other helicopter available can perform camparably and offer more capacity to meet such extensive life-saving and trauma treament requirements during medical evacuation missions.

AVIATORS TRAIN WITH ROK SPECIAL FORCES

"Up, up, and away," was the cry from the soldier suspended more than 30 feet below a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter suring a recent raining exercise at Cheju-do. The training focused on DUSTOFF crews extracting downed aviators.

THE UH-60 QUEBEC

One of the most significant Army programs for delivering additional healing and telemidicine capability to U.S. soldiers in the new UH-60Q vaiant of the Black Hawk helicopter. One UH-60Q has been built to date. This aircarft, which belongs to the Tennessee National Guard, serves as the "proof-of-principle' midel for the Quebec series.

In addition to a new combat leitter system, the Quebec will use an external resuce hoist to save interior space. In addition the aircraft will have an environmental control unit that will provide heat or cooling for the patient's compartment. The article continued to describe other features such as the 1553 datat bus, forward-looking infrared radar, and on-board-oxygen-generating-system.

INTERNATIONAL DUSTOFF - 63rd REMEMBERED

Of daring men who fly into combat zones with a lot of faith and even more skill - not to mention a ton of courage - perhaps the most fearless were the Medevac pilots, who flew direclty through enemy gunfire of all types, for all practical purposed unarmed, landing in a small clearing to pick up the wounded and then hightailing it out of there. The article chronicled the war stories of Robert Brady from his 'lose of cherry' through hot hoist missions.