Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel    
    
        Special Victims Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Arizona Guard Team in Kosovo Conducts Evacuation Mission By Staff Sgt. Amouris Coss,
                138th Public Affairs Detachment
 CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Arizona National Guard Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment, had a three-year journey leading up to their arrival in Kosovo. Just eight days after arriving, they received their first medevac mission as a unit. At approximately 10:15 p.m. Oct. 15, Kosovo Force’s Regional Command-East received a warning of a possible medevac mission brewing at their northernmost base, Camp Nothing Hill. A Soldier at the installation required evacuation for a higher level of care as soon as possible. The crew on duty, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Anderson, the pilot in command; Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Carey, the second pilot in command; Sgt. Jacob Anderson and Sgt. Jon Atcitty, both inflight paramedics, began preparing for the mission. “I think that being able to give the service members that are elsewhere throughout the country some peace of mind by them knowing that we’re only 20 minutes away is a huge boost to their confidence when doing their missions,” said Robert Anderson. When the team arrived at Camp Nothing Hill, they assessed the situation and knew the Soldier needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible. Jacob decided to take the Soldier to Spitali Amerikan Hospital in Pristina, Kosovo, a 20-minute trip. If the medic at Camp Nothing Hill had decided to drive the patient, it would have taken more than an hour and a half to reach the facility. “It was excellent to see all the pieces coming together and getting a lot of help from the medic on the ground,” said Jacob. “We’ve done it in training scenarios over and over, but it was pretty fulfilling to come together as a group and actually pull off the mission and take care of somebody.” For the paramedics, training extends for more than two years and adds several courses to the already challenging Army combat medic course. Pilots’ school typically takes two years to complete, with countless hours of add-on training once assigned to a unit. Carey had flown Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters, so had to be trained on the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. “It’s about a two-year pipeline because you have to go to paramedic school, critical care school, flight school, and then come home and go through progression training,” Jacob said. “It’s a little over two years to be fully mission capable as a flight paramedic. It’s a lot of work, and you have to be passionate about it and love it, but getting able to actually get in the aircraft and do it was pretty fulfilling.” The mission’s success was due to the crew of the aircraft and countless other Soldiers, all the way down to the maintenance crew and fuelers. One of KFOR’s defining missions in Kosovo is to maintain a safe and secure environment. For the troops working in the region, it is important to have medical assets available to keep them safe. “It was super helpful (for) me to have somebody that did such a good initial job on the ground, and then being able to call us for transportation really shows how working together like that is paramount to getting troops taken care of,” said Jacob.
 SHARE
 PRINT
  Arizona National Guard
 MEDEVAC
 Camp Bondsteel
 KFOR's Regional-Command East
 
 The Hometown Heroes of Tower 22
 By Sgt. 1st Class Zach Sheely,
  National Guard Members Showcase Innovation
 By Air Force Master Sgt. Erich B. Smith,
  Alaska National Guardsmen Prepare for Middle East Deployment
 By Balinda ONeal,
  More
 Idaho Air Guard Conducts Panther Shadow Exercise5/3/2024Massachusetts Guard Helps Host Crisis Leadership Seminar5/2/2024Massachusetts Air Guard Airmen Test New Air Combat Tactics5/2/2024 View more Guard News »
 Vermont Army Guard Soldiers Attend Brazilian Mountain School5/3/2024
New York Army Guard Soldiers Heading to North Africa4/30/2024
Pennsylvania National Guard Members Deploy to Africa4/19/2024 View more Overseas Operations News »
 North Carolina Guard Welcomes New Zambian State Partnership5/3/2024

Guard Leaders Stress NCOs Role in State Partnership Program5/3/2024

Enduring Partners 2024 Begins with Thai-US Airmen Exchange5/2/2024 View more State Partnership Program News »
 Back-to-school tools for military families8/11/2015DoD sends blended military retirement proposal to Congress6/16/2015First employment symposium held for National Guard spouses5/11/2015 View more Family Programs News »
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil