Page 12 - The Dispatch Febuary 2017

TEXAS MILITARY DEPARTMENT

A view of the new MEDVAC facility at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan constructed the 389th Engi-
neer Company, 368th Engineer Battalion, 176th Engineer Brigade, built the facility which will house
members of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment. (DOD photo by Jet Fabara)
ENGINEERS BUILD NEW MIDDLE EAST MEDEVAC

Story by Sgt. Courtney Champagne ity however it became an urgent necessity to figure out where
461st Engineer Company UPAR MEDEVAC crews would now conduct operations.

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – The MEDEVAC facility at Ba- MEDEVAC crews must be prepared to respond to emergencies
gram Air Field in northern Afghanistan has seen better days. Its at any time, spending long hours in their work spaces on stand-
shattered windows, leaning walls, and peeling paint serve as ev- by. Special considerations were taken into account when weigh-
idence of the building’s lengthy history. ing the design options of the new structure.
The old hangar was constructed in the 1950s for the Afghan peo- A crew of 14 Soldiers were selected to complete the build-out
ple by the U.S. Government in an effort to impede the spread of based on their carpentry expertise. Their skills were immediate-
communism in Asia. ly evident based on their productivity. Only three days into the
job, they were an entire day ahead of schedule.
During the Invasion of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1979,
it was inhabited by Russian forces until they withdrew in 1989, “This is one project that is going to have a lasting impact here,”
after which the Taliban maintained domination of the location said Spc. Kevin R. Suzie, carpentry and masonry specialist with
that the old hangar was built on. the 389th Engineer Company.

In 2002, Bagram Air Field became home to American forces as The completed project was executed in just under three weeks.
part of the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan, and the hangar be- It included creative design solutions to the customer’s specif-
came the workspace for hundreds of medical evacuation crews, ic conditions, including adequate space for storage of a UH-60
providing them with administrative offices as well as break, Black hawk aircraft during maintenance and repair.
maintenance and storage spaces which are critical for successful
MEDEVAC operations. “We got to test our skills. We got to make design changes and
use creativity”, said Sgt. Kent A. Hortstman, carpentry and ma-
The primary mission of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Avi- sonry specialist with the 389th Engineer Company.
ation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion) from Ft.
Riley, Kansas (“Boomer Dust-off”) is to save lives by providing The 1st Combat Aviation Brigade hosted a ribbon cutting cere-
MEDEVAC from the front lines of conflicts in Afghanistan to the mony on Nov. 10, 2016 honoring both the critical service of the
medical facility at Bagram Air Field. Soldiers of C Co., 2-1 aviation regiment, and the key role of the
389th Engineer Company throughout the construction of the
The GSAB mission is vital to the overall success of operations new facility.
in Afghanistan; ensuring Soldiers and Afghan Nationals are pro-
vided with swift medical attention after sustaining battlefield During the ceremony, 1st CAB Commander Col. John M. Cyrulik
injuries. and Command Sgt. Maj. Roque R. Quichocho presented Soldiers
of the 389th with impact awards for their indispensable contri-
Approximately 135 Texas Guardsmen of the 176th Engineer Bri- bution to current and future MEDEVAC missions.
gade, teamed with members of the 389th Engineer Company
of the U.S. Army Reserve to coordinate the build-out of a new Afterward, leaders conducted a field expedient ribbon cutting in
MEDEVAC facility. The aging hanger required replacement to ad- the new facility, in true MEDEVAC style, using trauma shears to
dress safety concerns and provide a new facility that met stan- cut the ribbon.
dard operating requirements.
“No other force on the planet goes to the extent that we do to
The Base Support Group Commander, Col. G. Shawn Wells Jr. or- make sure no Soldier gets left behind. This collaboration pro-
dered the hangar’s evacuation due to overall structural instabil- vides the capability to save lives,” said Cyrulik. -D
12 TheDISPATCH FEBRUARY 2017