Alaska Army National Guardsmen Conduct a Nighttime Medical Evacuation

By Alejandro Pena Alaska Army National Guardsmen assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command medically evacuated an individual Jan. 21 from Southwest Alaska. In response to a request for assistance from medical staff at Kanakanak Hospital, Dillingham, Alaska, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a medevac mission for an individual experiencing a medical emergency. Daylight restrictions prevented local civilian air ambulance services from conducting the mission.  The Alaska Army National Guard accepted the mission and dispatched a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, based in Bethel, Alaska. Using night-vision goggles, Alaska Army National Guard Black Hawk aviators Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bryan Kruse, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Colten Bell and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nick Lime, with Bethel Fire Department medics Kelly Parker and Lauren Konig aboard, flew about 180 miles southeast to New Stuyahok, Alaska. The Black Hawk crew arrived on scene and loaded the patient for transport to Dillingham, about 50 miles southwest. Parker and Konig rendered medical aid to keep the patient stable en route. Upon arrival in Dillingham, the patient was transported and released to Kanakanak Hospital staff. The effort continued the Alaska Army National Guard's ongoing relationship with western Alaska communities. The Alaska Army National Guard frequently supports emergency response operations across the state in partnership with the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and local agencies. The Black Hawk crew, based in Bethel, Alaska, is not a designated rescue asset with hoist capabilities or paramedic teams. Despite that, the crew is crucial in supplementing traditional emergency services that are not often available in western Alaska, an area where rural communities are not connected by roads.