U.S. Medevac Helicopter Teams Rescue Enemy Wounded in Mercy Flights, Long Binh, South Vietnam

Description

OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) AMERICA WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 STATES OF PLEASE NOTE DATE Number: V-537-70 April 23, 1970 OX 7-6161 Filmed: April 6, 1970 Footage 70' Time 1:57 Room 2E773 16mm Color Composite Print U.S. MEDEVAC HELICOPTER TEAMS RESCUE ENEMY WOUNDED IN MERCY FLIGHTS (official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U.S. Marines, under the direction of the MACV Office of Information. Photography by SSgt. White and SSgt. Layman. Sound by Capt. Tucker and SSgt. Marrufo.) The men of the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) stationed at Long Binh, South Vietnam, bring a special dedication to their job. Flying UH-1H medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopters in all kinds of weather, at night or during the day, seven days a week, these men daily risk their lives to rescue the wounded. Sometimes it is an enemy soldier, wounded in combat, who receives the expert medical treatment and quick flight to a field hospital. This is a Viet Cong soldier who was wounded in a firefight. His condition was serious enough to prompt the helicopter air ambulance team to evacuate him immediately. Medics in the helicopter give initial and often life-saving first aid on the flight out of the battle zone. The wound is carefully cleaned, medication is administered, and the injury is bandaged. As soon as the helicopter touches the ground, waiting medics transfer the wounded enemy sol- dier to an ambulance and in minutes he is on his way to a hospital for extensive examination and treatment. From battlefield to a fully equipped hospital is a matter of minutes instead of hours. Sometimes the missions are conducted in a "hot" zone with enemy troops still in the area and within firing range. In these cases, heavily armed UH-1 Huey and AH-1G Cobra helicopter gunships are on hand to provide close support until the pick up or "dustoff" is completed. In Vietnam, 98% of the wounded personnel reaching medical facilities survive their wounds. The helicopter "dustoff" crews are a major factor in this high survival rate. SEQUENCES SCENE FOOTAGE VIDEO AUDIO 4 (a) MEDEVAC crew scrambles Wild Track 11 (b) Helicopter starts up and takes off 11 4 (c) Helicopter in flight 11 5 (d) Helicopter landing at landing zone to pick 11 up wounded 6 (e) Medics put casualties on helicopter 11 4 (f) Helicopter taking off with wounded aboard 11 20 (g) Medic on helicopter treating wounded Viet Cong 11 2 (h) Aerial view of Long Binh Hospital 11 14 (i) Helicopter lands and wounded put into ambulance 11 NOTE TO EDITORS : 70-foot, 16mm color composite print released to ABC-TV, CBS-TV, NBC-TV, Fox Movietone, UPITN, and a master and optical track to Deluxe Laboratories. EDITORS : PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a "V" series color composite print released to each individual DOD pool.

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases