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Global News Portfolio: Casualties of War: Medivac

  • Specialist Elizabeth Shrode, a medic with the 54th Medical Evacuation unit, responds to a call to transport two wounded soldiers, from the location of an attack near Balad, to the Balad Theater Hospital. In preparation for the mission, Shrode dons her flight suit, bulletproof vest, and flight helmet. Nearing the end of a yearlong deployment, Shrode has flown hundreds of medical evacuation missions. The 54th Medical Evacuation unit responds to soldiers in central Iraq who need immediate medical evacuation and takes them directly to the largest and most advanced medical hospital in Iraq.
  • Specialist Elizabeth Shrode gets her first look of the landing zone where a wounded U.S. soldier waits for medical evacuation. During the fly-by, Shrode evaluates the security of the landing zone and the distance she will have to carry her equipment. Specialist Shrode speaks to the pilot over the radio and advises him on any adjustments to the approach she may want. As the trained lifesaver on the flight, Shrode leads the mission.
  • Crew chief, Specialist Brandon King unloads a stretcher as he provides security for Medic Elizabeth Shrode who has connected with the soldier on the ground to evaluate the patients. Medivac crews often land in hostile situations, so they strive to spend no more than 10 minutes on the ground. The crew chief monitors the loading and unloading of the aircraft and attempts to keep the pickup on schedule.
  • Upon arrival only one soldier is at the landing zone, and he appears to be dead. Specialist Shrode directs soldiers to load the stretcher on the chopper.
  • Upon arrival only one soldier is at the landing zone and he appears to be dead. Specialist Shrode directs soldiers to load the stretcher on the chopper.
  • A gravely wounded U.S. soldier is loaded onto the helicopter for medical evacuation. Only one of the two reported wounded was at the landing zone as one soldier was driven to the nearby hospital. Suffering from two severed legs and an open stomach wound, medics on the ground applied two tourniquets to the wounded soldier on the scene where his vehicle was ambushed by a grenade attack.
  • Specialist Elizabeth Shrode sees no signs of life as she choppers to the Balad Theater Medical Hospital.
  • To feel for a pulse on the wrist, Specialist Shrode removes the patient’s watch. After feeling no sign of a pulse, Shrode refastened the dead soldier’s watch and held his hand for a few moments, as the helicopter raced to the hospital. Finding no signs of life, there was little left for Shrode to do but try to comfort the soldier in case there were any remaining tinges of life left.
  • After the flight Specialist Shrode is debriefed. The soldier was killed as a result of the ambush on his convoy.
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