Foro de Inteligencia, Espionaje y Servicios Secretos

Report of humanitarian medical evacuation of wounded U.S. soldiers in West Africa

On the 7th of July, 2007, Central West Africa was struck with a violent storm that caused significant damage and took many lives. While supporting U.S. efforts in Mali, one soldier was killed in the storm, and another was severely injured, suffering life-threatening internal injuries. Other soldiers were moderately injured as well.

On the afternoon of 7 July, Blackwater pilots (former U.S. Army pilots) flew a Blackwater Casa aircraft into a flooded, dangerous, dirt airstrip to recover injured U.S. soldiers. With the runway completely under water, with no ability other than pure piloting skill to control the aircraft on the ground, the pilots safely landed the aircraft in the middle of the fierce storm. The injured soldiers were rapidly and safely secured aboard the aircraft, and the pilots then made an equally-daunting take-off into the teeth of the storm to fly the patients hundreds of miles away to the nearest hospital in Burkina Faso.

While one injured U.S. soldier lay severely injured in a grass hut in Mali, a Blackwater Combat Medic (a former U.S. Army Delta Force Combat Medic), waiting for the evacuation aircraft to arrive and possessing only the bare minimum medical equipment usually carried by medics in the field, performed an emergency splenectomy, which was later reported by doctors at the hospital to have saved the soldier’s life.

The After Action Report by the U.S. Army states: “Without the unwavering dedication and professionalism of Blackwater’s Medic, this entire mission would have ended in tragedy. [Blackwater’s Medic] was instrumental in the patient’s care from the very beginning of the medical evacuation. [He] stayed engaged the entire 36+ hours of high stress medical treatment of the four wounded soldiers with incredible results. [He] assisted the local surgical team in the “critical” patient’s surgery and was a definite asset to the surgeon. Without Blackwater’s Medic being present, there would have been no chance of this patient living until the C-17 medical evacuation arrived the next day.”

Aviation Life Support Equipment Specialist - Presidential Air
02.08.08

Primary Purpose:

Esential Functions:
Inspect, maintain, repair, test, and adjust aircrew life support and chemical defense equipment such as flight helmets, oxygen masks, oxygen regulators, liquid oxygen converters, survival kits, night vision systems, parachutes, anti-G suits, eye and respiratory protective equipment, chemical biological protective equipment, gas masks, night-vision goggles, life rafts, personal flight gear, chemical suits, life preservers and encrypted radios. Remove, install, inspect, and maintain ejection seats. Use, adjust, maintain and repair sewing machines. Use various types of test equipment such as oxygen testers, leakage testers, radio testers, and other types of testers to conduct reliability testing on aircrew life support and chemical defense equipment.

Required Education:
5 years of aircrew life support equipment military experience or equivalent civilian experience. Completion of a basic aircrew life support specialist course.


Working Conditions:


Physical Requirements:

Contact:
Aviation Worldwide Services and Presidential Airways
PO Box 849
Moyock, NC 2795
Send Email to: HR@PresidentialAirways.net