 | |
Afghanistan Journal:
A Reporter At War
Valor lives in guys like ’Jedi’
By KEITH KLUWE
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-JOURNAL
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (April 6, 2003) — I get worried every time I see a pair of green helicopters taking off. It means that friends of mine are headed out into harm´s way.
It sounds cheesy, but it´s not. The green helicopters belong to the Pararescue squadrons here. Their primary mission is long- range combat search and rescue. They rescue pilots who are shot down, but here in Kandahar they mostly go out and pick up an injured American when the mission is beyond the capabilities of the regular medevac unit.
They fly in weather that I don´t want to go up in, fly into places where the only friendlies around are the other airmen on their aircraft, and do whatever it takes to get injured out and get them safe. They exemplify courage in every way, but this story isn´t about them.
On a recent day, two of the rescue birds were already out on a mission to pick up an Afghan who was critically injured by a land mine. One bird made it out with its patient, but the other bird put down because the weather was so bad and the visibility so poor the crew was afraid they might fly into the side of a mountain. One of the people on the bird described it as "looking out the window like you were looking out from the inside of a ping pong ball."
They ended up putting down for more than seven hours until the weather cleared enough to lift off and fly home.
While their saga was playing out, word was received that a special forces guy was injured during a mission and needed to get out. He was reported to have a "broken left leg and a possible pelvic fracture." There weren´t any other crews available. They had all been tasked on missions or were supporting troops in other areas.
Dr. Chet Kharod, an Air Force major and emergency medicine physician with the callsign "Jedi," volunteered to fly out with a spare flight crew and the flight surgeon from the Pararescue squadron to get the injured soldier. Chet doesn´t have body armor with hard plates that can stop rifle rounds like I wear when I go out. He doesn´t have the combat helmet that I have either, but he was still willing to go.
I ran to my office to get my body armor and helmet for him. I was dressing him on the flight line while the flight crew briefed the mission and set up the door guns. I told him about all the different equipment I have attached to my body armor: the infrared strobe that can only be seen by our troops wearing night vision goggles; the field knife strapped upside down to the center of his chest; the tactical green lights and the chemlights attached to the right side of the vest.
I told him the meanings of the different color chemlights, and I told him he didn´t have a red chemlight, because we only use them when someone gets hit, and he wasn’t going to get hit.
There he was standing on the flight line ready to go, a thrown-together trauma bag at his feet, a 9mm pistol strapped to his thigh, when the mission was scrubbed in favor of an alternate plan. I collected my gear and walked back to my office thinking that people will step up to a challenge if a worthy one is presented.
The special forces soldier is now back in the states recovering from his injuries. Dr. Chet is waiting for his next patient that needs to be transported to the rear for better care. Neither person really knows about the other. The special forces soldier probably doesn´t even know "Jedi" was suited up and ready to come to his rescue, but I do.
And knowing there are people out there like "Jedi" gives me a peace of mind when I head out into harm´s way.
Keith A. Kluwe
109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan
Special Report: TERRORISM AND AMERICA |  |