Australian Air Ambulance in Vietnam

“Dust Off” was the tactical call sign for medical evacuation missions first used during the Vietnam war in 1963. The objective was to transport patients from point of injury to a medical facility within an hour of soldier(s) being wounded.

This was dangerous work with just over a third of the crew becoming casualties. this is also emphasised by the fact that over three times more ambulance helicopters being lost than any other form of helicopter mission.

Patch of the 82nd Air Ambulance

MEDEVAC missions use a dedicated air ambulance vehicle whereas the more common term CASEVAC that uses a non dedicated vehicle which may or may not provide en route medical care.

“If you were wounded in action in Iraq or Afghanistan, you have a more than 90 percent chance of coming home with a heartbeat. That’s the best survival rate in the history of war: up from 76 percent in Vietnam, 70 percent in World War II, and don’t-even-ask-because-you’re-dead before that. This new calculus is one of the only consistent bright spots to come out of a decade of bloodshed, the result of a system that ferries soldiers from wher­ever they fall to a field surgeon, usually in less than an hour, and home for even more specialized treatment, often within a week. But it all depends on that first re­sponse, the helicopter ride nearly every wounded warrior has in common. “It’s almost sacred,” says Sabiston, the pilot.” (Newsweek)

Spectre Miniatures produced this set piece which I am going to use as a medic carrying a wounded comrade to safety. It makes an ideal scenario objective without being “over-the-top” in size or looks.