News

Insurgents "hail" farewell for McChord Reservists

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Moody
  • 446th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Their last day in Kandahar ended amidst a barrage of rocket fire and ground fire from an insurgent attack just hours before boarding a flight to return home. Two McChord Reservists braced themselves for a memorable farewell as their last mission wound down in a gripping operation to once again protect themselves and their patients.

Insurgent attacks occur frequently at Kandahar Air Field and are a constant reminder of everyone's need to be safe, said Master Sgt. Jenaro "J.P." Wirth, a flight medical technician with the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, here.

"Normally you spent two minutes on the ground lying low and taking cover while under fire," said Sergeant Wirth, who is a firefighter in Seattle in his civilian job. "But the warning from command post that day became more urgent as rockets continued to come in and the ground attacked persisted," he said.

Remaining calm was essential with choppers bringing patients in from other aeromedical evacuation locations in Afghanistan while coping with the influx of mass casualties from the attack on the base, said Sergeant Wirth.

"The timing couldn't have been worse," said the Converse, Texas native. "We just moved all the medical supplies and equipment from the old hospital into a new hardened structure.

"We planned to move patients to the new facility the following morning, but the attack disrupted everything," said Sergeant Wirth. "Camp Bastion, located south of Kandahar, was bringing in patients by chopper and we were pushed to the limit trying care for the new patients while retrieving supplies. Many of our medical staff were located on the other side of the base and patients with minor injuries were coming in seeking care," he said.

Master Sgt. Selina Barone, also a medical technician with the 446th AES here, took cover in a bunker when the rocket fire erupted. "I already turned in my weapon prior to coming home," said Sergeant Barone. "I was wearing my PT uniform and enjoying a farewell BBQ when the attack began," she said.

Feeling totally defenseless, Sergeant Barone struggled with a sense of frustration over being vulnerable as the attack continued.

"We bring all this stuff with us to fight and when the ground attack happened I had nothing," she said. "I spent four hours in a bunker before the attack subsided," said Sergeant Barone, who lives in Port Orchard, Wash.

Sergeant Wirth and Sergeant Barone both volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan in November 2009. They left McChord in January to support aeromedical evacuation contingency operations on C-130 aircraft missions, which included patient and cargo movements within Afghanistan. While deployed, the aeromedical evacuation mission reached a milestone - 100,000 patients moved or transported between April 2003 and May 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Horn of Africa.

During his four-month deployment, Sergeant Wirth flew on 22 missions with 170 patients - half of whom suffered combat-related injuries, he said.

Sergeant Barone's deployment supported the standup of an aeromedical evacuation component at Camp Bastion, in the Helmand Province, she said. "I helped set up tents and equipment, just like exercises prepared us for in addition to supporting 14 aeromedical evacuation missions," she said.

Preparing to return to McChord, both said it's hard to describe how satisfying it was to be there. "I realized I didn't want to go home," said Sergeant Wirth. "I wanted to stay where they needed help and it's hard to leave when you feel like you're needed." "It's that constant reminder of how fortunate we are and how lucky we are in our lives," he said.