Patrick Barth

Crew Chief Sgt Kevin "Dangle" Duerst: Me and Marc Dragony a flight medic here got a call. We had no information. We took off. By the time we got to the scene in a valley we decided to do a hoist. I put Marc on the ground. We left the scene to loiter. We then got a call to get back and extract him and the patients. Little did we know that they were taking fire. They waved us away. But I could see the enemy on the left side on a hill. It didn't feel comfortable. I didn't have a rifle. A pistol on my leg but that's it. Just me sitting in the door by myself. We left and came back right into the middle of a firefight. We had to leave again and wait until Apache helicopters had cleared the area. We got two patients out. They were bleeding quite heavily. That was a good day because they both lived. I wasn't afraid until on the way home. In the thick of it you don't have time to be afraid. It only hits you afterwards. I am bit superstitious, so before I take off I piss on the tail of the helicopter. I carry a patch that my father gave me from Vietnam.