Last modified Wed., November 29, 2006 - 02:53 PM
Originally created Thursday, November 30, 2006

'Red Lions' welcomed home from deployment

By CMDCM Jim McLain, HS-15 CMC

PR1(AW) Michael Dembinski of HS-15 greets his family at the squadron's homecoming Nov. 22. Sixty-eight people from HS-15 returned home after a deployment to Kuwait. Photos by PRAN Tyler Cure

Sixty-eight ''Red Lions'' from HS-15 returned home Wednesday and Thursday after completing the second six-month phase of a year-long mission in the Middle East.

Led by Cmdr. ''Skip'' Trahan, HS-15's commanding officer, they made up just over half of the 2515th Navy Air Ambulance Detachment, a provisional, composite squadron tasked by the Secretary of Defense to provide land-based medical evacuations (MEDEVAC) under the command of Combined Forces Land Forces Component Command through Aviation Task Force Kuwait.

The squadron of three MH-60S and three HH-60H aircraft is presently comprised of 68 personnel and aircraft from HS-15 homeported at NAS Jacksonville and HSC-21 in San Diego as well as helicopter search and rescue corpsmen from units around the world. The task that has been successfully met for the past 12 months is to provide two-ship, Alert 15 aircraft, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for response throughout all of Kuwait, the North Arabian Gulf and Southern Iraq.

To date, there have been 296 personnel who have been MEDEVAC'd by the 2515th since assuming the watch in November 2005.

The returning ''desert warriors'' were relieved last month by another group from HSC-21 and a group from HSC-23, also homeported in San Diego.

The Navy assumed the air ambulance assignment in an effort to augment the Army's on-going air ambulance assets throughout the Central Command area of responsibility (AOR) last November, providing a total force solution to a joint requirement in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Six Navy H-60 helicopters were modified to accommodate up to six patient litters, self-defense and communication equipment, and engine modifications, considered necessary to operate in the appropriate threat environments. This is the first time that a Navy unit has been assigned a mission of this scale, in this AOR, for this long a period, working alongside the Army on an Army installation.

Lt. Cmdr. Robert Medve of HS-15, happily waves some flags after departing the aircraft that brought him home.

Anxious families wait for their loved ones from HS-15 to deplane at the NAS Jax Air Terminal Nov. 22.

Lt. j.g. Greg Bertsch of HS-15, greets his family after being deployed for the past six months.

AE3 Zachary Taylor meets his new baby boy, who was born while he was on deployment to Kuwait.