Army Reporter information
for KHE SANH DUSTOFF

For date 710329


KHE SANH DUSTOFF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation DEWEY CANYON II
Quang Tri Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Khe Sanh
Description: 29Mar71 Clearing company stabilizes injured soldiers KHE SANH - The familiar whirr of blades, and a dustoff chopper drops into the Khe Sanh dustoff pad. Medics dash out, stretcher in hand, fighting the blinding dust to carefully pick up the wounded and quickly transport them to the receiving tent. With a staff varying from 38 to 44 people, including three doctors and one dentist, members of the small B Med clearing company work rapidly to prepare the seriously injured for another dustoff ride. A clearing company is a mobile setup which can accommodate 60 beds and can be expanded to a 100-bed capacity in an emergency. The unit also has surgical capabilities. The field contingent is commanded by Capt. Angus Macleod. Although he does not play the bagpipes and wear kilts, he was born, raised and schooled in Scotland, graduating from the University of Glasgow. However, when the doctor immigrated to the United States in August of 1967 he was drafted into the Army after a six-month period of grace. To stabilize the wounded, the doctors perform any pre-operative measures necessary to prepare the man to be medevaced back to Quang Tri. All minor injuries that can be handled on the spot are taken care of and the patients are then sent to one of the three wards to recuperate. The wards are actually large tents set up in 15-foot-deep trenches protecting them from shrapnel during enemy rocket attacks. Strolling through the wards, the doctor commented, "As you can see, we can up to 20 cots in each of these tents, if necessary; however, at the moment we're fairly empty so there's no need to crowd." Walking through a tent where medics were working on several patients, the doctor explained, "This is our A and D (admissions and discharge) ward. Here the medics take care of minor maladies that can be done in a short time, and send the patients back to their unit or into one of the wards. The A&D ward is also where sick call is held every morning. "We have our share of shammers just like back at Quang Tri, but out here, most aches and pains are legitimate." One tent houses the pharmacy and is shared with radio operations. The doctor was particularly proud of his radio setup. "We have our own RTOs even though that isn't their MOS. The men do a good job communicating with the dustoff pilots and it enables us to prepare ourselves for incoming casualties." "The emergence of the dustoff helicopter operations here in Vietnam has been a real boon to the treating of injured troops, and a definite asset to the war effort on the whole," stated Maclead. "When we first set up here, I thought that we would have to call the 18th Surgical Hospital to get a chopper out here, but things are different. One day a chopper landed and said that he was to be our dustoff bird, and I was elated. Suddenly more choppers came in with the same story, so before we knew it we had about a half-dozen choppers out here from several different units. We now have our own Khe Sanh Dustoff," he grinned. One of the biggest problems encountered by the clearing company, as well as other units in the area, is the choking blanket of dust that penetrates everything. "The filthy, dusty atmosphere can make a minor wound into a major problem if an operation is performed. "For this reason and due to the expediency of the dustoff operation we do as little operating as possible," Dr. Macleod noted. To summarize the operation of the clearing company, the captain said, "Our job is to handle any American casualties and ARVN overflow that can't be handled by the Vietnamese facilities. I think that we proved ourselves during the first week, when we took care of about 100 injured ARVNs," remembered the doctor. "This shows that we are capable of expanding our operation successfully in almost any emergency that arises." Photo Captions: 1) MAKESHIFT STRETCHER serves the purpose as a door gunner from the medevac chopper assists medics in transporting a wounded trooper. 2) FIRST AID AWAITS a wounded man as he is carried toward the receiving tent, and thus ending a speedy chopper flight to the clearing company.

The source for this information was 7103AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023