Thanks to Sherie from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance for sharing this news with VB readers. Ed
During the past twelve month, medics from 22 Field Hospital in Aldershot have been spending time with the crew of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance gaining valuable experience of working on board an Air Ambulance, before their deployment to Afghanistan in the near future.
First active service
This will be the first time that some of the soldiers will have seen active service, and so firsthand experience of what it’s like to work onboard an Air Ambulance will help to prepare them for their duties in Afghanistan.
Warrant Officer (WO1) Andy Game, Regimental Sergeant Major said, “Preparing our Medics for their role on operations is always a challenge, so the opportunity to attach our medics to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance was eagerly grasped.”
He added, “My medics have found the attachments an invaluable source of training, it has allowed them to become confident in working safely with and around aircraft, but even more importantly it has given them the opportunity to work in small teams attending to real casualties in sometimes remote areas, which is what the role of the Combat Medic is all about.”
Helped with fundraising
WO1 Game concluded, “The Units fund raising over the last year has allowed us to show our appreciation to the charity for allowing us to work alongside them and for the great work the charity performs for the County.”
The medics of 22 Field Hospital have also been helping the Air Ambulance during this past year by undertaking a range of fundraising events to help raise the £3,600 needed each day to keep the Air Ambulance flying and saving lives. Some of the events they have undertaken included a Families Day, a Christmas Ball and Canoe Paddle along the length of the Basingstoke Canal.
Wish them a safe return home
John Perry, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance said, “It has been a pleasure to welcome members of 22 Field Hospital to spend time with our crews, and I believe all involved have found the time valuable.
“We hope very much that this affiliation between the two organisations will continue into the future and even after their return from Afghanistan later in the year. We are enormously grateful for the support the soldiers and their families have shown to the Air Ambulance, and the funds they have raised will help us to maintain the service provided by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
We wish them all a successful tour and most importantly, a safe return home.”
