ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Seven aviators and crew with the California Army National Guard were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing hundreds of people trapped by rapidly spreading wildfires over Labor Day weekend.

Flying UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters into areas of the Sierra National Forest that were engulfed in a firestorm of heat, smoke, wind and flames, the soldiers with the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade flew multiple missions in treacherous conditions between Sept. 5–8, lifting to safety 396 people and 27 animals.

Moving wounded soldiers from the frontlines to the point of care as quickly and safely as possible in a war zone involves a lot of work and adrenaline—followed by sheer terror, a former Army medical evacuation pilot said.

“It was a life-changing experience for me,” said retired Col. Merle Snyder, while speaking on a panel of medevac pilots at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. While serving as a medevac pilot during the Vietnam War, the then-chief warrant officer was credited with evacuating more than 3,000 patients.

“It gave me reason for serving,” he said.

The Army plans to phase out all its old Alpha-model UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters within the next five years, one of the service’s top acquisition officers said.

The Army has used the Black Hawk since the 1970s, and the venerable aircraft has undergone several upgrades since then, with Victor and Mike being the newest, digital models.

The Association of the U.S. Army is asking congressional appropriators to fund additional Army National Guard helicopters as final decisions are made about the 2019 defense budget.