The scene has been repeated thousands of times in the 1st Air Cavalry's area of operations and reflects the motto of the 1st Air Cavalry's 15th Medical Battalion "So that others may live."

"Sure we go in if a guy is hurt badly and it is a question of life or death. The only thing is that if the PZ (pickup zone) is hot we just fly a little differently that's all," emphasized Specialist Four Dave Parks, a MEDEVAC door gunner.

Within three minutes of a call from a ground unit in contact, the MEDEVAC crew has hastily scampered aboard its aircraft, quickly fastening pistol belts and pulling on shirts, and are on their way.

Aircraft commander Warrant Officer Richard Tanner is tuning the craft's radio to the variety of artillery frequencies to get reports on any artillery that may be firing in the area, then returns to the ground company's frequency to get a report on the contact.

"Between the time we leave Tay Ninh and reach the pickup site, a lot can happen - and usually does," said Specialist Five Bill Keller, the medic on board the MEDEVAC chopper. "We may get a secure pickup (indicating that contact no longer is flaring) when we leave Tay Ninh but by the time we reach the company's location they are back in contact."

Although the bird runs the risk of getting shot at every time it flies, the most hazardous mission is the one involving the use of the jungle penetrator to hoist a wounded man out of dense impenetrable jungles.

"For 10 or 15 minutes we are nothing more than a hovering sitting target," said crew chief Specialist Five Rodney Wiley.

Specialist Keller acts as another set of eyes for the pilots on the hoist missions, guiding the patient through the foilage and into the helicopter while the pilots position the craft according to his instructions.

The 1st Cav MEDEVAC bird varies from other medical choppers in Vietnam because it carries a pair of M-60 machine guns, but the guns, according to Specialists Parks and Wiley are primarily for the defense of their patients.

With the pickup or hoist mission complete and the patient safe inside the bird, the race begins to get the man back for medical attention immediately while Specialist Keller applies emergency first aid. He also decides in mid-flight whether to take the patient back to Tay Ninh for "stabilization" before taking him to a hospital or to take the man immediately to 45th Surgical Hospital.

Then the mission is over as suddenly as it began. The crew stops to refill the bird with aircraft fuel and flies over to the MEDEVAC pad for a rest, ready to go again on a moment's notice, risking danger so that others may live.