Re: Helicopter at KKS

["spencer" <spencer@inu.net>]

The Army has a program called MAST--Military Assistance to Safety and
Traffic.   It is part public relations and part training.  With not much
going on on the war front(there isn't one), it gives  very vital and needed
training in the event a war does breakout.  Someone ought to send that Unit
some homemade goodies.....always welcome...... and remember what the
military does when you are fortunate enough to pay your federal taxes!!  It
is unfortunate that someone was injured in the same situation that was
thoroughly discussed on ridecamp a short time ago.  Mary Ann, Tx

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From: Ramey Peticolas-Stroud <ramey@wvi.com>
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: Helicopter at KKS
Date: Tuesday, June 09, 1998 5:47 PM

Sad thing happen to one of the riders at the KKS endurance ride last
Saturday.  As she rode down the trail she was kicked by another horse. 
Result: double compound fracture just above the right ankle and then a
nasty fall.   We got her stabilized but ground transport was out of the
question, she was in so much pain, that a 4X4 ride over rough terrain
would have been unbearable.

So there we were, out in the boonies of Washington State and no
lifeflight. So now what?  Ride Manger Sue Griffin's answer: call the
calvary,  Air Calvary, that is.  One cell phone call and the troops were
running to the aircraft.  Does this lady have some pull or what?  

Imagine the scene, wide-eyed endurance horses, injured rider laying in a
heap, massive rotors spinning wildly and funny green men in helmets with
black bug-eye visors.  It all worked out OK, but this was truely a sight
to behold. 

Hip Hip Hooray for the US Army and the tactical air wing assigned to the
Yakima Training Center.  Congrats also to RM Sue Griffin for thinking
ahead and having a plan for this sort of emergency before it happened.

Hope someone with the full story will share it with us sometime.

Ramey