MARCH 5, 2025 – Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th General Support Aviation Battalion, landed an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter on the platform of an Alaska Railroad rail car staged on a bridge above the Chena River near Fairbanks.
The two-wheel touchdown on a rail car was the culminating training event of exercise Special Operation Forces Arctic Medic 2025.
The Feb. 20 maneuver had never been attempted by an AKARNG aviator. The crew had to precisely calculate the avenue of approach to hover on the rail car while ground crews unloaded medical equipment and supplies.
The crew lowered Staff Sgt. Steven Gildersleeve, a critical care flight paramedic, onto the train. He hoisted and medically evaluated a simulated patient with a state-of-the-art hoist used exclusively by the U.S. Coast Guard, which participated in the exercise.
“I am absolutely inspired by the Alaska National Guard team, their knowledge, professionalism, willingness to solve problems with minimal guidance to plan any given mission,” said Col. Manuel Menendez, command surgeon with Special Operations Command North and one of the lead planners for the exercise. “The flight crew that landed on the train was not just good; they were amazing, and I’m looking forward to my next trip to Alaska, where I will work with them again soon.”
The operation was to evaluate how traumatically injured and chemically or biologically contaminated casualties could be moved, following decontamination and stabilization, via a hospital train.
Historically, U.S. and NATO forces have used hospital trains, and this exercise was an early effort to evaluate how this system could be applied to large-scale combat operations with an overwhelming number of casualties.
Maj. Titus Rund, AKARNG flight surgeon and director of experimentation, worked with SOCNORTH to develop an augmented reality system for use on a mobile platform in austere locations.
The augmented reality system enabled a paramedic “TeleDelgate” to work under the direction of a “TeleMentor” anesthesiologist, surgeon or other specialist. These “TeleMentors” were located at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The AR system transmitted “TeleDelegate” and casualty vital signs while experts at Brooke provided guidance on anesthesia, airway management, damage control surgical procedures and intensive care to the patient.
The air and ground mission bolstered a joint effort between NORTHCOM executed through SOCNORTH, SOCOM, U.S Customs and Border Protection – BORSTAR, the FBI, the U.S. Army, USCG, U.S. Air Force Reserves, the AKNG, Alaska Railroad Corporation and the University of Alaska Fairbanks drone program for all air and ground assets involved.
During the Feb. 18-21 exercise, the aviators transported simulated casualties to collection points while providing hoist capabilities. Some of the nation’s most elite warriors and field surgeons converged on the Yukon Training Area near Fort Wainwright to practice extreme cold weather medical care.
The AKARNG crew included Chief Warrant Officer 3 JD Miller, pilot in command; support pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Berg; crew chief Sgt. 1st Class Brad Mckenzie and flight medic Staff Sgts. Steven Gildersleeve and Michael Crane.
Miller, the company standardization pilot for the 2-211 GSAB, worked with Rund. Berg, based out of Juneau, flew this mission to enhance his competencies and skills.
“I think a big part of what we brought to the fight here was our depth of experience working in these cold weather conditions and our ability to work with and coordinate with a multitude of different units to include active-duty troops, federal, state and local agencies,” said Berg. “We really want to push that we’re open for business in working with all of our training partners to hone our skill sets and relationships.”
Rund and his team coordinated with exercise leaders to involve the AKARNG crew and to be part of the next era of warfighting in the Arctic.
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, Alaska National Guard