BEHIND THE GREEN BRIDGE


Reaching down to light a cigarette while crossing a two-lane bridge is tempting fate, especially doing 60 MPH. If you are not wearing seat-belts, have no airbags and end up half on and half off the bridge, you are just plain lucky if you make it out alive.

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FLYING IN THE CLOUDS


A head-on collision this morning just south of Ukiah on the off-ramp closed the ramp and stalled traffic going into Ukiah. A woman pinned in the wreckage required fast transport and advanced medical intervention. The woman's injuries required transport to a trauma center, over an hours distance in Santa Rosa. CALSTAR's state-of-the-art air rescue helicopter was called. The only problem is that most of Sonoma and Mendocino county are covered with thick clouds, nearly to the ground. That's where I come in. 

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EARN MONEY SNACKING


I don't always work the night shift. In fact, about a third of the time I work the day shift. 0800 to 2000, or 8AM to 8 PM. That is where I am today, Earning Money Snacking.

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What the hell is a Casper Platoon


The Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade was the first ground unit to enter combat in Vietnam. They stayed from 1965 to 1971. The 173rd, one of the most distinguished units of that war were paratroopers. Casper platoon was the internal aviation unit for the brigade. It is said they were the only separate aviation platoon during the war.

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MEDIC 9150 ROLLING--WILL CALSTAR 4 GET THE CALL?


Night shift again at CALSTAR's Ukiah base. From one moment to the next I do not know if I will be sitting here blogging or flying into the wilderness of Mendocino county. Arlington Texas. That is what I wanted to write about. Not specifically about Arlington but about who I met there. It all started a little over 37 years ago near Tuy Hoa, Vietnam...

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THE NIGHT SHIFT AT UKIAH


EMS, Emergency Medical Services, or Earn Money Sleeping, as some practitioners refer to it, is a 24/7 gig. Flying medical helicopters is the part of EMS I do. Tonight I am on duty at CALSTAR IV (California Shock Trauma Air Rescue) in Ukiah California. This has been home for over three and a half years. It is never the same. Sometimes I fly all night. Sometimes I sleep, with one eye open it seems, all night. We will see what tonight brings.

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Sat - March 8, 2008

REMEMBERING AN OLD BUDDY--PETER "SUPER" HOOPER


In 1967 and '68, I had the honor to share the sky with Peter, sometimes as his wingman, sometimes with Peter flying my wing. After a distinguished tour in combat, Peter died in Texas.

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Sat - November 25, 2006

Dennis Bradley's Home Movies


Dennis Bradley was a crew chief on a Huey, flying for the 173d Airborne Brigade. He took some movies with his super 8 camera, which I edited and put into a movie.

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