Pane imwe nguva paR MC-130 Talon, rakatendeuka ndokutarisa shure. Makiromita zana kubva kure, ambulensi yakaburuka imwe yemigwagwa yakamanikana ku Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.
Yakatarisa gore reguruva sezvarinenge richienda kune ndege.
Pamu ambulensi iyo yeSvondo yakangobuda mangwanani yakanga yakakuvadzwa neUnited States Forces troop. Akange atambura zuva rakapfuura muhondo yakaipisisa neAl Qaeda neTaliban varwi muHar-e-kot Valley kumabvazuva kweAustralia.
Tomasi akatarisa mukati meTaroni. Akange achifara kuona ndege iyi yakanga yakagadzirira kutakura varwere uye kuti madhigirii matanhatu akanga akapinda. Sezvaakanga arayira.
"Zvinoita sezvose zvakanaka kuti zviende," Thomas akadanidzira munzeve yomutongi. Izvozvi, M-16-kutengesa "mutoro" wakagunun'una ndokumupa chiratidzo che "OK".
Mishonga iyi yakatora murwi akakuvara pabhodhi. Ipapo imwe ambulensi yakauya, uye nokukurumidza kwakange kune mamwe maviri akaremadzwa mauto akachengeteka ari mundege. Thomas akavatarisa kamwechete yekupedzisira. Asi panguva iyoyo, mapoka maviri echiremba, vanachiremba uye vezviremba vezvechiremba vakanga vatora mutoro wavo.
"Vose vari vako zvino," akaudza mumwe chiremba wokuvhiya. "Tora zvakanaka" em. "
Varume vacho vakanga vava kutobva mumaoko ake, saka Thomas akasiya ndege. Makiromita zana kubva kuTalon, akamira kuti aone. Sezvaiita taxied kure, iye akashevedzera.
Nokuti Tomasi, mukoti mukuru wechikepe, ndiye aida chaizvo kuva, achiita chaizvo zvaaida kuita.
"Ndiri kutumirwa apo chiito chacho. Zvakanaka pakati pehondo nehugandanga - kuenda kuita chikamu changu, "akadaro.
"Uye iyo inomhanya."
Tetoni, kubva kuDuke Field, Fla., Yakaendesa mauto kuKarshi Khanabad, Uzbekistan. Yakanga iri gumbo rechipiri rwendo rurefu rwakatanga ne helikopta kubva kuhondo. Kubva "K-2," mauto akaenda kuchipatara kuIncirlik Air Base, Turkey. Ipapo C-9 Nightingale akavatumire kuRamstein Air Base, Germany. Kubvira ipapo vakaenda kune imwe nzvimbo ye Landstuhl Army Regional Centre kuti vawanezve kurapwa. Uye, gare gare, kune chimwe chipatara chechipiri kuti chidzoke.
Rwendo rwavo kumusha rwakatanga naTomasi. Imwe yevatatu vekuchengetedza makiriniki muBirram, basa rake nderokubatsira kugadzirisa zvirongwa zvekubuda kune dzimwe nyika. Akakumbira ndege uye akaita kuti ndege yacho iwane nemichina, mishonga uye mishonga inofanirwa kugadzirisa varwere.
"Basa redu nderokuita varwere kuenda kune imwe nzvimbo yekutarisira," akadaro.
Thomas ane ane 137th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron ye Oklahoma Oklahoma National Guard. Anonzi akatumirwa mushure mokurwiswa kwegandanga kweSvondo 11, akashandisa yakawanda yemwedzi mitanhatu yekushanyira ku Bagram. Akasvetuka mukana wekushanda muOp Operation Enduring Freedom.
Basa raTomasi nderimwe vanhu vakawanda havafungidzi mukoti achiita nekuti inobata mabasa ekufambisa. Basa iro uye vamwe vanotora vanamuko kubva kune imwe nzvimbo yavo yemagariro pamubhedha wemubhedha.
Kune vamwe vanamukoti, saTomas, ndiko kuchinja kwekugamuchira, mukana wekuwana chikamu cheMhepo yeMweya iyo vanachiremba vasingawanzoonana. Asi pavanotengesa vatsvene vechipatara nokuda kwezvipfeko zvemafasi ekuputika, vamwe vanamukoti vanoshaya kupa rimwechete pane rimwe.
Sekushanda mubasa rinomhanya mubatsiri, Capt KC Vo akati, "Dzimwe nguva hausi kuona kusiyana kwaunoita nokuti varwere vanewe kwenguva shoma." Vethi yemakore matanhatu nehafu, Vo inofamba neRamstein ya 86 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. "Saka haukwanise kuita zvakananga, pamubhedha wevhesi mutarisiri."
Kunyange zvakadaro, hapana kushayikwa kwevanokumbira basa rekuchengetedza vashandi. Pane zvakasiyana. Kunyange zvazvo Air Force ine matambudziko ekuunganidza nekuchengetedza vanamukoti, hazvina kushayikwa kwechiremba wezvikepe anenge achizvipira.
Nemhaka yevanamukoti vanosvika 3 800 vari mumhepo, kune magwaro anopfuura makumi maviri evana vanamukoti, Capt.
Linda Odom akati. Ari basa rinoshingaira rinotarisira kumhanya mukoti anoshanda naVo.
"Kubhururuka kunobatsira mabasa kunonyanya kukoshesa - pane kukwikwidza kwakawanda kuti uwane imwe yezvikwereti," akadaro. A 12 uye hafu yemakore vet vet, mumwe weOdom wecheki rake 32 vanamukoti vari kumhanya.
Odom, saVo, inoshumira kune vanhu vanoita basa rekuenda kune dzimwe nyika. Vashandi vanotarisira varwere vari munzira uye kubva kuchipatara. Pa Ramstein, basa rekudzikinura rinowira paC-9 Nightingale.
Simba rekupedzisira
Ari mubhobho, mutungamiri wezvokurapa - mutapi wechikwata - ndiyo yekupedzisira yezvehutano. Zviri kuna mukoti kuti "aite zvisarudzo zvokurapa panzvimbo iyo," akadaro Odom. Hapana mushandi wechiremba kutendeuka kusvika pamamita makumi maviri nemaviri. Chero kana foni i "kunze kwehuwandu hwako," akadaro, "iwe unosvika paredhiyo uye unodana chiremba pasi."
Mutoro mukuru, akati. Vashoma vamukoti muzvirwere zvehondo kana zvechipatara vanoita izvozvo.
PaInirlik, Capt Michelle Maybell anoita mamwe marudzi ezvisarudzo. Ndiye mutariri wevashamba uye ane chinangwa chakasiyana. Panzvimbo yevarwere, mukoti mukuru mukuru wechikwata anotarisira vamwe vavhidhiyo.
"Tine boka rinotarisira zvese zvese zvinodiwa kuitira kuti vagone kuchengeta pfungwa dzavo pamabasa avo," mukoti wekuchera zvakanyanya akati. "Vanofanirwa kufunga nezvevarwere vavo. Kwete nezvekutora midziyo nemishonga, kana kuti vachadzoka sei kumakamuri avo. "
A reservist ne 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron kuCharleston Air Force Base, SC, Maybell akaendeswa kuna Incirlik nguva pfupi mushure mekunge Sept. 11 ichirwisa. Akazvipira, akabatana ne 43rd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
Sevashandi vechikwata, anodzidza imwezve chikamu chebasa remukoti wechikwata. Iro basa raasina iro mubasa rake rehurumende semukoti mutungamiri, asi rimwe rinomubatsira kuita basa iroro zviri nani. Uye kunyange zvazvo zviri nani kunge achibhururuka, zvaanoita ndezve "kunzwa zvakanaka" basa.
"Pandinenge mapoka emauto, kuatakura, kuvatora, uye kudzokera shure kuzovabatsira kusunungura mushure mekutumwa, zvinondipa manzwiro akanaka," akadaro. "Pfungwa yekuita."
Apo mauto Thomas akaisa tarenda paBagram vakanga vakagadzirira kubhururuka kubva kuIncirlik kuenda kuRamstein, yaiva Maybell uyo akawana mapeji acho akagadzirira kubhururuka navo.
"Ndinoziva kuti isu takaita chikamu chedu kuita kuti hurumende iyi ibudirire," akadaro.
Izvo nezvekutarisira
Kunyange zvazvo kuEurope, kuMiddle East neAsia Minor ndiko kwaanoita mazuva ano, vanamukoti vari kumhanya vari kushanda munyika yose. Basa ravo - uye iro rekushanda, vanoita basa rekuchengetedza vanochengetedza uye vanochengetedza vashandi vanovhiya, vashandi vanoziva nezvekudzivirira matambudziko uye vashandi vengarava - ndekupa varwere kutarisirwa kwepamusoro mumhepo pavanenge vachienda kuchipatara.
Icho chikamu chekupa nhengo dzebasa, Dhipatimendi rekudzivirira vagari vehurumende uye mhuri dzavo nehutano hwekutarisira vaAmerica vanotarisira, Lt. Col. Kirk Nailling vakati. Mutungamiri wepfumbamwe wemabasa uye mukoti mukuru, akati vanamukoti vanoita basa rinokosha mukuita izvozvo.
"Tine vanhu vazhinji vari pasi pose vanogona kuita pane-iyo-nzvimbo yekuponesa upenyu," akadaro. "Asi zvino ibasa redu kuti tive nehanya zvakanyanya."
Operation Enduring Freedom iri kuratidza izvozvo. Mumwe nomumwe wevarwi veAmerica akakuvadza mukurwa muAfghanistan ane mukoti parutivi rwake paanenge achienda ndege kuchipatara.
Pane dzimwe nguva dzakadaro, vanamukoti uye mishonga yevhidhiyo. Icho chaiva mhaka yekutanga kubuda kubva kuIncirlik kuenda kuRamstein yemauto akakuvara muAustralia, Capt Brenda Parker akati. Mumwe mukoti weRamstein wokuraira, ndiye aiva mutungamiri wezvokurapa mubhuku iri.
"Kwaiva kubatana, kubatana, uye kukurukurirana zvakanakisisa," akadaro. "Handisati ndamboona sangano rakadaro."
Kushanda kweboka. Ndizvo zvinotora kupa hutsika-kutarisira, Nailling akati. Uye iyo yekuchengetedza kwekutanga-yekutanga chimwe chinhu chinomhanya chinopona chinopa kupa nguva imwe neimwe iyo inoenda kumhepo. Izvozvo, iye akati, "ndicho chinoita kuti kuva mukoti wezvikepe anogutsa."
Tomasi akabuda kubva kumucheche muduku wekamuri umo iye nemumwe mukoti akadana musha. Yakanga iri munzvimbo yakasvibira uye yakadzika yeBarram's Soviet-built control tower. Akabvisa kubatwa kunze kwemaziso ake nokuti mumaminetsi mashomanana zvakare akakuvadzwa vakanga vasvika.
Akasangana nevose vakakuvadzwa. Iyo ndiyo nzira chete yaaigona kuona pakutanga kuti yakaipa zvakadini. Icho ndicho chaiva danho rokutanga mukuziva kuti rudzi rwekubuda kune humwe huri kurongeka. Uye sezvo vanachiremba vaibata kana kuti vachisunga ivo vakakuvadzwa, Thomas akawana nzira yekuvabudisa kunze kweBarram.
Mubairo wake waive kuona avo vakakuvara vachibva muchitsime, vachienda kuchipatara ndokubva vadzokera kumba. Kwaari, icho chete chaiva chivimbo chakakwana chokuita basa shomanana-kana chero - vanhu vanoziva nezvazvo.
"Ava varume vanoisa upenyu hwavo pamutsetse kwatiri," akadaro. "Kushumira kwavari kunofadza. Uye kutora mwedzi mitanhatu kubva muupenyu hwangu kuita icho icho chibayiro chiduku chakakwana pakuenzanisa nezvavanoita. "
Pamusoro peChirongwa cheKutendeseka kweAlmanman Magazine