When the call came over the radio that numerous UN soldiers had been injured and needed to be evacuated by helicopter, Lieutenant (Navy) Jennifer Loye and her team were ready to help.
During the six months she had been working as the senior aero-medevac nurse at a German basecamp in Gao, Mali for Operation PRESENCE, she had been conducting simulations with her team and their international partners involved in saving lives using Canada's Chinooks as flying emergency rooms.
The call said there were multiple casualties from gunfire and explosives.
“We knew that it was going to be a multi-casualty situation and that it was quite far away,” said Lt(N) Loye. “It surprised us all. It happened very quickly. I remember the call coming in.”
An al-Qaida-linked group would later claim responsibility for the attack on a group of UN peacekeepers in Aguelhok, a village 450 km north of Gao. The UN's mission is to increase peace and stability in the region after a resurgence in extremism over the past few years.
After grabbing the supplies she thought she would need—extra painkillers and blood product—it took over an hour to reach the injured soldiers by helicopter.
Once the team had arrived they landed to drop off the doctor and medics to scope out the area and prepare the injured soldiers to board the helicopter.
Helicopters are most vulnerable when on the ground, so they took off immediately.
“We landed and they got off. That for me was the most memorable part of the…
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