USS Bonhomme Richard Medevacs a Marine

A Marine, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) was medically evacuated (medevac) from the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) by an MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to Marine Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 262 (reinforced).

Though the Marine’s life was not in immediate danger, Bonhomme Richard’s medical team took every medical precaution to ensure the best treatment.

Cmdr. Frank Axelsen, Bonhomme Richard’s Senior Medical Officer, said:

The patient was stable, so his life wasn’t in danger at the time … but if we were to let it go, and it turned out to be what we suspected, then it could have become much more serious.

When the medical team met to discuss options, they agreed the service member’s needs would be best treated at a shore-based hospital in Sasebo, Japan. Based on the recent inaugural flights of two MV-22 Ospreys to the U.S. Navy base in Sasebo on March 23, the decision was made to fly the service member ashore for care and only the MV-22 could make the round trip due to distance.

Bonhomme Richard, flagship of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and the Whidbey-island class amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48), all forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan.

Image: US Navy