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This was the 126th Med Co's first year of existence and I was part of a MEDEVAC flight crew sent to Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert for a two-week Site Support mission.

At that time, Ft. Irwin had been mothballed since the 60s and was given to the California National Guard as a training base.  Most of the buildings on this World War II base (General George S. Patton's armor troops trained there) were essentially abandoned and only a tiny group of full-time employees operated some basic services, such as a mess hall, barracks, fire department, and the headquarters building.  When troops were present, the Post Exchange, bowling alley, and clubs would open.  Weed Army Hospital stood adjacent to the MEDEVAC pad and had been sealed up long ago.  We would evacuate patients to Barstow Community Hospital or the military medical hospital at March AFB, near Riverside.

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1Lt Michael K. Spittler (now deceased) was the OIC as well as the only person on our crew who was not a Vietnam veteran; during the initial years of the 126th Med Co, more than 90% of the members were Vietnam vets.  Mike is walking in from the rickety 1964 Ford Econoline van the MEDEVAC crew always seemed to get when visiting Ft. Irwin.

SP/5 Rich Williams, a UH-1H Crew Chief and full-time Operations Clerk at the National Guard Flight Facility at then-Mather AFB.  This picture captures a mine-exploring trip we took on during some time off.

L-R: 

SP/5 Mike Schmidt (Medic), SP/5 Rich Williams (Crew Chief), SP/5 Joe Guerra (Medic).