Khaki Angels – Our World War One Battle

This year the battle re-enactment that will depict the First World War era will be something special. Rather than the standard New Zealanders versus Germans battle, in the scenario devised for this year there is more to it. An Allied forward medical aid post has been captured by the German forces, and the New Zealanders have to attempt to rescue their medics back from the enemy.

For the unarmed army medics who operated on the front lines and right into no man’s land, the war was a very dangerous place. Dodging bullets and shellfire in order to rescue and assist others took a special courage. It is fitting that we acknowledge their work in the form of this re-enactment becuse one of the men taking part, as he does every year, is historian Brendan O’Carroll, who has just released the book Khaki Angels. This book is all about the medics and the amazing work they did. You can see more about the book at his publisher’s website here http://www.ngaiopress.com/KA-home.htm

Throughout history  New Zealand’s Armed Forces have continued to have medics in the front lines of the world’s conflicts, from World War Two to Korea to Vietnam and to the first Gulf War. Even now we have medical teams in several UN hotspots including Afghanistan.

Another display this weekend that remembers the great work of military medical staff is the display of the Sioux helicopter by Phil Hooker.  Painted in the colours of a M*A*S*H unit, or Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, this helicopter was not just made famous by the popular TV comedy but in fact really did carry out medivac (medical evacuation) flights and other mercy missions on the front lines in the Korean War (1950-1953). The bravery of these US pilots flying in unarmed and alone to front line positions to exacuate wounded soldiers was outstanding. New Zealand didn’t then have military helicopters so did not take part in that aspect of the Korean War, however the RNZAF did have trained helicopter pilots by the time the Vietnam War came along, and many New Zealand pilots flew in Vietnam with the Royal Australian Air Force. One such was Robin Klitscher, who is now the National President of the Royal new Zealand Returned Services Association. Robin will be laying a wreath at the Armistice in Cambridge Commemorative Ceremony on the morning of Sunday the 8th of November 2009.

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~ by grsquadrons on October 22, 2009.