CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The Encarta Dictionary’s definition of a hero is somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown great courage, strength of character, or another admirable quality. One Combat Aviation Brigade pilot has exhibited every quality that is associated with the word.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason Didonato rejoined his comrades in Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, here at Camp Taji April 12. Didonato was gravely wounded when a round from a terrorist’s anti-aircraft gun pierced the cockpit of the HH-60L MEDEVAC helicopter he was piloting during a MEDEVAC mission Nov. 26.

Despite several months of surgery and physical therapy, Didonato said he was ready to get back to Iraq and continue with the mission. He pointed out, however, that the incident remains fresh in his mind.

“We were pulling duty that morning and we had some routines (MEDEVAC missions) in the chute down at Kalsu,” explained Didonato, who was awarded the Purple Heart for his actions on that day. “We flew down to Kalsu and on our way back to the combat surgical hospital, with the patients on board, we started taking surface-to-air fire.”

Didonato and his co-pilot, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Toby Blackmon, along with crew chief Spc. Saul Lopez and flight medic Sgt. Shane Pollock, all heard the discharge of the gun firing at them but were unsure of what it was and dismissed it as being normal aircraft rattle.

“We basically said, ‘you hear that tapping noise?’” Didonato said. “We thought maybe it was just a normal aircraft rattle. It was questionable, but it wasn’t really alarming. Right after that … boom! Everything changed, and it was way too fast for my brain to comprehend. I thought something had come through the windshield and hit me in the chest.”

He said he could clearly see the big hole in the windshield, but what he didn’t know at the time was that the windshield was actually where the round had exited the aircraft. He explained that he could feel the round impacting his body, but the reality of the situation had yet to set in.

“I could feel the impact; it felt more like a vacuum,” he explained. “It was a concussion-type feel, where you can feel the vacuum from the blast. I almost went into complete shock because it ripped my pectoralis major (chest muscle) almost completely off.”

The round, which was believed to be a .50 caliber-type round used on anti-aircraft guns, entered the helicopter from below and behind Didonato’s seat. It then traveled upward and entered his left tricep muscle, severing the whole nerve in his arm. The bullet then ripped through his left pectoral muscle and exited his body, before shattering the windshield.

“I was trying to make sense of what had happened,” he explained. “I realized I was hurt so I transferred the flight controls to Toby and then … I passed out.”

He said he remembered regaining consciousness just as Blackmon was landing the aircraft at Camp Falcon, which is where the unit was stationed at the time in support of the 3rd Infantry Division.

“I came to right before he was landing at Falcon,” he said. “I think my lung was collapsing because I remember gasping for air and maybe the aircraft vibrating during the landing. It starts to shutter real bad. That may have helped me regain consciousness. I remember landing, getting out of the aircraft and laying down on a litter.”

It was then that another flight medic from the unit, Sgt. Branden Coughlin, came over and had him moved into the troop medical clinic there. Didonato said he recalls them listening to his lungs, and because one of them wasn’t breathing very well, they inserted a chest tube to assist in removing the blood, which kept his lung from collapsing.

“That was agonizing pain,” he said. “They shot me full of drugs and Capt. Cory Boudreau took me to the CSH. I don’t remember anything after that.”

According to Boudreau, a fellow pilot with the CAB’s MEDEVAC unit, he was unaware of the situation when Didonato’s aircraft arrived. He said they received word that they would have to transport the patients who were onboard, but at that point, had no idea Didonato had been shot.

“Toby called in and said something to the effect that we were bringing our patients to Falcon and they needed to set up to take them where they needed to go,” Didonato said.

“We had no idea what was going on,” Boudreau explained. “Because he had routine patients on board, I was under the impression that we needed to do a tail-to-tail (MEDEVAC aircraft exchange) swap of those patients because of maintenance problems or something.
Boudreau, along with co-pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan

Klaftenegger, said they were loaded into the aircraft and ready to go when they saw Didonato’s aircraft come in and land. At that point, Blackmon, Didonato’s co-pilot, sent a radio transmission that he was going to shut the aircraft down by himself. Boudreau said that’s when they became alarmed.

“Immediately, we were like, ‘what’s going on?’” he said. “After a little while, operations couldn’t tell us what was going on so we sent our medic, Sgt. Coughlin over to the aircraft to find out what was going on.
That’s when Sgt. Coughlin saw Didonato and helped him once he got out of the aircraft.”

Coughlin said he immediately noticed the large hole in the windshield of the aircraft on Didonato’s side as it was landing.

“You could see that his windshield was broken and had holes in it,” explained Coughlin. “I noticed the hole in the side of the aircraft and I could see Didonato slumped over. I could also see that the front of his vest was blown out.”

Coughlin said that although all visible evidence pointed to a gunshot injury, he still hadn’t dismissed the thought that maybe the aircraft had struck a bird during the flight.

“I could see the blood on the door handle, but I didn’t know if it was ‘Dido’s or not,” he said. It wasn’t until he helped Didonato from the aircraft that he noticed the blood that began to cover the sleeve of his own uniform.

Coughlin and several other medics, including Pollock, moved Didonato inside the TMC. With the help of a team of 3rd Inf. Div. doctors and medics, they began to treat him for a gunshot wound and a collapsed lung. Throughout the entire process, Didonato remained conscious and endured the excruciating pain.

Meanwhile, back at the awaiting aircraft, Boudreau said the only thing his crew saw was Didonato being placed on the stretcher with his helmet and vest still on and blood dripping down his arm.

“We thought maybe he had hit a bird or something,” said Boudreau, a three-year member of the CAB’s MEDEVAC unit. “In these situations, you always wish for the best. After about 10 minutes, Sgt. Pollock came out and gave us an update. He told us Didonato had been shot and they were stabilizing him. We didn’t know how serious the injury was at the time – we just knew he was getting stabilized.”

After another 10 minutes, a flight crew brought Didonato out and they were “bagging” him, which means using a manual respirator to help him breathe.

Coughlin said he told one of the 3rd Inf. Div. physician’s assistants to travel with them to Balad so that he could continue to squeeze the respirator that was helping Didonato breathe at the time. Boudreau and Klaftenegger then piloted the aircraft to the CSH at Balad.

“You know, you try to keep your emotions out of it because you want to make sure you get to the CSH safely,” Boudreau said. “So we briefed the crew to treat it like it’s just another patient. But, unfortunately, it’s a lot different when you’re flying one of your own.”

“I was still in pain,” said Didonato, who was heavily sedated at that point. “I have vague memories of seeing Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott Kimball, who’s also in the MEDEVAC unit. But he said it was at Balad when I was getting ready to get on the big bird to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.”

Didonato arrived at the hospital in Balad and was flown to Germany, where he underwent surgery at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center before being transported back to the United States. He then spent several weeks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington until he was well enough to travel to Fort Hood.

He said it was at Walter Reed that he found his inspiration and motivation to return to the fight.

“Walter Reed was an inspiration to me because when I was finally able to get up and walk, I’d go down to the cafeteria on my own and I’d go through the different wards,” he explained. “On the way to the cafeteria, you’d see all the amputees and the head injuries and I realized, ‘I ain’t got it so bad.’ I made the decision that I wasn’t going to be defeated – I was going to get back to work, and that’s what I did.”

He said his physical therapy, which took place at Walter Reed and Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center, included work to restore range of motion in his chest and arm and exercises to increase his flexibility and dexterity.

They said the feeling in the lower part of his arm may or may not return, despite the therapy, Didonato said. “I went on to Darnell and got my strength, range of motion and flexibility back. Then they released me to do it on my own. My girlfriend and I went to the gym every day and lifted weights. Bench pressing helped me to get some muscle mass back, and I got almost all my strength back.”

Didonato returned to the Soldiers of Lonestar Dustoff almost five months to the date of his injury. During the time he was recovering from his injury, the 4th Infantry Division conducted it’s transfer of authority with the 3rd Inf. Div. for the Multi-National Division – Baghdad area of operation. He said despite the incident being fresh in his mind, he looked forward to getting back to work.

“Naturally I have some anxiety about coming back into the area,” he explained, “not because I don’t want to assume any of the risks that my peers and everyone else around here assumes. It’s just the thought of having to deal with that much pain again is something I don’t want to do – but it’s part of the risk, so I accept it.”

He said he especially missed being with his fellow pilots and Soldiers in his unit. That also served as inspiration for him to return to Iraq and complete the mission.

According to Boudreau, the company has missed Didonato just as much.
“Dido’s a huge part of the company,” Boudreau said. “He’s a very professional pilot but he’s also just a great person. He has lots of friends, so it’s great having him back. We were surprised to hear that he was coming back when he actually had an option. But if anybody knows anything about Didonato, they know he’s all about the mission and he’s just a great guy. It’s a huge boost for morale that he wanted to come back and be with his unit.”

“I love this mission. I love my leadership, and I love my buddies,” said Didonato, who has been in the unit for five years. “My mission is not complete until we all go home. That’s just how I feel, even though it’s my third trip over here. I still want to be a part of i