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One last flight for Devil Ray Dustoff
FOX 13's Ryan French went on board for one final tour with a group known as the Devil Ray Dustoff.
TAMPA - Since the late 1970's the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter has been a part of the United States Army as a tactical transport aircraft and evacuation system.
G Company (MEDEVAC), 5-159th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB) is a U.S. Army Reserve Aviation Unit that is based here in Tampa at MacDill Air Force Base.
The unit operated Black Hawks in situations both in war and peacetime. This week, they took their final flight as the rotary-wing assets are being inactivated.
US Army Medevac Unit photo
The backstory:
That Final Formation Flight for the U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers of G Co. 5-159th MEDEVAC took place on August 18th as the unit departed from MacDill AFB.
For the Unit, known as the Devil Ray Dustoff, this flight was an emotional tribute to their homebase of the Tampa Bay area.
"The significance for me and I'm sure a lot of the other ones, as you can tell, this was some of our last flight," shared Staff Sergeant Richard Sanders, "One last flight if you look at the map, the map was etched out into a heart, so we flew around the Tampa Bay area in the shape of a heart, so that was our last hoo-rah for individuals, especially those who were flying in the back."
Final Formation Flight Plan
According to the Army, the flight was a last showcase for the unit and the Tampa community, expressing gratitude for the enduring support throughout the unit’s service.
That service included deployments to active war zones such as Iraq during the Global War on Terror. These Medevac Units were a means of bringing medical teams into the kinetic environment hot zones to rapidly transport the wounded to safety for emergency medical treatment.
"We transport medical personnel to and from the battlefield wherever they need to go, we do critical care transport," said Staff Sergeant Sidney Tran. She serves as a Flight Medic within the Unit.
US Army Medevac Unit
One of the goals of the Army is to get each unit to operate with a closeness, like a family where everyone knows their role and the person beside them so well that everything clicks. But how do you say goodbye to family?
"We’re very tight-knit. A lot of people have been with this unit for a very long time," said Chief Warrant Officer Parker White, who pilots one of the Black Hawks in the Unit. "We do a great job of being close to each other, especially when we’re in this cockpit because we need to be a close group of people to perform at the high operation level that we do."
For CWO White, the job was never work.
"This is one of the greatest dreams I’ve ever had was coming into the army and becoming a pilot," he admitted. "When I joined the first time, in basic training, I saw some Black Hawks flying overhead, and I said that’s the job I wanna do. I know exactly where I’m going."
Now CWO White and other pilots in the Unit will be heading to other Units. He will be heading to the Maryland Guard as a pilot for their Medevac Unit.
"Reserve Aviation is shutting down unfortunately," said SSGT Tran. "I am going to the National Guard. I’m going to continue my career as a flight medic."
The flights over the Tampa Bay Area were the last big formation flights for this company. The pilots got this last chance to fly with each other for the very last time.
"I knew the day was coming, but then whenever the day actually happens, it’s kind of bittersweet," admitted SSGT Sanders, "There’ll be some tears shed afterwards, but it’s been a good road, it's been a good road."
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What's next:
According to the release, the Army Reserve Aviation Command’s rotary-wing assets will be inactivating and divesting in accordance with Army Transformation Initiative (ATI) EXORD 222-25 effective September 15, 2026. Soldiers who are full-time will be reassigned as a part of their continued active-duty status. Those on reserve can remain in the reserves but will similarly be reassigned.
The Black Hawk aircraft will be retired and/or repurposed for other Federal Agencies as assets within the government.
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The Source: This story was written based on the Final Formation Flight news release and personal interviews with members of the U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers of G Co. 5-159th MEDEVAC Unit.