Corporal Luke Caldwell’s military career took flight in 2010 when he enlisted into the Australian Army. During his 13 years of service, Luke has served as a Combat Engineer, Army Work Diver, and Aircrewman. His commitment to service and dedication to the community continues today through his military role as a Reservist with the Australian Army and civilian role as an Aircrew Officer at Babcock.
My career with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) began in 2010 when I enlisted into the Australian Army. Over the past 13 years, I have served on international deployments in Afghanistan and Malaysia, and have supported the Commonwealth Games, G-20 Summit, and recent domestic Operations, Flood Assist and Bushfire Assist.
At age 19, at the beginning of my service, I deployed to Afghanistan as a Combat Engineer where I specialised as a Dismounted Searcher. This involved conducting counter-IED tasks, identifying and destroying enemy cache targets, and clearing a path for infantry soldiers.
Following this deployment, I moved into the role of an Army Work Diver, where I managed a team of divers and conducted operational dives to achieve search and recovery, water surveying, under water welding, thermal cutting, and underwater demolition activities.
In 2019, I transferred to Army Aviation as an Aircrewman, which fulfilled my childhood dream of working in aviation and sparked my interest in working within the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) industry. In 2022, I transitioned from full-time to casual service, so that I could pursue a career in civil HEMS while continuing to serve in the ADF as a Reservist – a role that I continue to do today.
My role as an Aircrew Officer at Babcock involves maintaining high level skills for search and rescue (SAR) operations, assisting the pilot with check lists and emergency procedures, operating the hoist during a tasking, rescue coordination between aircraft movement, medical teams, and emergency medical service (EMS) personnel, and assisting Ambulance Victoria’s Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) Flight Paramedics on scene with patient care.
Working at Babcock as an Aircrew Officer enables me to serve the community through HEMS and SAR operations while continuing my military service as a Reservist. I’m proud to combine the skills and experience I have gained through my service in the military and at Babcock to continue to serve and help people when they need it. I’m extremely proud of my service – it has made me who I am today.
