12. What was the importance of the Stokes litter? · What new invention was being used to evacuate injured soldiers from the battlefield? The Korean War resulted in the first systematic use of helicopters for evacuation of casualties from the battlefield. The rugged, often mountainous terrain and the poor, insecure road network in wartime Korea made overland movement difficult. The improvised pods and litters proved far from ideal. Loading and unloading the patient was an awkward process, since he had to be taken from the standard Army field litter, lifted onto a blanket, and then placed into the Stokes litter. Some patients with certain types of casts, splints, and dressings could not be moved by helicopter due to the confined space of the Stokes litter. -Andy801