Medevac IS the “slang” word. It stands for Medical Evacuation. Perhaps a better term than slang would be acronym.

Unless you mean the term “Nightingales”. It is a label for medical services rendered by air. No one agency has the sole rights to the term. There are civilian “Nightingales” as well as military.

The term MEDEVAC is usually applied to a vehicle, plane, or helicopter used as an ambulance (sometimes called an “air ambulance”). This permits the rapid transport of seriously injured persons, particularly trauma patients, from the scene of the accident to the hospital. News accounts of such transportation often use the terms ‘airlifted’ or ‘LifeFlighted’, although MEDEVAC is a common term used by civilians as well. Most patients transported by MEDEVAC are taken to a specialized hospital known as a trauma center. MEDEVAC can be misconstrued, as it may not clarify as to whether ground or air assets are being utilized, and therefore it is best to make it clear during planning and communication.

The technique has its roots in the establishment of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service, which was established in 1928 to bring doctors to patients and patients to hospitals from the remote outback. Inevitably, the immense military potential of the practice was realized with the development of the helicopter. The U.S. Army pioneered this lifesaving technique during the Korean War. They established semi-permanent field hospitals immediately behind the front lines, which allowed wounded soldiers to receive complete medical treatment after only a short helicopter flight. This military tactic was popularized in the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H.

DUSToffs

assuming you are also suffering with this crossword, DUST goes in the first of the five boxes, followed by offs. I didn’t know this. got the answer from the King of NYT crosswords, Rex Parker.