Alaska Air National Guard Airmen rescue distressed patient at Sockeye Lake > Alaska National Guard > News

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .mil

A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.

Secure .mil websites use HTTPS

A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 210th Rescue Squadron takes off from the tundra after loading simulated casualties during exercise Arctic Chinook, near Kotzebue, Alaska, August 24, 2016. Arctic Chinook is a joint U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Northern Command sponsored exercise which focuses on multinational search and rescue readiness to respond to a mass rescue operation requirement in the Arctic. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Edward Eagerton/released)

PHOTO INFORMATION

Download

Details

160824-Z-MW427-057

An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 210th Rescue Squadron takes off from the tundra after loading simulated casualties during exercise Arctic Chinook, near Kotzebue, Alaska, August 24, 2016. Arctic Chinook is a joint U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Northern Command sponsored exercise which focuses on multinational search and rescue readiness to respond to a mass rescue operation requirement in the Arctic. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Edward Eagerton/released)

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guardsmen of the 176th Wing rescued a woman in medical distress at Sockeye Lake northeast of Talkeetna following an Oct. 2, 2021 call to 911.

Alaska Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Evan Budd, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center superintendent, said the Alaska State Troopers requested assistance from the AKRCC, and 176th Wing responded with Airmen of 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons launching from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on a 210th RQS HH-60G Pave Hawk.

The HH-60 crew located the cabin where the distressed woman was staying, and the 212th RQS pararescuemen (PJs) hoisted down from the hovering helicopter and made contact. The PJs medically assessed, treated and packaged the woman for hoist up to the helicopter.

The HH-60 transported the distressed individual to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center where she was released to civilian medical professionals.

For the operation, 210th RQS, 212th RQS and the AKRCC were awarded one save.

State and Alaska Organized Militia expand evacuation, sheltering operations for West Coast Storm survivors
October 15, 2025 — The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), Alaska Organized Militia (AKOM), and multiple state and volunteer agencies continue coordinated response operations following the severe storm that struck Alaska’s West Coast late last week, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and community displacement across the region... MORE

AKRCC supporting ongoing Search and Rescue mission in western Alaska
October 13, 2025 — At the request of the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center continues to lead the multi-agency search and rescue operations across storm-impacted communities in Western Alaska... MORE

Alaska National Guard requested to provide additional support for West Coast Storm response
October 11, 2025 — The Alaska National Guard has been requested by the State Emergency Operation Center to provide additional support for the ongoing response to the storms impacting Alaska’s West Coast, including opening the Kotzebue, Bethel and Nome Armories and preparing personnel for deployment to affected communities... MORE

Alaska Organized Militia supporting state response to West Coast Storm
October 10, 2025 — The Alaska Organized Militia is supporting the State Emergency Operation Center’s ongoing response to the 2025 West Coast Storm following Governor Mike Dunleavy’s disaster declaration on October 9... MORE

AKNG Child and Youth Program Fall Festival celebrates community, youth empowerment
September 25, 2025 — Alaska National Guard Child and Youth Program members welcomed the autumn season by holding their second annual Fall Festival Sept. 13 at JBER. Approximately 260 local residents attended this year’s event, which included 51 volunteers, among them 10 youth council members... MORE

ROTC Minuteman Scholarship Recipient: Alaska Army Guardsman embarks on path to leadership
September 25, 2025 — The leaves aren’t the only thing changing in Alaska this fall. For Cadet Gabriel Gravel, an Alaska Army Guardsman attending University of Alaska Anchorage, transformation is also happening on his journey from enlisted Soldier to officer candidate through the U.S. Army’s Green to Gold program... MORE

Multi-agency responders save plane crash survivor
September 11, 2025 — Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescued the single occupant of a plane crash Sept. 10, approximately 115 miles northeast of Anchorage... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard rescues multiple individuals from two separate small aircraft crashes
September 9, 2025 — Alaska Army National Guard aviators with the 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion, rescued individuals in two separate plane crashes across Alaska Sept. 5, and Sept. 8, respectively. ... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard’s 49th Missile Defense Battalion forges mission success through resilience, community
September 9, 2025 — In the heart of interior Alaska, where the wind howls across the tundra and winter locks the land in forty-below darkness, Soldiers of the Alaska Army National Guard’s 49th Missile Defense Battalion carry out one of the nation’s most vital missions in defending the United States from intercontinental ballistic missile attack... MORE

Anchorage Fire Department receives DOD’s highest award for outstanding employer support
September 5, 2025 — The Anchorage Fire Department received the 2025 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award at a ceremony at the Anchorage Fire Training Center, Sept. 4. The AFD was only the third Alaska employer to receive this award since its inception in 1996... MORE