JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska –
Alaska Army National Guards Soldiers assigned to G Co. 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion conducted two separate rescues of hunters with leg injuries on Aug. 10, at the start of the Alaska sheep hunting season. Both rescues launched from JBER using an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter with external fuel tanks to provide additional fuel capacity for extended flights.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bradley Jorgensen and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clara Trefts piloted the missions alongside crew chief Sgt. 1st Class Brad Mckenzie, flight paramedic Staff Sgt. Matthew Tucker and Capt. Andrew Ashton, an air medical physician assistant assigned to the AKARNG Medical Detachment.
“We opened up our morning with a prayer for the crew’s safety and we were thankful to the good Lord for ideal weather conditions to fly through on both missions,” Jorgensen said.
The first mission was opened on Sunday morning in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and was routed through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center and passed to the AKARNG. The crew flew to the vicinity of Peter’s Creek Valley, located the injured hunter and used a stretcher to get him aboard the aircraft.
The crew flew the hunter to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage where he was released to emergency medical personnel on ground.
Later that day in response to a request from the National Parks Service the crew was directed by the AKRCC to conduct another rescue near the Wrangell mountains, approximately nine miles from the border of Canada. This mission spanned more than five hours.
The crew refueled the helicopter en route in Gulkana, Alaska, after locating the hunter and using a stretcher to get him on board the aircraft. They transported him to Mat-su Regional Hospital to be received by medical personnel on ground.
Jorgensen attributed the seamless execution of both missions to the proficient coordination with the AKRCC and the hunters both having inReach satellite communication devices to make locating them easier.
“It makes our jobs a lot easier when people travel with these devices,” Jorgensen said. “It can mean the difference between hours and days when it comes to finding and rescuing someone in the backcountry.”
Jorgensen praised his team’s efforts in executing both rescues during a long rescue day across the state.