JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guardsmen assigned to the 176th Wing rescued an injured cross-country skier Feb. 16 in Southcentral Alaska.
After sustaining a head injury while cross-country skiing, the injured individual used a cellular phone to contact the Alaska State Troopers, who then requested support from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, resulting in the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opening a rescue mission.
Because of the absence of daylight and the lack of an illuminated airstrip near the distressed individual, local civilian air ambulance services were unable to conduct the mission.
The Alaska Air National Guard accepted the mission and dispatched Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson-based rescue assets from the 176th Wing’s rescue squadrons.
Using night-vision goggles, a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter with 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angels aboard flew to a remote cabin near Girdwood about 30 miles southwest of Anchorage.
The Pave Hawk crew arrived on the scene and loaded the patient for transport. The crew quickly transported the patient to Providence Alaska Medical Center and released the patient to the Center.
While the 176th Wing Rescue Triad’s military mission stands alert in support of the Eleventh Air Force Alaska NORAD Region, they also work with the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to provide Alaska with specialized civil search and rescue capabilities when available.
The rescue squadrons continuously train in Alaska’s vast, austere locations to hone their specialized skill sets and operate under the most challenging conditions.