JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel assigned to the 176th Wing and Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command saved nine people during three separate rescue missions across Alaska July 23-26.
On July 23, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, or AKRCC, opened a mission in response to a request for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District regarding an individual who was stranded on a remote beach.
The Alaska Air National Guard’s 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion accepted the mission and dispatched a Nome-based UH-60L Black Hawk crew to the individual’s reported location about 20 miles east of Deering.
The UH-60 crew located the stranded individual and transported the person to Kotzebue, where the individual was released to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The following day, July 24, the AKRCC opened a mission in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers to rescue a group of overturned rafters who had become stranded.
The Alaska Air National Guard accepted the mission and dispatched Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson-based rescue assets from the 176th Wing’s rescue squadrons.
A 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter with 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angels aboard flew to the group’s reported location about 25 miles northwest of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The Jolly Green crew landed in a clearing along the Little Susitna River and loaded the six stranded individuals. The crew quickly transported the group to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where they were released to the Alaska State Troopers.
On July 26, the AKRCC opened another mission in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers to rescue two overturned rafters who became stranded about 7 miles southwest of Glennallen.
The Alaska Air National Guard accepted this mission and again dispatched a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60W Jolly Green II with 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angels from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
The Jolly Green crew arrived on the scene and located the two rafters along the Tazlina River. Unable to land because of thick vegetation and terrain, the HH-60 crew deployed Guardian Angels and rescued the two rafters via hoist. The rafters then were transported to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where they were released to the Alaska State Troopers.
The three incidents and successful outcomes highlight the vital importance of having an emergency communication plan when venturing in Alaska’s remote and rugged terrain.
While Alaska Air and Army National Guard aviators train to fulfill their military and federal missions, they also work with the AKRCC to provide Alaska with specialized civil search-and-rescue capabilities when available. The Alaska National Guardsmen continuously hone their skills in Alaska’s vast, austere terrain and can operate under the most challenging conditions.