An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 7, 2014

Sick baby and her family aboard Navy frigate after 129th Rescue Wing rescue

By Steve Marshall National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. - A California family stranded in choppy waters of the Pacific Ocean with a very ill baby girl was safely aboard a Navy ship Monday, enroute to San Diego, military spokesmen said.

The family boarded the USS Vandegrift after pararescuemen from the 129th Rescue Wing reached the boat Thursday night, assessed and stabilized the baby.

The ill girl, identified by the Associated Press as Lyra Kaufman, 1, was in stable condition aboard the Navy vessel. Sailors assisted her and her family aboard the ship Sunday morning.

The family includes her sister, Cora, 3, and parents, Charlette and Eric Kaufman. The Kaufmans were attempting a round-the-world voyage on their 36-foot sailboat Rebel Heart, when the boat became disabled just as Lyra’s condition worsened.

Authorities as of Monday still weren’t sure what Illness the little girl has. Her symptoms included fever and a rash over most of her body.

Because the sailboat was taking on so much water, authorities were sinking it, the AP reported.

The 129th Rescue Wing was alerted to the emergency by the Coast Guard, which received a satellite distress call from the Kaufmans after their vessel lost steering and communications about 900 nautical miles off the coast of Mexico.

In a statement published on the U.S. Navy's website, the Kaufman family said: "First, we would like to express how grateful we are to the men and women of the Coast Guard, California Air National Guard and Navy who rescued our family, especially the pararescuemen and crew of USS Vandegrift. We are very thankful to be safe and well. We also appreciate all the concern, thoughts and prayers of everyone back home for the health of our daughter Lyra. She is doing well now, and her medical condition continues to improve.

We understand there are those who question our decision to sail with our family, but please know that this is how our family has lived for seven years, and when we departed on this journey more than a year ago, we were then and remain today confident that we prepared as well as any sailing crew could. The ocean is one of the greatest forces of nature, and it always has
the potential to overcome those who live on or near it. We are proud of our choices and our preparation, and while we are disappointed that we lost our sailboat and our home, we remain grateful for those who came to our aid and those family and friends who continue to encourage and support us. Thank you.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group prepare dummies for a simulated casualty evacuation at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, July 17, 2025. The 108th Medical Company engaged in a weeklong field medical exercise to validate their readiness and elevate their medical and basic Soldier skills. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Christopher Booker)
Pennsylvania Guard Medics Simulate Chaos in Exercise
By Capt. Christopher Booker, | July 18, 2025
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Soldiers assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard's 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, are engaged in a comprehensive two-week field medical exercise here.The...

Nevada Air National Guard's 152nd Maintenance Group and 152nd Logistics Readiness Squadron personnel load Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) equipment onto MAFFS #8, aircraft #554 at the Nevada Air National Guard Base on July 12, 2025. U.S. Northern Command activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) Aircraft, one from the 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in California. Two C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS and their associated personnel will support firefighting efforts in the Western United States. The 152nd Airlift Wing’s “High Rollers” and 146th Airlift Wing's “Hollywood Guard” report on July 14, 2025, and will be initially based out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in California and are anticipated to be in place through August 14, 2025.
Nevada Air Guard Wing Assists in Firefighting Efforts
By Senior Master Sgt. Paula Macomber, | July 18, 2025
RENO, Nev. – U.S. Northern Command has activated two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System Aircraft, one from the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing out of Reno, Nevada, and one from the 146th Airlift Wing out of...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the CNGB, join Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, the adjutant general of Texas, for an aerial assessment of flood-affected areas in Central Texas and to visit Guardsmen on duty supporting civil authorities with response efforts, Kerrville, Texas, July 15, 2025. To date, National Guard search and rescue operations, led by the Texas National Guard, have resulted in the rescue of more than 525 Texans. Hundreds of Guardsmen remain on mission to continue working with interagency partners in search and rescue and recovery operations.
Nordhaus, Raines see Heroism, Partnerships in Central Texas
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, | July 18, 2025
KERRVILLE, Texas – Early on July 4, almost 30 inches of rain fell within hours across Central Texas’s Hill Country, surging the Guadalupe River and triggering catastrophic flash flooding.Within hours, Texas National Guard...