MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD, Calif.- Air National Guard members from the 129th Rescue Wing completed an overwater rescue mission on Monday, saving the life of a 24-year-old man on a commercial fishing vessel about 160 nautical miles off the coast of Monterey, California.
At approximately 3 p.m. the 129th RQW accepted a mission tasking from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center concerning an ill man onboard a 65-foot commercial fishing vessel, Temptation. The patient required treatment beyond the capabilities of those onboard.
A team of three Guardian Angel pararescuemen from the 129th RQW onboard an HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter flew to Temptation to administer care to thepatient. The pararescuemen extracted the patient from the vessel at 5 p.m. and flew him to San Jose Regional Medical Center. The patient arrived in San Jose, California,after 6 p.m. and is in stable condition, according to a representative from San Jose Regional Medical Center.
The primary mission of the 129th RQW is to perform its wartime mission of personnel recovery anywhere in the world. Equipped with MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft and HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, the 129th RQW has performed a wide variety of civilian personnel recovery missions, including the rescue of distressed persons aboard ships, lost or injured hikers and medical evacuations. To date, the wing is credited with saving the lives of over 1,000 people.