Airmen rescue missing teen

Published Jan. 20, 2012
By Stefan Bocchino
377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Kirtland Air Force Base, NM -- Team Kirtland Airmen rescued a teenager Monday who had been lost overnight at White Sands National Monument.

Airmen from the 58th Special Operations Wing, 512th Rescue Squadron and 342nd Training Squadron, Detachment 1, left Kirtland Air Force Base at 5:50 a.m. Monday.

Lt. Col. Brandon Deacon, 512 RQS operations officer, received a call from the 377th Air Base Wing Command Post about 1 a.m. Monday notifying him of a possible rescue mission.

"I was called about 3 a.m. and told that we had a possible rescue mission that was in the approval process," said Maj. Greg Rockwood, 58 SOW plans and programs office and co-pilot for the mission. "When I got the call, it was more about making sure we had crews available. Then I got another call saying we were a go."

At 5:50 a.m., an HH-60G "Pave Hawk," call sign "Air Force Rescue 680" departed Kirtland AFB for Holloman AFB, N.M. At 7:30 a.m., they landed at Holloman AFB to refuel before leaving for the White Sands National Monument visitor center, where the incident center was located.

"Once we filled up the tanks, we had at least four hours available for searching," said Rockwood. "We started by going to the command center. There were two Border Patrol helicopters there that we were going to coordinate our search with."

After coordinating efforts, the aircrews went back to the helicopters to start the search again, said Rockwood.

"Being gone for that long, we weren't sure what kind of condition he would be in," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Davis, 512 RQS aerial gunner. "We were worried that he would be hypothermic after a night in the desert, where the temperatures were just above freezing."

Capt. Marcus Maris, 512 RQS, came on the mission to act as the ground liaison officer. He stayed at the command post when the HH-60G took off on its initial search at 8:20 a.m.

"After about an hour of searching, the two Border Patrol helicopters had to go to Holloman AFB to refuel," said Rockwood. "We were searching the contours of White Sands where it meets the desert, using the contour in a north/south-running line. Every time we made a pass, we'd offset about a half a mile to the east. It was probably about our fourth pass when Master Sgt. Chris Albrandt called, 'come left, I've got him.'"

The helicopter turned and prepared to land near where the boy was standing.

"In some of the areas around White Sands it was fairly easy to see because it was all white," said Davis. "Once we got to the part that was a little more vegetated, it made us slow down a little bit and really focus on it, because some of the trees looked like they could be people. The boy was carrying a bright red circular sled with him. He would have been hard to see without the sled."

While on approach to land, the boy waved at the crew, said Rockwood. The pararescuemen got out of the aircraft and ran to the boy to tell him they were taking him back to his mother.

"He was really excited about going back to see his mother," said Rockwood. "One of the PJs gave him a helmet and then we secured him in the back. He enjoyed his ride back."

Davis gave the boy a unit patch and Rockwood gave him a squadron coin.

At 10:17 the crew notified the 58th Wing Operations Center that they had found the boy and were en route to the search command post with him. The boy was in stable condition and did not need immediate medical attention, so he was returned to civilian authorities and his family.

Eight crew members took part in the rescue mission. In addition to Rockwood, Davis and Maris, Maj. Adam Rudolphi, 58th Operations Support Squadron, was the aircraft commander, Staff Sgt. Gary Miller, 512 RQS, was the flight engineer and the three PJs were Albrandt, Tech. Sgt. Lopaka Mounts and Staff Sgt. Scott Dowd.