KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, NM. -- On 26 October 2024 a hiker in the Caldera Mountain range suffered a nearly 30 foot fall off a ledge on the side of the trail. The injured hiker’s companion then called local emergency responders for help since he could not reach him down the cliff. After responding to the scene, the local emergency team decided that the injured hiker needed to be airlifted to a hospital. With the fall happening at a dangerous and remote location, the teams that would normally respond to this situation were not able to provide the airlift.
The call came in to the 58th Special Operations Wing at 1750 that the hiker needed to be rescued and taken to the hospital. Major Joshua Hartmann, Detachment 2 Director of Operations, took the call and immediately began coordinating between Detachment 2 and emergency personnel to get a UH-1N “Huey” team to the scene. A brave team made up of Major Kevin Cornell, Mission Commander and Pilot, Captain McClain Cardoso, Co-Pilot, and Staff Sergeant Robert Benson, Special Missions Aviator, stepped up and volunteered to be the rescue team. Due to the extensive injuries and precarious spot on the mountain, the rescue team was augmented to include the 351st Special Warfare Training Squadron. Technical Sergeant Roman Ramirez, Pararescueman Instructor, heroically joined the rescue team.
After getting the necessary approvals to complete the mission, the rescue team of USAF Rescue 65 took off from Kirtland Air Force Base for a 1-hour flight to the mountain range. From the beginning, the team knew that they would be limited by fuel issues but bravely pushed on anyway. They arrived at the injured hiker’s location to find that he was on a steep slope and only 50 feet from the edge of another cliff that he was lucky to not have continued his fall down. SSgt Benson began assessing the situation with the team, determining an inability to land and being forced to hover 40 feet from the side of the mountain. “The terrain was extremely dangerous to try to maintain a hovering position with the wind from the mountain and having to dodge fallen trees to find the right spot to lower Ramirez,” explained Capt Cardoso.
Aiming in between the trees, TSgt Ramirez was lowered down 120 feet and made his way up the slope through extremely slick terrain to reach the hiker. Luckily, the local emergency responders had provided the hiker with initial medical attention, so TSgt Ramirez was able to focus on getting the hiker ready to be hoisted to the Huey. Ramirez assessed that the hiker had sustained a possible broken back, broken right ankle, multiple broken ribs, and a broken wrist so he had to be placed on a stretcher to be loaded into the Huey. While Ramirez was on the ground trying to get the hiker ready to be transported, the aircrew team was constantly fighting the terrain to maintain their hovering position and had to make two passes before they were able to get back in position to receive the stretcher and hoist Ramirez back into the aircraft.
Benson was constantly monitoring the fuel levels and knew they needed to head to the UNM Hospital in Albuquerque immediately after Ramirez made it back into the aircraft. They began their flight to the hospital and landed at nearby Johnson Field where they were met by the hospital’s medical team to receive the hiker at 2233. Once they ensured the hiker was safely transferred to the hospital staff, the team headed back to the base where they landed with only 4 minutes of fuel left in the Huey.
This mission shows how the USAF training programs are producing the highest quality Airmen in the world that always stand ready to answer the call of our nation. Our members are trained to adapt to whatever the situation calls for and can work as an effective team to rise to the challenges they face. The 58th SOW is incredibly proud of our members for their heroic actions and honored to work with our partners at the 351st SWTS.