Alaska Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
08/07/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/07/2024 19:10
Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew rescues hiker in Hatcher Pass
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Alaska Army National Guard aviators with G Co., 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, helped rescue a hiker in critical condition in the vicinity of Hatcher Pass, Aug. 6.
The crew, led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cody Bjorklund, were already gearing up for a training flight when they got the notice that the Alaska State Troopers requested assistance through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
According to Bjorklund, the crew heard about the overdue hiker from social media and recognized the opportunity to assist. They adjusted their flight plan to help in the search with the helicopter's Forward-Looking Infrared technology, which detects thermal signatures.
"As the day progressed and we got closer to takeoff time, we received the actual RCC notification," said Bjorklund. "But we were already planning on going up and supporting the search as a training flight either way."
The Alaska National Guard has a longstanding partnership with the Alaska State Troopers and the broader rescue community, ensuring a coordinated response to emergencies. Prior to receiving the official request for support, the crew was already in contact with the rescue teams on scene.
After an extensive search lasting over 5.5 hours, the crew coordinated with the SAR incident commander to assist with consolidating search crews and dogs on the ground, saving them hours of hiking.
"We had already consolidated one team from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and were headed to pick up another group by Upper Reed Lake, and I just kind of decided to turn really wide this one last circle," said Bjorklund. "At that point, I was only looking for orange jackets, I was looking for AMRG guys. I wanted to make sure we didn't miss any of them."
It was at that point that the crew, which included Capt. Ryan Montgomery, Sgt. Hunter Lorenz, Staff Sgt. Steven Gildersleeve, Staff Sgt. Derek Shadle, and Sgt. Matthew Tucker, spotted the hiker almost directly beneath the aircraft in the vicinity of Bomber Pass. Shadle and Lorenz noticed the hiker dressed in all black, making him difficult to spot against the rocky terrain.
The helicopter landed approximately 100 yards up hill from the hiker, and medics Tucker and Gildersleeve exited the aircraft to render aid. Bjorklund said three members of the AMRG, who were waiting to be picked up, helped carry the hiker up the hill to the helicopter which transported him to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.
"We could not have done this without our medics, and they really shined," said Bjorklund. "The level of care they were able to deliver was outstanding."
Bjorklund credits a series of fortunate events to the successful outcome of the mission. The crew, already equipped with extra personnel for training, had five hours of fuel on board-more than usual-allowing them to extend their search time.
"There's years of training that goes into missions like these and the amount of capability that we had, but credit for spotting the hiker has to go to God," said Bjorklund. "I mean there's no other reason that they would have looked down at that one moment. I'm just so happy that we found him because we were almost just about to wrap up."
The crew, led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cody Bjorklund, were already gearing up for a training flight when they got the notice that the Alaska State Troopers requested assistance through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
According to Bjorklund, the crew heard about the overdue hiker from social media and recognized the opportunity to assist. They adjusted their flight plan to help in the search with the helicopter's Forward-Looking Infrared technology, which detects thermal signatures.
"As the day progressed and we got closer to takeoff time, we received the actual RCC notification," said Bjorklund. "But we were already planning on going up and supporting the search as a training flight either way."
The Alaska National Guard has a longstanding partnership with the Alaska State Troopers and the broader rescue community, ensuring a coordinated response to emergencies. Prior to receiving the official request for support, the crew was already in contact with the rescue teams on scene.
After an extensive search lasting over 5.5 hours, the crew coordinated with the SAR incident commander to assist with consolidating search crews and dogs on the ground, saving them hours of hiking.
"We had already consolidated one team from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group and were headed to pick up another group by Upper Reed Lake, and I just kind of decided to turn really wide this one last circle," said Bjorklund. "At that point, I was only looking for orange jackets, I was looking for AMRG guys. I wanted to make sure we didn't miss any of them."
It was at that point that the crew, which included Capt. Ryan Montgomery, Sgt. Hunter Lorenz, Staff Sgt. Steven Gildersleeve, Staff Sgt. Derek Shadle, and Sgt. Matthew Tucker, spotted the hiker almost directly beneath the aircraft in the vicinity of Bomber Pass. Shadle and Lorenz noticed the hiker dressed in all black, making him difficult to spot against the rocky terrain.
The helicopter landed approximately 100 yards up hill from the hiker, and medics Tucker and Gildersleeve exited the aircraft to render aid. Bjorklund said three members of the AMRG, who were waiting to be picked up, helped carry the hiker up the hill to the helicopter which transported him to the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.
"We could not have done this without our medics, and they really shined," said Bjorklund. "The level of care they were able to deliver was outstanding."
Bjorklund credits a series of fortunate events to the successful outcome of the mission. The crew, already equipped with extra personnel for training, had five hours of fuel on board-more than usual-allowing them to extend their search time.
"There's years of training that goes into missions like these and the amount of capability that we had, but credit for spotting the hiker has to go to God," said Bjorklund. "I mean there's no other reason that they would have looked down at that one moment. I'm just so happy that we found him because we were almost just about to wrap up."