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The patient was located deep in the woods near the Canadian border, which fell under the 36th Rescue Squadron’s response area. When every minute mattered, the call went to Fairchild’s rescue Airmen, who are trained and ready to answer no matter the hour, weather or distance.
At 12:23 a.m., the squadron received the alert. Available crew members were notified, and within 30 minutes, a crew for RESCUE 99 had assembled. The crew was composed of Capt. Amber Korpela, aircraft commander; Lt. Col. William Wilkes, copilot; Staff Sgt. Andrew Boothe, special missions’ aviator; and Staff Sgt. Jaime Vergara, medic.
Each member of the crew carried a different responsibility, but all shared the same commitment to be ready when someone’s life depended on them. That preparedness is built through the daily training conducted within the squadron.
“So, whether that means you have to be prepared physically, mentally, spiritually, you will not be what causes the mission to fail,” said Boothe.
As the crew prepared, they faced more than the challenge of the late hour. A fog threatened their mission by limiting visibility along the route. With the crew recognizing these factors, they knew every decision they make, from the aircraft configuration to the route selection, could make or break the mission of transporting the patient to medical care.
Before proceeding to the patient, the 36th RQS identified Vergara as a medic, but he was not able to make it to base to take off with the rest of the crew. So, the decision was made to retrieve him after takeoff to complete their crew. With the use of their training and quick coordination amongst each other, the crew planned to pick him up while in the air with a 190-foot hoist extraction. Once the decision was made, they configured the aircraft with the required primary and backup equipment and launched.
After retrieving Vergara, the team for RESCUE 99 was fully assembled and ready to proceed toward the patient’s location.
“The four of us had flown little, if at all, together before,” Korpela said. “But by falling back on our squadron standards and what we train to do on a daily basis, we were able to come together as a crew very well.”
As they approached the search area, the crew faced another critical decision. They had two sets of coordinates for the potential location of the patient. With time working against them, the crew decided to advance with their first set of coordinates and planned to continue to the alternate location if they could not establish visual contact with the patient after multiple orbits.
Once they arrived at the first location, the crew began their search for the patient. They relied on communication between each other to search every square foot of the first area, and after a few minutes of searching, they saw a light signal that led them to the correct location.
With the patient located, the crew quickly discussed wind conditions, aircraft power requirements, hazards and the hoist-extraction plan. They identified Ione Municipal Airport as the patient transfer location where a Pend Oreille medical team would be awaiting their arrival and began preparing for the recovery.
Korpela said the crew’s teamwork, communication and ability to overcome small challenges allowed them to work seamlessly throughout the rescue.
The crew initiated the recovery by lowering Vergara nearly 190 feet through the darkness to the patient below. After assessing the patient’s condition, Vergara coordinated with the crew as they hoisted him into the aircraft. The crew then brought Vergara back into the aircraft and prepared to continue the mission. As they approached the transfer location, a fog bank had settled over the area, creating another challenge during the final stage of the mission. An airport beacon near the edge of the fog gave the crew a visual reference as they carefully navigated toward the runway.
The crew made a shallow approach beneath the fog bank toward the end of the runway. At 5:35 a.m., they transferred the patient to the medical team standing by and departed to base.
For Boothe, the successful transfer represented the commitment that drives every rescue mission, regardless of the conditions or challenges they face.
“We will always do our best and do everything in our ability to get you to safety in as timely a manner as possible and make sure we get you out of the situation,” Boothe said.
By the time the crew returned to Fairchild AFB, the crew had overcome fatigue, limited visibility, changing weather conditions and a complex hoist extraction to transport the patient to safety. The mission became the 36th Rescue Squadron’s 718th save and was a reminder that, when a call for help comes in, the squadron’s Airmen are prepared to answer.
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