The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Flight engineer Sgt. Mike Sampagnaro prepares to board a Pavehawk helicopter.

Winging It

Rescue team of 'weekend warriors' risk their lives for the mission

By Natasha Collins

The men--dressed in olive-green one-piece flight suits--assembled in the tiny room to await their orders. They all knew why they were there--to risk their lives "So Others May Live."

At the sound of the code word "Crown! Crown! Crown!" blaring from the intercom, the halls of the 129th Rescue Wing suddenly echoed with the clamor of heavy boots. Crew members one after another made their way out the door and to their waiting aircraft on the tarmac at Onizuka Airbase.

The 129th had a mission--to save a man trapped on the sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Two Pavehawk helicopters and one HC-130 airplane flew to the scene, where an injured rock-climber hung more than 2,000 feet above the valley floor.

"When people can't find what they are looking for, they call us," said Col. Steven Speer, commander of the 129th Rescue Wing. "Whenever somebody needs help, we are the ones they call."

The 129th, made up of Air National Guardsmen from throughout the county, has saved more than 261 people since it was established in the 1970s.

"Two hundred sixty-one satisfied customers are alive because of us," Speer said.

Often referred to as "weekend warriors" because the team is made up mostly of part-time reservists and not those serving the Air Force full time, the wing makes it its job to keep the West Coast safe--from Panama to the Oregon border.

"[The Air National Guard's] role is increasing across the country," said Maj. Gen. Robert Barrows, commander of the California Air National Guard. "The task on our shoulders is awesome. We are the ones to handle any state of emergency, toxic spill, earthquake, riot--you name it."

The 129th has assisted in the rescue of homeowners stranded in the Central Valley floods, provided air and ground support to fight the Malibu fires, found and rescued injured hikers in the Sierra Nevada, parachuted medics on to large ships at sea and pulled people out of the ocean after their ship had capsized.

"We train to be able to handle all these situations in wartime," Speer said. "During peacetime, we use this training to help civilians and the state of California."

The rescue wing is the only unit in the area that has the capability to perform rescues more than 150 miles out to sea.

"The Coast Guard and other rescue units do not have the capability to refuel in the air to go that far out to sea," said Maj. Art Haubold, public affairs officer for the 129th. "Therefore, we are the ones that are called to provide any type of assistance more than 150 miles out."

Last year the unit was called upon to save a man injured on a sailboat 500 miles off the coast of Los Angeles.

HC-130s play a key role in long-distance rescues because the aircraft carry the fuel for all the helicopters involved in the mission. A little smaller than a commercial airliner, the HC-130 carries enough fuel to last 16 hours in the air.

To refuel the helicopters, the pilot must slow the plane until the engines are about to stall, said Maj. Mark Sheehy, an HC-130 pilot. The "fuel pump," more than 150 feet of flexible tubing with a basket on the end, is then released from the plane's wing. A crew member maneuvers a probe into the basket, which attaches to the helicopter's fuel tank, and gases up the aircraft in midair.

Water rescues require collaboration between the crew of the HC-130s, the helicopters and the PJs, or pararescue men. The plane and helicopters will circle an area to find the victim. Once that person is found, a flare is released to notify the rest of the search party. The HC-130 then returns to the area and releases life rafts with supplies.

A 900-pound Zodiac inflatable boat is pushed out the back of the HC-130 plane. PJs follow the boat--outfitted with flippers, scuba gear and medical supplies--into the water. After the boat is inflated, the crew climbs aboard and sets off to save the victim.

"It is necessary for us to have the boat because many times we are sent out to help people on large ships," Sheehy said. "It takes the large ships more than 20 miles to turn around sometimes and come back to pick up the rescue team. It is just easier for us to have the Zodiac because it is easier and quicker to maneuver. We can then go to the ship instead of the ship trying to come to us."

Every time the 129th is sent on a mission, it remembers the risks involved.

"There is no such thing as a routine mission," Maj. Haubold said. "All missions can end in tragedy. We don't forget the HC-130 that was lost on a routine mission in Oregon or the 10 crew members who were on board."

There are times when the 129th is unable to complete a mission.

"We must weigh the risks to the crew every time we go out," Col. Speer said. "There are times when the risks simply outweigh the chance of a rescue."

The team was unsuccessful in its attempts to rescue the man hanging from the sheer face in Yosemite.

"We called off the rescue when it became apparent that the man did not have any life-threatening injuries," Haubold said. "We were simply unable to get close enough to him with our helicopters. In order to rescue him, a team more experienced in rock-climbing at El Capitan was necessary. We weighed the risks and felt the Forest Service, which is much more experienced in that area, should perform the rescue."

The 129th works closely with the city of Sunnyvale and stands ready to assist the community if a natural disaster strikes.

"Our engineers and staff restored Serra Park for the community," Speer said. "In an emergency we will provide shelter, food, clothing and emergency assistance to the community. We will be the ones that the community turns to for help."

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 23, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.