Tragedy strikes Sawtooth as two bodies found by the police

Idaho Army Guard Helps Rescue Injured Hikers in 2 Missions

The same training that Idaho Army National Guard Citizen-Soldiers complete to be ready to fight and … READ MORE

 

BOISE, Idaho – For the second time in five days, the Idaho Army National Guard’s State Aviation Group helped Custer County Search and Rescue officials rescue and transport an injured hiker from Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountain Range.

 

On July 10, a UH-60L Black Hawk flight crew from Detachment 1, Company G, 1st of the 168th Aviation Regiment, transported an injured hiker near Lowman to Smiley Creek, where the patient was transferred to an Air St. Luke’s helicopter for further treatment.

 

On July 6, a different flight crew from the same unit assisted Custer County Search and Rescue with the rescue of an injured hiker near Thompson Peak, the mountain range’s highest point.

 

“Small rural counties have limited resources, so the response of Idaho Army National Guard helicopters for rescue operations in our rural, remote areas is crucial to lifesaving and recovery efforts,” said Custer County Sheriff Levi Maydole.

 

On July 10, the flight crew flew to the mountain range, located the hiker and transported him to an exchange site with a waiting civilian helicopter in approximately 20 minutes. The hiker had been reported as being immobile, in and out of consciousness and urinating blood. Using the UH-60L’s hoist, a medic, Sgt. Jake Brown, was lowered to the patient and the two were hoisted back into the aircraft.

 

The flight crew comprised pilots Chief Warrant Officer 3 Kyle Pearl and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Wes Kania; crew chief Sgt Brad Stock; and flight medics Sgt. 1st Class Jared Gilstad and Brown. Gilstad also participated in the July 6 rescue.

 

“We train a lot as a unit for these missions,” said Brown, a part-time Guardsman and flight nurse for Life Flight Network. “It’s really rewarding to actually go out and do it for real.”

 

The Idaho Army National Guard’s UH-60L Black Hawks and LUH-72 Lakotas are among the only hoist assets in the state. The hoists, combined with the aircraft’s capabilities and the experience of the State Aviation Group’s pilots and medics make the Idaho Army National Guard a partner in emergencies.

 

“The benefit for Idaho is that there are multiple assets that officials can pick from depending on the conditions presented,” said Col. Granger Amthor, Idaho Army National Guard State Aviation Group commander. “Local emergency medical services’ helicopters conduct 90 percent of rescue missions. The Idaho Army National Guard is there when the complexity is so great that we can use military assets to affect a positive outcome.”