Alaska National Guard reports 79 saves, 10 assists
Published Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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Stumble It!FAIRBANKS - The Alaska National Guard reported saving 40 percent more lives in the Interior in 2008 than the previous year.
Guardsmen from the 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons are often called to perform aerial search and rescues for lost or injured people in remote areas of Alaska. The Guard was awarded 79 saves and 10 assists in Alaska last year, up from 44 saves and 16 assists in 2007.
A “save” is awarded each time guardsmen rescue a person who likely would not have survived otherwise, according to the Alaska National Guard.
“The Alaska National Guard is ready everyday to respond when Alaskans need us the most,” said spokesman, Maj. Guy Hayes.
Representatives for the Air National Guard said during the summer that they have started handling calls that previously would have gone to the Army’s now-deployed Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic unit. MAST provided more than 1,000 rescues to Interior residents during the course of three decades, but the Army was forced to discontinue the service on July 1, when the unit was deployed to Afghanistan for a 12-month tour.
However, Hayes would not attribute the higher number of calls to the loss of the MAST program.
“It’s a bit of a stretch,” he said. “I wouldn’t be comfortable saying that.”
Instead, he said the 2008 numbers mostly were the result of an unusually high number of hikers, hunters and fishermen requesting help in September, when winter weather hit the Interior. The Guard was awarded 20 saves in September of 2008, nearly three times the number that guardsmen were awarded in September 2007.
“We were literally busy almost every day with something going on,” Hayes said.
The Alaska Guard was not just awarded in-state saves for 2008, however. Guardsmen were credited for saving 72 lives while deployed to Afghanistan as well. When multiple hurricanes hit the Gulf coast in September, the Alaska Guard was deployed to Louisiana and Texas in September, and was awarded another 16 saves for rescues there.
Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at 459-7545.
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"but the Army was forced to discontinue the service on July 1, when the unit was deployed to Afghanistan for a 12-month tour"
havent the NM realised that the unit was deployed to iraq and not Afghanistan.
GO GUARD ! Thank you for ALL that you continue to do !
MAST Service was discontinued as of July 1 because the Army decided that it was simply not an economic and strategic priority to provide that public service any more. The fact that they happened to be scheduled to be deployed made a convenient excuse. When they return there is not, nor will there be, any plans to reinstitute this critical service.
Remember the Aussie with the free room and airlift from bettles,did that get counted and prepare for the trekker heading north,its going to be cold.
First I want to say that these guys are awesome. They are an elite class of individuals. And their service is appreciated.
I would also like to throw out a little known fact about other area men and woman.
This year the men and woman of the Alaska State Troopers "D" Detachment, which covers 170,575 square miles (the size of California), and houses 104,000 citizens (1/5th of AK), conducted 75 search and rescue missions of their own in "D" Detachment alone. Often coordinating with the National Guard for assistance.
While most would rather show support for the military, and deservedly so, State Troopers ARE providing safety to Alaska citizens as well.
In addition they responded to 25,000 calls for service of all kinds to include arresting 400 individuals for assaults against their own families and 460 drunk drivers traveling the same roadway as you and I.
Thank you National Guard and Thank You State Troopers, Fairbanks Police Department and area Firefighters.
God Bless you all!!
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