From storm to snow – awards richly deserved

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ken Salgat
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. --  Thirteen 308th Rescue Squadron members of the 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick AFB, Fla. were recognized in an awards ceremony Aug. 8 for their varied and valiant actions over the past few years in areas of the world ranging from Texas to Iraq to Afghanistan.

During the 308 RQS Commander' s Call, the following medals were awarded: Outstanding Achievement, Meritorious Achievement, Air Force Commendation and the Air Medal; a ceremony "long overdue," said Lt. Col. Kurt Matthews, Commander, 308 RQS.

"We're making a conscious effort to recognize the outstanding efforts of our squadron on a timelier basis," said Colonel Matthews. "We're proud of these men and women, and their actions need to be recognized."

These actions included wading through waist-deep snow in negative 20-degrees Fahrenheit in an avalanche in Afghanistan, restoring order, saving lives and evacuating flood victims in the wake of Hurricane Ike, support of the NASA Space Shuttle contingency response plan, the medical evacuation of Coalition forces in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and the conversion and activation of the Guardian Angel Weapon System at the 308th Rescue Squadron.

Deployed Airmen of the 308th RQS employed their rescue skills to treat and evacuate 1,500 survivors of 36 avalanches in the Salang Pass, Afghanistan, Feb. 8-9, 2010. Despite the possibility of enemy threats and more avalanches, the team assembled extraction equipment and hypothermia kits to assist people who had been exposed to sub-zero temperatures, trapped in vehicles and in some cases buried in the snow for more than 12 hours.

"Our guys just wanted to get up there," said Tech. Sgt. Brian Wahlstedt, who was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for his leadership in enabling Guardian Angel Weapon Systems personnel to assume 24-hour alert duty and medical evacuation coverage in minimal time. "They were getting up there one way or another," he said.

The team began to organize a reverse triage process. Typically, in an evacuation situation, people with the most severe injuries are taken away first. The reverse process allowed the most healthy to clear the area and the team to focus on more serious injuries and freeing trapped individuals.

Once the initial rush of about 80 avalanche survivors was loaded onto helicopters, the team returned to the area to render more assistance. In all, there were 36 avalanches in the area that day. With equipment and daylight exhausted, the team prepared to return to the airfield after completing 12 flights in a seven-hour period and assisting more than 300 people.

In another successful mission, members were recognized for their rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ike Sept. 13, 2008. Ike churned across the Galveston, Texas, coastline as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph and gusts ranging to 140. Before it was through, it would take 116 lives and become the third-costliest storm in U.S. history. In the four days following the storm, members of the 331st Air Expeditionary Group made 27 rescues with rescue missions launched around the clock from its base of operations at Randolph AFB near San Antonio.

In the end, the award ceremony at Patrick accomplished its mission: Reward individuals who serve "That Others May Live."

Air Medal
Maj. Chad Senior
Capt. Gabriel Hensley
Master Sgt. Michael Maroney
Master Sgt. Jeffrey McManus
Tech. Sgt. Blain Morgan

AF Commendation Medal
Capt. Gabriel Hensley
Master Sgt. Jeffrey McManus
Staff Sgt. Daniel Warren
Maj. Chad Senior
Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Kestranek
Tech. Sgt. Daniel Sosa
Tech. Sgt. Brian Wahlstedt
Chief Master Sgt. Douglas Kestranek (IKE)
Master Sgt. Christopher Seinkner (IKE)
Master Sgt. Robert Smith (IKE)
Tech. Sgt. Blain Morgan (IKE)
Senior Airman Demetrious Burnett
Master Sgt. Valerie Grijalva