Air Force Reserve helps search for, rescue 31 migrants

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  • By Capt. Cathleen Snow
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico --  Florida Air Force Reserve crews from the 920th Rescue Wing lent assistance to the Coast Guard in successfully saving 31 Dominican migrants. 

The AFR crew launched an HC-130P/N extended range Hercules aircraft from Patrick Air Force Base Saturday, Sept. 1 at approximately noon in an effort to aid the Coast Guard in a four-day search for 31 missing migrants. 

The crew headed south to expand the Coast Guard's search efforts of more than 2,400 square miles between the islands of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. 

After a three-and-a-half hour flight to their location and one-and-a-half hours of searching on the scene, the crew learned that the search and rescue attempt was successful. 

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless rescued 31 Dominican migrants from a 35-foot, fiberglass yola at about 4:17 p.m. 

Per the Coast Guard, the 920th RQW crews continued searching the area to ensure that no one had gone overboard and remained on the scene until the Coast Guard cutter had arrived. 

Coast Guard Sector San Juan search and rescue coordinators received a report at about 2:45 p.m. Saturday from the motor tanker Cap Diamant stating they had located a 35-foot yola with 31 people on board. An HU-25 Falcon jet that had just begun a flight was on-scene within nine minutes and then vectored in the Dauntless. The Dauntless crew was able to verify this was the same vessel from which the initial cell-phone distress call was made Wednesday. 

Once the Coast Guard verified all were on the boat, they released the 920th aircrew. The aircrew then proceeded to San Juan Puerto Rico for crew rest before returning back to Patrick AFB, Fla. Sept. 2.
 
According to the Coast Guard the rescued migrants were reported to be in good health overall with some exhaustion and dehydration. While aboard Dauntless the medical needs of the migrants were attended to and they were provided food and water. 

In addition to the 920th RQW crew, the U.S. Air Force and Forces United for Rapid Action (FURA) joined search crews from Coast Guard Air Stations Borinquen, Puerto Rico, Clearwater, Fla. and Miami, as well as the Coast Guard Cutter Sapelo, which is home ported in San Juan. 

"This case highlights the diversity and importance the Air Force Reserve provides to the rescue community. Our search and rescue capacity spans from open water rescues, utilizing a Pave Hawk helicopter or HC-130 aircraft from our fleet.  And, if needed, we can utilize the HC-130 refueling capabilities of aircraft to helicopter air-to-air refueling.  Additionally, our pararescueman can turn around and scale a mountain, such as the recovery efforts we'll be conducting next weekend a top Mount Hood, Oregon," said 920th RQW Commander, Col. Steve Kirkpatrick. 

"When given diverse challenges, the 920th RQW continues to meet them head on," he said. 

According to the Coast Guard migrants who are found to not have criminal or derogatory immigration information after biometrics processing will be repatriated to the Dominican Republic.