U.S. and Canadian Forces Partner for SAR Exercise
The call came in two days ago: an aircraft with 40 passengers aboard had gone down in a remote area somewhere along the Alaskan-Canadian border. The Federal Aviation Administration, which had been monitoring the flight, received the distress call before losing contact with the aircraft. Just as if it had been a real-life situation, the FAA contacted the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center at Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson. The notional scenario set the stage for more than 100 U.S.
Crew Rescued from Sinking Ship
Rescuers from the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard saved 23 crew members from an Asian cargo ship taking on water south of the Aleutian Islands, officials said. "People are out of harm's way, they are rescued and they are safe,'' said Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Mike Haller late Monday. All 23 crew members were hoisted into two National Guard Pave Hawk helicopters and a Coast Guard helicopter and taken to Adak Island in the Aleutians. The rescue was conducted in very challenging weather, said Master Sgt. Sal Provenzano with the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. A nearby merchant marine vessel was standing by to take any crew member who couldn't fit on the three helicopters…
