Reserve Airmen assist, rescue helicopter crash victims

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jake Eckhardt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  When a tourist helicopter suddenly fell from the sky into Pearl Harbor and submerged the occupants aboard as it flipped over in the water, two of Scott Air Force Base's highly trained medical aircrew members rendered immediate assistance.

Capt. Bradley Stone and Senior Airman Samantha Strom, both Reservists assigned to the 932nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, were touring Pearl Harbor, Hawaii while on downtime during a deployment Feb. 18, when they heard a crash in the nearby harbor waters.

"We saw everyone running, but we really weren't sure what had happened," said Strom. "A lady nearby said it looked like a helicopter had just fell out of the sky."

Both Stone and Strom ran toward the area where the noise had come from and found the helicopter submerged under 15 to 20 feet of water.

"There were four people above the water," Strom said. "Everyone was asking how many people were on board. That's when we discovered that there was still one person missing."

That person was a 16-year-old who was still trapped and had to be cut free, according to reports.

Stone said the teen was positioned halfway out of the helicopter and tangled in a rope. After what he described was about 10 minutes, Stone and others aiding in the rescue were finally able to cut the teenager free.

Once on the shore, Stone administered CPR for approximately 10 minutes before the victim coughed up the water in his lungs. While Stone assisted with the teenager, Strom tended to four others who had suffered injuries during the crash.

Strom recalled, "I was holding one of the victims because he said he had a back injury ... I was asking him if he could feel his feet or wiggle his toes."

She also assisted local emergency responders in placing the injured victims on backboards to be taken to a nearby hospital.

"I had no medical experience before joining the Air Force," Strom said. "They definitely train you to act quickly, know what to look for, and at least try to help. I don't remember thinking at all really; I just reacted."

In an interview with local media, Stone's wife, Erica, said her husband was shaken by the experience and that he's a person who always looks out for others and wants to help.

Stone is a nurse at a local VA hospital, and has two young children who see him as an example of service, according to his wife.

"You can make a difference," she said. "No matter where you are, people are put into positions, and I truly believe Brad was put there because this was happening."

"We are proud of our Citizen Airmen," said Lt. Col. Kathleen Kent, 932nd AES commander. "The training they receive from the Air Force, in addition to the skills they obtain in the civilian sector, make them a valuable resource in a variety of situations."

Sadly, the teenager succumbed to his injuries and died four days later.

According to news reports, the victim's family decided to donate his organs. As of Feb. 22, two other family members remained hospitalized but in stable condition.