AUGUST 15, 2025 — Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to G Co. 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion conducted two separate rescues of hunters with leg injuries on Aug. 10, at the start of the Alaska sheep hunting season.
Both rescues launched from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson using an HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter equipped with external fuel tanks to provide additional fuel capacity for extended flights.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Bradley Jorgensen and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clara Trefts piloted the missions alongside Sgt. 1st Class Brad Mckenzie, crew chief; Staff Sgt. Matthew Tucker, flight paramedic, and Capt. Andrew Ashton, an air medical physician assistant assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard Medical Detachment.
“We opened up our morning with a prayer for the crew’s safety and we were thankful to the good Lord for ideal weather conditions to fly through on both missions,” Jorgensen said.
The first mission was initiated on the morning of Aug. 10 in response to a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers and was routed through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, then passed to the Alaska Army National Guard. The crew flew to the vicinity of Peter’s Creek Valley, located the injured hunter and used a stretcher to get him aboard the aircraft.
The crew flew the hunter to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, where he was released to emergency medical personnel on the ground.
Later that day, in response to a request from the National Park Service, the crew was directed by the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center to conduct another rescue near the Wrangell Mountains, about nine miles from the Canadian border. This mission spanned more than five hours.
The crew refueled the helicopter en route in Gulkana, Alaska, after locating the hunter and using a stretcher to load him onto the aircraft. They transported him to Mat-su Regional Hospital, where he was received by medical personnel on the ground.
Jorgensen attributed the seamless execution of both missions to the proficient coordination with the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, as well as the hunters’ use of inReach satellite communication devices, which made locating them easier.
“It makes our jobs a lot easier when people travel with these devices,” Jorgensen said. “It can mean the difference between hours and days when it comes to finding and rescuing someone in the backcountry.”
Jorgensen praised his team’s efforts in executing both rescues during a long rescue day across the state.
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount
Alaska National Guard