Aircrew members of the West Virginia Army National Guard’s Company C, 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion (MEDEVAC), located in Williamstown, West Virginia, provided a successful aerial rescue mission via a U.S. Army HH-60 Black Hawk for a civilian trapped in his vehicle due to flood waters.
Ritchie County contacted the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (WVDHSEM) Watch Center with a request to rescue a stranded motorist who was trapped on a secondary road near Ellenboro due to flood waters.
Waters were not expected to recede within the next 24-48 hours, and local responders could not reach the stranded motorist without air support. Within an hour of the request, the West Virginia National Guard responded and successfully rescued the individual from the mud and flood waters along Bonds Creek and transported him safely to Ritchie County High School in Ellenboro, where he was evaluated by Emergency Medical personnel.
The aircrew for the mission consisted of CW2 Brandon Koon (command pilot); 1LT Aaron Wood (pilot); SSG Jesse Rickwartz (crew chief); and SGT Joshua Allen (medic).
The state mission of the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion (MEDEVAC) is to provide aeromedical evacuation and search and rescue capability to the Governor and the citizens of West Virginia in times of emergency.
By CPT Holli Nelson, West Virginia Army National Guard
