by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman

129th Rescue Wing Public Affairs

Feb. 1, 2024

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – A fisherman who experienced multiple seizures and lost consciousness at sea is safely on land this afternoon after being airlifted by the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center activated the wing Wednesday afternoon for a medical emergency aboard the San Diego-based Independence long range sportfishing vessel 300 nautical miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas. The 112 ft. Independence left San Diego Saturday for a 16-day fishing trip, according to owner Paul Strasser.

The wing, working in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard District 11, launched one of its U.S. Air Force HC-130J Combat King II aircraft from Moffett Air National Guard Base in Mountain View 1,200 nautical miles to the ship Wednesday night where it delivered 300 lbs of medical supplies including tanks of oxygen, IV equipment and gauze for a doctor aboard the vessel. The doctor stabilized the fisherman and the vessel headed to Socorro Island 370 miles off the western coast of Mexico.

A second HC-130J took off from Moffett before sunrise Thursday and flew to the island with a team of highly trained pararescuemen.

At 9 a.m. Thursday morning, the fisherman was loaded onto aircraft and the pararescuemen provided medical care as he was flown 285 miles north to Los Cabos International Airport in Cabo San Lucas. Shortly before noon, the aircraft arrived at the airport and the fisherman was transported by an ambulance from the Mexican Navy to a local hospital for medical care and treatment.

“I’m really proud to be part of the Moffett team,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tavis McDevitt, the mission’s search and rescue duty officer. “It’s amazing to watch ordinary citizens with jobs and school and families and commitments dedicate a weekend every month to military training and drop what they are doing when people need help.”

When the mission came in, he said the wing’s Airmen stepped up quickly.

“Within an hour of being notified we had part-time Guardsmen giving medical advice, ensuring mission participants were on proper orders and would get paid, servicing aircraft, and preparing for a complex mission,” he said. “I’m grateful to all of the people in our lives who support us and give up time we might otherwise spend with them.”

The mission marks the wing’s 1,160th save, as credited by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, the 129th Rescue Wing’s federal military mission is to train and prepare to perform combat search and rescue anywhere in the world. The wing uses those skills at home to provide a wide variety of disaster relief and civil support including aiding distressed persons aboard ships, searching for lost or injured hikers, conducting medical evacuations during natural disasters, wildland firefighting, medical support during the pandemic and more.

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