Montana National Guard Performs Another Mountain Rescue

The Montana Army National Guard completed yet another successful rescue attempt in the mountains of Montana. The latest was announced heading into the busy Labor Day weekend for outdoor adventurers.

The latest rescue was described as a Multi-Agency Rescue in the Beartooth Mountains, and it involved a high altitude Search and Rescue (SAR) mission to recover a missing 71-year-old hiker in the Stillwater Plateau region of the Beartooth Mountains. (*Note- photos above are from a previous rescue)

According to a press release from the Montana National Guard, "The operation showcased seamless coordination between state and federal agencies. The hiker was last seen on August 21 by a hiking partner and failed to return to camp. On August 24, an MTARNG Aviation crew from the Limited Army Aviation Support Facility (LAASF) in Billings launched to assist the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office and SAR Incident Command."

The hiker was eventually spotted on August 25th by a helicopter from the 40th Helicopter Squadron (HS) out of Malmstrom Air Force Base. Check this out- because the helicopter squadron couldn't complete a hoist extraction to get the hiker out, an Air Force flight surgeon remained with the hiker overnight.

The next day a hoist-capable crew from the Helena Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF), successfully recovered both the patient and the flight surgeon. 

“We got the call that we were needed on Tuesday morning and were able to respond within a few hours,” said Staff Sgt. Anthony Wright, a UH-60 crew chief who was on the flight. “We have a robust training program developed by our full-time staff to create scenarios like this, so when we react to what should be a high-stress scenario we are able to perform the mission as if it were routine, take care of the patient and safely return to base.”

Here's more from the Montana National Guard press release:

This marks the second major helicopter rescue by MTARNG in the Beartooth region in August alone. Just days earlier, on August 17, an HH60M Black Hawk from the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion rescued three hikers suffering from hypothermia and illness near Princess Lake in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness...The Montana Army National Guard continues to stand ready to support emergency operations across the state, with five helicopter rescues already conducted this year from its Billings facility.