Crews of two California Army National Guard helicopters were awarded the nation’s highest flying honors personally by president Donald Trump on Sept. 14, for rescuing more 200 people from the path of raging wildfires in California.
Each of the seven crew members was presented a Distinguished Flying Cross, which is awarded for "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight".
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| President Trump delivers an address at the award ceremony Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, at the Cal Fire Hangar in McClelland Park, California. (Photo Courtesy Shealah Craighead/White House) |
The soldiers honored include the crew of the UH-60M Black Hawk; Chief Warrant Officer Five Kipp Goding, Chief Warrant Officer Two Irvin Hernandez and Warrant Officer One Ge Xiong; and the crew of the CH-47 Chinook, Chief Warrant Officer Five Joseph Rosamond, Chief Warrant Officer Two Brady Hlebain, Sgt. George Esquivel and Sgt. Cameron Powell.
These seven soldiers flew a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of Mammoth Pool campers trapped by the Creek Fire on the afternoon of Sept. 5. The crews flew the mission even after being told by local and state officials that it was to dangerous to continue and that they should return to their base.
“They decided to continue anyway, knowing they might not return. They knew people were in danger.” Trump said during the medal ceremony Sept. 14, standing in front of the helicopters used in the rescue at Sacramento McClellan Airport in California.
The pilots later described this mission as the most dangerous flying of their lives.
The smoke got so thick they used their night vision goggles make out the embers and outlines of each ridge line so they could keep flying. Each helicopter made three flights into the valley to mammoth Pool, where flames had encircled hundreds citizens, some badly burned, assembled by the lake dock for rescue.
The two helicopters flown were also not configured for a rescue this large. The CH-47 Chinook has a normal load of about 40 troops, and the UH-60M Black Hawk is configured to carry only about a dozen troops. Each crew made the decision to push the limits to get as many stranded campers out of the fire as they could.
In total, the crews rescued 242 people from the campgrounds, Trump said.
Without the structural integrity of these helicopters and the quick action of these crews this rescue wouldn't have been possible. Equipped with the right safety gear, they were able to load more people than their configured aircraft load limits.
The crews were still fighting fires out of Fresno, Cali., on Spet. 11 when they were told to fly back to base and bring the aircraft used in the Creek Fire rescue to McClellan park. None of the seven knew the purpose of the orders, but when they saw the president tweet about his trip to Sacramento they started to put two-and-two together.
When the president's military aid met the group of soldiers for the award rehearsal, their suspicions were confirms when he explained the president would pin the DFC on their chests.
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