Just In Case
It was calm on Sunday, and JB and I paddled north from Bradford beach to practice strokes and look in (over/down onto) a wrecked ship. Then I heard the Thump, thump, thump, a sound I don't especially like. It was the sound of a helicopter, the same sound that was once emblematic of the war in Viet Nam. I looked up. It was one of ours. Actually, it was the Chicago-based USCG unit doing some sort of practice as it hugged the shore line.
I remembered (flash backed?) on my days as a flight surgeon and the times the crews used me to practice rescues. I would go to the infield between runways (in Thailand...but I digress), and they would come in, hover and lower a harness to me. It wasn't much more than a loop, but it held well as they hauled me up into the chopper. When I flew missions, I took some comfort in knowing they'd come for me should the necessity arrive.
The same, I believe, is true for the "coasties" here. Good to know they are there...just in case.
Paddle safe...
DS
4 comments:
GalwayGuy was hauled off Oak Island last year due to severe dehydration. The Coasties got there roughly 15 minutes after my radio call and wouldn't even accept the case of beer I dropped by when the rest of us got off the water. Good folks to have around.
I have a girlfriend in the Coasties - she walks with a sag to one side with the medals she hates to show for the times she's jumped out of choppers to save many a poor bugger. Am a great fan of the Coasties.
I've lots of respect for those folks, they put themselves in danger to help us when the chips are down .... you HAVE to respect that. I know some of the people here in town that do the air ambulance ... one of them is a paddler. Its a dangerous side of aviation.
Well said, all around. Some folks don't realize that they are one of our armed forces and, in fact, did some dangerous jobs in Viet Nam. Now, of course, they are the forward warning system for a lot of homeland security.
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