1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,520 the mission itself is very rewarding 3 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:12,187 and it's once in a lifetime , 4 00:00:12,187 --> 00:00:14,353 especially for four support officers . 5 00:00:14,353 --> 00:00:17,570 So to be able to conduct that mission 6 00:00:17,570 --> 00:00:19,920 or operate on the glacier and bring 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,320 back closure for families was really 8 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:27,660 rewarding . 9 00:00:27,740 --> 00:00:31,680 The Army guard was flying a 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,860 training mission in their U . H 60 11 00:00:33,860 --> 00:00:36,000 black hawks up over colleague Glacier 12 00:00:36,010 --> 00:00:38,710 on the 10th of june . Both pilots 13 00:00:38,710 --> 00:00:40,710 looked out and they found what they 14 00:00:40,710 --> 00:00:42,488 thought appeared to be aircraft 15 00:00:42,488 --> 00:00:45,800 wreckage down on the glacier . They 16 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,022 found some evidence that was able to be 17 00:00:48,022 --> 00:00:50,189 traced back to individuals who were on 18 00:00:50,189 --> 00:00:52,244 the manifest for the C 1 24 . Yeah , 19 00:00:55,340 --> 00:00:57,673 there were 52 people on board the plane , 20 00:00:57,673 --> 00:01:00,540 11 crewmen and 41 passengers . The 21 00:01:00,540 --> 00:01:02,596 flight came out of mcchord Air Force 22 00:01:02,596 --> 00:01:05,870 Base and it was heading to Elmendorf . 23 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,260 It was flying in bad weather . It was I . 24 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:11,427 F . R instrument flight rules . It was 25 00:01:11,427 --> 00:01:13,427 essentially like flying inside of a 26 00:01:13,427 --> 00:01:15,680 light bulb . You have no perspective , 27 00:01:15,690 --> 00:01:18,620 you have no view of anything around the 28 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:20,620 plane above the plane and below the 29 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:22,787 plane , they literally just flew right 30 00:01:22,787 --> 00:01:24,787 into the side of the mountain . The 31 00:01:24,787 --> 00:01:26,620 plane hit it , disintegrated the 32 00:01:26,620 --> 00:01:28,731 wreckage , all fell down the mountain 33 00:01:28,731 --> 00:01:30,880 onto the glacier . It looks as though 34 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,102 there was an avalanche of both snow and 35 00:01:33,102 --> 00:01:35,047 rock that came down and buried the 36 00:01:35,047 --> 00:01:37,360 debris , 37 00:01:40,540 --> 00:01:44,190 I would say the most rewarding 38 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,710 feeling came from personal effects that 39 00:01:46,710 --> 00:01:48,700 could be traced back to families 40 00:01:48,710 --> 00:01:50,877 because that's something physical . We 41 00:01:50,877 --> 00:01:53,960 can provide the families for Maybe more 42 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,310 closure than um even identifying their 43 00:01:57,310 --> 00:02:00,850 loved one . so those types of items for 44 00:02:00,850 --> 00:02:03,850 instance , we found a class ring , we 45 00:02:03,850 --> 00:02:06,630 found a pill . It's that had initials 46 00:02:06,630 --> 00:02:09,160 on them and then we found a giant 47 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,000 duffel bag with uniforms that had name 48 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,360 tapes on them . So we were able to link 49 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,420 those back to members , family members 50 00:02:17,430 --> 00:02:20,060 and we can provide that physically to 51 00:02:20,060 --> 00:02:21,060 the family . 52 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,660 He actually coordinate with Alaskan 53 00:02:27,660 --> 00:02:31,660 Command in Alaska and also other units 54 00:02:31,670 --> 00:02:35,010 across Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson 55 00:02:35,020 --> 00:02:37,850 to conduct this mission . So between 56 00:02:37,940 --> 00:02:40,880 all calm and jay bear and then as well 57 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,430 as the Army National Guard who's the 58 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:45,496 helicopter squadron that takes us to 59 00:02:45,496 --> 00:02:48,160 the glacier each day we coordinate all 60 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,049 those efforts as well as with the 61 00:02:50,049 --> 00:02:51,993 weather squadron because we have a 62 00:02:51,993 --> 00:02:54,049 weather team that is across from the 63 00:02:54,049 --> 00:02:56,560 glacier where we operate and we 64 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,671 coordinate with them on the days will 65 00:02:58,671 --> 00:03:02,470 be out there . Um the duty day like 66 00:03:02,470 --> 00:03:05,160 how we will conduct the mission and 67 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,220 then our recovery team is a mixture of 68 00:03:08,230 --> 00:03:12,200 Air Force and army . So the US army 69 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,200 Alaska provides army members to go out 70 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,650 there and do the recovery mission with 71 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:18,970 us . 72 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,351 We get to bring these service members 73 00:03:25,351 --> 00:03:27,950 home , the family members will have 74 00:03:27,950 --> 00:03:31,400 closure . And I think I can say that 75 00:03:31,410 --> 00:03:34,270 for all of these uh members on this 76 00:03:34,270 --> 00:03:36,990 team that agree that what they're doing , 77 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,270 bringing our fallen fallen home is 78 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,870 paramount . It's a mission that I'm , 79 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,102 I'm just really honored to be a part of 80 00:03:44,102 --> 00:03:45,991 ever since I heard of it . It was 81 00:03:45,991 --> 00:03:48,047 something that um you know I thought 82 00:03:48,047 --> 00:03:50,530 would be really amazing to to be a part 83 00:03:50,530 --> 00:03:52,752 of . So I'm just really grateful that I 84 00:03:52,752 --> 00:03:54,752 had the opportunity in february . I 85 00:03:54,752 --> 00:03:56,980 went to basic military mountaineering 86 00:03:56,980 --> 00:03:58,813 course which is through the army 87 00:03:58,813 --> 00:04:01,040 mountain warfare school um and it's up 88 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,151 in Vermont in the hills and mountains 89 00:04:03,151 --> 00:04:05,262 of Vermont and that's the course that 90 00:04:05,262 --> 00:04:07,373 we go to before we're qualified to go 91 00:04:07,373 --> 00:04:09,810 out on the glacier . Um and that was 92 00:04:09,810 --> 00:04:11,866 definitely one of the hardest things 93 00:04:11,866 --> 00:04:14,930 I've done mentally and physically . Um 94 00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:17,950 you know we rocked through the snow 95 00:04:17,950 --> 00:04:20,760 with £50 rucksacks . Um we learned a 96 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,150 lot of not systems um and just how to 97 00:04:23,150 --> 00:04:25,800 operate safely in a mountainous 98 00:04:25,810 --> 00:04:28,860 environment . So making it through that 99 00:04:28,870 --> 00:04:31,390 I think definitely helped me feel ready 100 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,320 for the mission . Honestly , I don't 101 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:36,670 have a lot of expectations just because 102 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,013 you know , it's my first time going out . 103 00:04:39,013 --> 00:04:41,236 I'm new . So I'm going in with just the 104 00:04:41,236 --> 00:04:43,347 mindset of trying to learn as much as 105 00:04:43,347 --> 00:04:46,210 possible . Um You know , trying to do 106 00:04:46,210 --> 00:04:48,321 the best I can to support the mission 107 00:04:48,321 --> 00:04:51,710 and hopefully um return , return the 108 00:04:51,710 --> 00:04:54,290 fallen to their families . The Air 109 00:04:54,290 --> 00:04:57,620 Force and mayo have not determined a 110 00:04:57,620 --> 00:04:59,890 stopping point for this mission and in 111 00:04:59,890 --> 00:05:03,200 my opinion , so long as the glacier 112 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,000 continues to provide us with items and 113 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,667 there are still members to be 114 00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:10,740 identified , then we'll continue um to 115 00:05:10,750 --> 00:05:13,040 conduct search and recovery operations 116 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,670 for the foreseeable future , I'm sure 117 00:05:15,670 --> 00:05:18,070 it's incredibly hard to continue to 118 00:05:18,070 --> 00:05:20,310 wait . However , just know that the Air 119 00:05:20,310 --> 00:05:22,950 Force , along with multiple agencies , 120 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,800 are dedicated to the search and 121 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,500 recovery at Colony Glacier , and each 122 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:31,890 year the glacier provides us with human 123 00:05:31,890 --> 00:05:34,112 remains , as well as personal effects . 124 00:05:34,112 --> 00:05:36,001 So each year we could be one step 125 00:05:36,001 --> 00:05:38,190 closer to finding your loved one or 126 00:05:38,190 --> 00:05:40,357 something that we could provide to you 127 00:05:40,540 --> 00:05:42,560 That used to belong to your loved one .