"When the Call Comes In"

For those of us that have chosen Emergency Services as our specialty, the call for our services is our whole purpose in CAP. We may love to do the things that we get to do like fly or work on communications equipment or work on ground teams but those things are just the mediums by which we may get to achieve our ultimate goal of saving lives.

I looked at my logbook the other day and saw that I have flown 53 sorties on 26 different search and rescue missions and each time we took off, we had no idea what the outcome would be but we hoped that what we did would make a difference and hopefully save lives. Like most in ES, we have been called out at all hours of the day and night, left our families during holidays and important occasions and left our jobs to go out and search and usually the search was unsuccessful or just some false ELT signal. Most of us have not felt the joy of knowing that what you have done may have helped another but we still go out and do it. Most of us have felt the pain and disappointment of searching only to learn later that the focus of your search was found and had died. Some have burned out for one reason or another and have chosen not to fly search & rescue anymore and have moved on to easier or more consistent areas of CAP flying like Counterdrug or O-Rides or have become disillusioned over how CAP has changed over the years. But then, something happens to reaffirm why we do what we do.

On January 18, 2010, a Cessna 172 was reported missing in the Joshua Tree National Forest area with two occupants on board. The weather was bad and the aircraft was overdue and CAP was asked to begin assembling resources. Air and ground resources began to mobilize and soon CAP was searching for the missing aircraft. Ultimately, the aircraft was found by CAP personnel and two lives were saved. The occupants were badly injured and suffering from hypothermia due to a recent snowfall. Had CAP not responded, it is doubtful that these two lives would have been saved. It’s easy to become jaded and think that there won’t be a positive outcome to a search, simply based on previous experience but there is always that one time that it could be different.

Next time you become frustrated over some new regulation or why you weren’t selected to participate the last time you volunteered, remember the survivors. Next time the phone rings in the middle of the night and you just don’t feel like participating, remember the survivors. When you need to take a Form 5 or Form 91 flight and wonder why you do this, remember the survivors. What we do makes a difference. Ask these two recent survivors and they’ll tell you.

When the call comes in, answer it.

Semper Vigilans – Always Vigilant

Jon Stokes, Maj CAP