Inside the daring, death‑defying exploits of U.S. Coast Guard aviators and rescue swimmers
Some of the greatest stories of sea survival and rescues involve U.S. Coast Guard aviation teams. Answering the mayday call, men and women in service risk their lives to save strangers. Flying into extreme situations on land or sea takes a team of talented and brave people: two pilots, a flight mechanic, and a rescue swimmer. All jump in the helicopter, fly for miles, then work with an operations center on land that launches all available resources to the scene.
This collection follows Martha’s award-winning book So Others May Live: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Saving Lives, Defying Death (Lyons Press) and features new stories from the twenty-first century. Highlighting the incredible feats of courageous men and women who routinely put their lives on the line to save others, this book brings readers fast-paced, harrowing tales of death-defying rescues.
The best of the best, time and again they go to sea, saying goodbye to their loved ones at the door. They leave home, knowing they will be putting their lives on the line to save others. They go willingly into the worst weather. And when they arrive on scene, they often discover unexpected situations that they have not trained for. In unusual, unique, and always dangerous predicaments, these heroes must figure out critical solutions that put their leadership to the test.
These intrepid people race to save others from sinking fishing vessels and capsized container ships, hurricanes, explosions, or fires on boats. Included in these pages is the tale of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter being swamped by a huge wave in the Bering Sea while trying to save a grounded ship’s crew. In this remarkable story, the rescuers need to be rescued! Celebrating the spirit of humanity, coming together to help those in need, readers will have a front row seat to the skills required, the training standards to pass, and the places rescue swimmers and aviators operate. This collection of daring rescues includes an inside look on how brave rescue swimmers earn their coveted “fins.” Since the program began in 1985, there have been only 1,050 U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers. In a profession where eighty percent wash out of the school trying, only the toughest graduate. Of all the graduates, just six women wear the fins insignia. Showcasing the grit and resilience required to remain calm while surrounded by perilous chaos, these women and men share heartfelt and humbling accounts of their missions, featuring numerous narrow escapes.
