- continued -

SAR personnel deliver a seriously injured crash "victim" from triage for evacuation to a hospital on an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter.

Russian Air Force Col. Valeriy Germanovich Stepanov, a Deputy Director of Russia’s Federal Directorate of Air and Space Search and Rescue Forces, noted, "The Russians and Americans have helped hikers on the Bering Strait. We studied each other’s methods for the first three years of this exercise. Now we are using each other’s equipment," he added, after the pararescue personnel jumped into the training site with American parachutes.

"There are differences in our methods, but not big differences," Col Stepanov explained. Language remained the biggest obstacle, but the North Americans and the Russians communicated effectively with hand signals, explained MSgt. John Loomis, a member of the 210th’s team. "Our main goal was not to cause further injury to the victims," MSgt. Loomis added. "We communicated effectively enough to accomplish that and to get them the help they needed."

More important is the desire of the American and Russian pararescue people to serve together in the field, as their presidents strive to bring the nations closer together. "We worked parallel to each other for 50 years," said CMSgt. Lenz, while he watched former Cold War adversaries laboring in the rain on the plain in Alaska. "It’s good that we’re finally working together.