Contact: Lt. Roger Barr
(707) 599-9170
MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. - Petty Officer 1st Class William Foreman, a Manteo native and a rescue swimmer at Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay was part of an aircrew that teamed up with local sheriff’s office to rescue six people from a vehicle that ran off the road last week in Northern California.
Two Coast Guard rescue helicopters arrived on scene after first responders determined medical evacuation was needed and requested Coast Guard assistance. Two of the survivors needed to be hoisted into the helicopter due to the steep and challenging terrain of the embankment where they were found. One other survivor was medevaced directly to a local hospital and the remaining three were rescued by the Del Norte Sheriff’s Office.
Foreman, the rescue swimmer aboard one of the helicopters was lowered to the crash site to provide additional medical assistance to the injured survivors. After stabilizing the victim, Foreman prepped and loaded the survivor into a rescue litter, which was he hoisted into the helicopter and transported to a local hospital.
Dave grew up in the Raleigh area and often saw Coast Guard helicopters flying out of Elizabeth City while he was lifeguarding in the Outer Banks. After graduating from Apex High School in 1998, Foreman enlisted in the Coast Guard, and later attended rescue swimmer school. Since earning his aviation survival technician wings in 2001, he has been stationed in Elizabeth City, N.C.; New Orleans, La.; and Humboldt Bay, Calif. He has accumulated 1,500 flight hours and conducted over 200 rescues, including a massive effort in the Hurricane Katrina response. His grandmother, Mildred Foreman, still lives in Kitty Hawk and is incredibly proud of his achievements.
Today, Dave is on duty, standing ready to help another in need. When the call comes, Foreman and the rest of the Coast Guard will be there to answer and live up to the Coast Guard’s motto of “Semper Paratus”.
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