On October 29, 2009, a Coast Guard HC-130, stationed at Air Station Sacramento, was involved in a mid-air collision off the coast of San Diego and the lives of the seven crewmembers aboard were lost. In the days that followed Coast Guard aviation crews from all around the country demonstrated their commitment to these core values.

            Aircrews from U.S. Coast Guard Air Stations Kodiak, Alaska, Barbers Point, Hawaii and Clearwater, Fla., flew to Sacramento to provide aid and support. Their efforts ensured the Coast Guard’s service to the public continued uninterrupted, gave their shipmates time to recover from the tragic accident and provided mission support.

            “We flew from Barbers Point and brought two full flight crews and a 15-member maintenance crew. After we got there we assumed responsibility for search and rescue for the west coast for the next 10 days,” said Lt. j.g. Rich Stickley, a C-130 aircraft commander stationed at Air Station Barbers Point.

            The crews from Barbers Point and the other Air Stations ensured service to the public continued un-interrupted, showing integrity and honoring the Coast Guard’s commitment to serve.

            Aircrews also volunteered to take over the maintenance and day-to-day jobs of the air station, offering relief to their shipmates stationed in Sacramento.

            “We all wanted to help even if it was just by doing little things or by standing duty so they could focus on coming to grips with the loss,” said Petty Officer 2^nd Class Jonathan Tenpenny, an aviation maintenance technician stationed at Air Station Barbers Point.

            “A lot of us know these people and it was really important to help our shipmates,” he said.

            The compassion shown by the volunteers highlighted the respect they had for their fellow Guardians. Their efforts gave the crewmembers stationed in Sacramento some time to deal with the loss of the C-130 crew and seek help for themselves and for each other.

The volunteers also ensured that everything necessary to the continued support of the missions of Air Station Sacramento was taken care of.

“When we got there we went to our respective shops, figured out what needed to be done and we went to work,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Jody Sullens, an aviation electronics technician stationed at Air Station Kodiak

“We were glad to help out anyway we could, whether it was washing planes or repairing fuel tanks,” he said.

            Honor, respect and devotion to duty. These are the tools a Guardian uses to rebuild him or herself, they are the measure of how far a Guardian has come, and they are the ideals by which a Guardian is defined.

In their efforts to maintain the uninterrupted service to the public, to offer relief to their shipmates in a time of need, and ensuring unfailing mission support, every member of the volunteer aircrews demonstrated the qualities of a true Guardian.

            “In aviation we have a saying, we fly together, we die together,” said Tenpenny.

            “We are Coast Guard, we can’t just shut down when bad things happen. This isn’t just a job, it’s a conviction,” he said.

###