North Pacific – Five Alaska National Guard Guardian Angels parachuted from a military transport aircraft to rescue a fisherman suffering uncontrolled bleeding aboard a South Korean fishing vessel in the North Pacific.

The rescue team from the 212th Rescue Squadron jumped from an HC-130J Combat King II on August 8, 2025, south of the Aleutian Islands. Three Guardian Angels jumped with a rigged alternate-method boat, followed by two more rescuers.

The Coast Guard received the emergency call but did not have a cutter or helicopter capable of reaching the vessel. The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center passed the mission to the 176th Wing.

The sailor was suffering uncontrolled bleeding from the back of his nose and urgently needed blood. The Guardian Angels carried packed red blood cells and specialized equipment to stop the hemorrhage, with each jumper carrying about 150 pounds of gear.

Winds were around 25 mph as the team approached the fishing vessel. Staff Sgt. Hye Rin Crowe, a 176th Wing airman who served as an interpreter, helped the captain turn the vessel into the wind and slow down.

The crew lowered a Jacob’s ladder over the side, allowing the rescuers to board. They stopped the sailor’s bleeding and remained aboard because the rigging made a helicopter hoist unsafe.

A fishing boat from Adak later transported the patient and rescue team to port. A Coast Guard HC-130J then flew them to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where the sailor was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center.

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