Alaska National Guard completes 4 rescues over July 4 weekend

The Alaska National Guard completed four rescues over the July 4 weekend, pulling critically ill patients and stranded hikers from remote Interior and Southcentral Alaska. Six aircraft logged nearly 21 combined flight hours across missions that began July 2.

The first mission came after Alaska State Troopers requested a hoist-capable helicopter for a critically ill patient at a remote residence on the Kantishna River west of Cantwell. That patient was flown to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The second followed a National Park Service request to medevac a critically ill patient from a remote cabin north of Mount McKinley, with transport to Providence Alaska Medical Center. During both Air Guard missions, the HC-130J Combat King II provided air-to-air refueling to extend the HH-60W's range deep into Interior Alaska.

Two hikers were also evacuated by Army Guard Black Hawks: one stranded on Matanuska Peak 7 miles east of Palmer, who triggered a satellite SOS device, and one with chest pain near Gulkana. On Matanuska Peak, the crew used a dynamic hoist, lowering the flight medic as the helicopter approached the patient, to reduce spinning and oscillation and speed the extraction. Near Gulkana, the crew located the hiker, treated them on site, and then hoisted them into the helicopter for transport to Providence Alaska Medical Center.

The missions reflect structural realities of Alaska emergency response. Many communities sit off the road system and depend on air travel for health care and emergency services. Large portions of the state lack adequate mobile wireless coverage. Civilian air ambulance providers face daylight and weather restrictions on some remote missions that Guard crews can undertake. The Guard has seen similar bursts of demand before: the 176th Wing ran four rescues across Southcentral Alaska in April 2024, and Air Guard crews completed three missions in 24 hours across more than 550 miles in September 2025.

Schmidt underlined the importance of carrying a satellite communication device when going into the Alaska wilderness where cell phone coverage is often unavailable.