A Black Hawk from the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion of the Tennessee National Guard hovers while medics prepare to descend during the SAREX 23 exercise in Pickett State Park near Jamestown, Tenn., Jan. 7, 2023. The group worked on tracking, locating and evacuating missing people as part of a training exercise with other military and civilian agencies. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Teri Eicher)
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LOUISVILLE, Tenn. – A Tennessee Army National Guard flight crew based at Joint Base McGhee-Tyson rescued an injured hiker in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park early Sept. 10.
Shortly after 3 a.m. Eastern time, the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency were notified that an injured hiker needed rapid transport to a nearby hospital. The hiker was in a remote area near Bullhead Trail south of Gatlinburg close to the North Carolina border.
Tennessee National Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Smokey assembled a flight crew and readied a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for flight. After the mission was approved, the aircraft departed Joint Base McGhee-Tyson at approximately 4:50 a.m., flying directly to Bullhead Trail to rescue the hiker.
The Tennessee Army National Guard flight crew included two pilots, Capt. Brandon Rodriguez and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Luke Hargrove, the crew chief, Staff Sgt. Ernest Harlan, and flight paramedic Sgt. 1st Class John Sharbel.
Twenty minutes after launch, the aircraft and crew located the hiker and park rangers with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, who were rendering first aid.
Shortly before 5:15 a.m., Harlan lowered Sharbel to the ground by hoist to do a quick medical assessment and prepare the hiker for transport. The hiker and Sharbel were then hoisted into the hovering helicopter, where first aid was continued.
The aircraft flew to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, landing at about 5:45 a.m., and the patient was rushed into the emergency room for treatment.
The aircraft returned to Louisville, landing just before 6:15 a.m.
