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“When we arrived they had men in two boats and on the deck,” Buchanan said. “The midsection of the boat was totally on fire.”The Blackhawk’s pararescuecrewman, Airman Jean F. Katz, was lowered into the water. Katz climbed aboard one of the lifeboats and the Air Force team lifted four of Geco Alpha's crewmen into thehelicopter.“They were glad to see us,” Buchanan said “We understood there was kerosene on board and they were afraid the ship would explode.”Once inside the helicopter, the ship’s crewmen were given blankets to dry themselves. Katz treated them for exposure.Because the Blackhawk was running low on fuel, Buchanan said, the helicopter crew flew to Hurlburt Field, the nearest base.From Hurlburt the four rescued crewmen were taken by ambulance to Eglin Regional Hospital, where they joined 15 other crewmen airlifted from the lifeboats.
Newspaper Details
Fort Walton Beach Playground Daily News
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, US
Thu, Dec 11, 1986
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
TN, USA 02 Jan 2021
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