Auxiliarist plays key role in Medevac
Within 10 days, Coast Guard rescue crews flew more than 4,000 miles to render aid to ailing mariners in the Pacific Ocean. On both trips a Coast Guard Auxiliarist accompanied the rescue crew as the interpreter for the mission.


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Chief - External Communications
Public Affairs Department
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
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Auxiliarist plays key role in Medevac
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/24-7PressRelease/ - HONOLULU, HI, November 20, 2005 - Within 10 days, Coast Guard rescue crews flew more than 4,000 miles to render aid to ailing mariners in the Pacific Ocean. On both trips a Coast Guard Auxiliarist accompanied the rescue crew as the interpreter for the mission.

A Coast Guard C-130 and crew from Air Station Barbers Point flew more than 1,100 miles one-way to medevac an ailing man from Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge Oct. 21. Susumu Abe, 48, was working as a cook aboard a Japanese fishing vessel when he reportedly suffered symptoms of a possible stroke.

The master of the Hinode Maru No. 18 requested medical assistance for Abe Oct. 19, while the vessel was more than 725 miles northeast of Midway. The master had initially contacted the Japanese Coast Guard, who then contacted the ship's agent in Honolulu, who then contacted the Coast Guard Command Center here. A Coast Guard flight surgeon was consulted and recommended the medevac. Rescue coordinators began preparing for the rescue early Oct. 20.

The master was directed to transit to Midway, the closest land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, who manages the Midway refuge, was contacted for permission to bring the foreign vessel into the environmentally-sensitive wildlife refuge and for medical assistance from the Midway staff.

The Japanese interpreter, Charlayne Chabala Holliday, who is a Coast Guard Auxiliarist in the Mililani Flotilla 10, was vital to the Hinode Maru No. 18's successful mooring at Midway. The channel leading to the pier is difficult to navigate and even the slightest variation outside the marked area may run a vessel aground.

Holliday rode aboard the Fish and Wildlife's 18-foot catamaran to guide the master into the cargo pier without incident. As soon as the Hinode Maru No. 18 was moored, Abe was transferred by truck to the awaiting C-130. Holliday was just as instrumental on the pier by translating important medical information between Abe, the master and the Fish and Wildlife's Physician's Assistant. Abe was readied and stabilized for the four-hour plane ride to Oahu.

The C-130 arrived back in Oahu at about 4 p.m. Oct. 21. The Japanese ship's agent and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer met Abe at the air station, where he was transferred to an awaiting ambulance for further transport to Kuakini Hospital.

Ten days later, an almost identical medical-assistance call came from another fishing vessel in the Pacific Ocean. Once again the aircrew and Auxiliarist answered the call.

During the month of October, Coast Guard rescue crews conducted 17 medevacs from across the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Ocean. This was a 50 per cent increase from the previous three years. Three times during the month, the Coast Guard received three requests for medical assistance.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 31,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.



The release is available at: http://www.auxpa.org/releases/auxaction/111905.html

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Wayne Spivak
US Coast Guard Auxiliary
Chief, External Communications
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