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Airmen, Sailor assist injured hiker

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Alan Ricker
  • 15th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  When a Sailor and a group of Airmen spotted a woman on a hiking trail too injured to walk, they took action administering first aid while signaling a medical airlift.

“I was not in a good way because I was in pain,” said Diane Heard, 15th Wing Violence Prevention Investigator. “I’m at the bottom of these rocks and I’m hurt and I had no idea how I was gonna get out of there.”

Heard was hiking with her sister, Mavis, at Waimano Falls hiking trail on July 17, when she sustained her first injury returning from the waterfalls. After falling, Mavis went off to find help

While Heard was repositioning herself to allow hikers to get past her, she tried to grab for a boulder when she slipped and fell, injuring her knee as well.

As Heard was in pain and trying to stay composed, a Sailor, Petty Officer 2nd Class Erin Walsh, and a group of Airmen arrived inquiring about her injuries.

One of those Airmen was Airman 1st Class Darwin Cedillo, 15th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron aerospace medical service technician. Cedillo and Walsh, both having first aid and medical training, evaluated her injuries.

“I asked her some questions like if [the pain] was shooting up through her spine and I felt her leg as well to make sure that there was nothing that was shattered or completely broken or any bleeding,” said Cedillo.

The five Airmen and Sailor worked together to create a splint out of rope and branches in order to stabilize Heard’s injured ankle and knee, preventing any further damage while they awaited for a medical airlift helicopter.

Heard described the airlift rescue as a scene that was taken directly from a survival movie.

“The first time they passed over, they didn’t see us,” said Heard. “So, they’re shaking tree branches and trying to wave.”

The rescue crew eventually located Heard after spotting Walsh and the Airmen on the trail and lowered Emergency Medical Technicians that secured Heard in an emergency airlift basket stretcher, airlifting her to a nearby ambulance to take her to the hospital.

Cedillo said the entire experience was overwhelming and that he was happy to see that Ms. Heard received the help she needed.

“First and foremost, it’s the right thing to do,” said Cedillo. “Secondly, even if I was off duty, it’s my job. If I know that I have some knowledge on the subject, I have to help just because I wouldn’t want someone to just pass me by.”

Heard described how thankful she was for the help Walsh, Cedillo, Airman 1st Class Millan Owens, 15th Operations Support Squadron airfield management journeyman, Airman 1st Class Jace Grayson, 535th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, Airman 1st Class Zane Kowalski, 8th Intelligence Squadron imagery analyst, and Senior Airman Josua Owens, 747th Cyberspace Squadron mission defense team cyber defense operator, provided while she was injured.

“I did not expect that at all,” said Heard. “I thought they would go on and go to the falls and go on with their day, but for them to actually show concern and wanting to know that I was okay — that just shows what kind of character they have.”