Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Nellis helicopter crew aids biker

A Nellis Air Force Base helicopter aircrew diverted from a routine training mission earlier this month to help a motorcyclist who had run off a road and crashed near Lake Mead.

According to John Monroe of the Nellis Public Affairs Office, HH-60 Pavehawk pilot Capt. Cedrick Stark made several passes over the accident site July 10 when crewmembers spotted the cyclist.

The cyclist was not moving and appeared to be in serious condition so Stark called 66th Rescue Squadron headquarters and requested that a pararescueman be readied for immediate pickup and transport to the scene.

As a result of Stark's decision, Staff Sgt. Brian Jackson and crewmates Senior Airman Michael Amis and Airman 1st Class Jonathan McCoy were able to assess the victim's condition and render immediate aid until a ground ambulance arrived. Federal law prohibits transportation by the military if it conflicts with civilian commercial agencies.

Stark said he made the decision to get involved because the crew actually witnessed the accident and the apparent seriousness of the situation. "Although we saw other motorists going to help we knew that we needed to get back to Nellis and get him the best medical attention," the captain said.

According to Monroe, the man was conscious and determined to be in "moderate" condition when evacuated by a ground ambulance crew.

National Guard

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., recently announced a $2 million addition to the regular state allocation of the annual defense spending bill for expansion of Nevada National Guard drug interdiction operations in Southern Nevada. The additional money will fund the setup of a Southern Nevada base of operations, including a helipad at the North Las Vegas Police Department.

A release from Berkley's Washington office cited a written request she had made to "appropriators" in lobbying for the additional funds. "The tremendous growth rate has a direct correspondence to the increase of drug and gang activity, yet the only CD RAID (Counter-Drug Reconnaissance and Interdiction Detachment) in the state is stationed in Reno ..." she wrote.

Selective Service

The Selective Service System recently announced its first state-by-state analysis of registration compliance and issued a "report card" coupled with a notice of a partnership it has formed with the Department of Education to "bolster on-time registration." Nevada received a "B" with a compliance rate of 84 percent of eligible men registering by the time they turn 20.

New Hampshire was ranked highest among the states with a registration rate of 95 percent. The lowest-ranking state in the report was Hawaii with a rate of 71 percent.

Selective Service System Director Gil Coronado visited Las Vegas in April. In his speech to the National Association of Hispanic Publications, he commented that too many Hispanic males were missing out on government benefits because of failure to register.

He pointed out that federal law requires male citizens and noncitizens alike, permanently in the United States, to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday and that failure to do so makes them ineligible for student loans, grants and federal employment and job training programs.

Men who fail to register before age 26 risk permanent loss of eligibility for a variety of benefits. Selective Service Registration forms are available at all post offices.

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