Four men were honored at the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) meeting in Baton Rouge this morning, June 8.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division recognized the Bayou 69 Blackhawk Helicopter crew of the Louisiana Air National Guard for their efforts in rescuing six people during the 2016 March floods in Winn Parish.
Command Chief Warrant Officer Five Jack Mucha, Command Chief Warrant Officer Two Corey Sayer, SSgt. Chad McCann and Sgt. Aaron Adam, were awarded LDWF Enforcement Citizens Exceptional Bravery Awards for their efforts.
The Bayou 69 helicopter crew was called into action to bring LDWF Sgt. Rusty Perry and Winn Parish Firefighter Buddy King to safety. The vessel Sgt. Perry and King were using to try and evacuate people from the flooded and turbulent waters capsized along the Dugdemona River east of Winnfield on March 10, 2016.
Sgt. Perry and King stayed with the capsized vessel for several hours. After several unsuccessful rescue attempts by vessels and high water vehicles, the men were successfully airlifted into the helicopter by the Bayou 69 crew.
After rescuing Sgt. Perry and King, the helicopter crew then rescued a Louisiana State Trooper and a DOTD officer that were stranded on a road grader. The helicopter crew then rescued the two civilians that Sgt. Perry and King were attempting to rescue before capsizing their vessel.