Into the Darkness: A daring mid-ocean rescue mission
Lt. Col. Viera (Smith Point Class of 1986) making a difference!
An elite Long Island-based search and rescue team is marking 50 years of saving lives. Today, we take you into the darkness to revisit one of their most complex and daring missions.
In 2017, under the cover of night and more than 1,700 miles from Long Island, a team from the 106th Rescue Wing of the Air National Guard parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean. Their mission: a high-stakes rescue in the middle of nowhere.
“We had a four-and-a-half-hour flight out—right into the heart of the Atlantic,” one team member recalled. “It was pitch black, miles from land, and every element was against us. It was, without question, the most challenging mission I’ve ever faced.”
As they commemorate half a century of heroism, missions like this highlight the unmatched bravery and skill of the 106th Rescue Wing…
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