A team of pararescuemen from the 129th Rescue Wing's 131st Rescue Squadron parachuted into the Pacific Ocean to save a fisherman's life. The fisherman, a 47-year-old man, had suffered traumatic injuries on the Azteca 5, a Mexican-flagged ship sailing roughly 700 nautical miles from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.
The Coast Guard picked up the distress call and alerted the California Air National Guard's 129th Rescue Wing, which quickly organized a team of aircraft crewmen and pararescuemen. An HC-130J Combat King II took off from Moffett Air National Guard in Northern California to meet the ship and provide medical assistance.
The pararescuemen jumped into the water, swam to the ship, and provided emergency care for the fisherman's injuries, stabilizing him overnight as the ship continued to Socorro Island. They were able to help transfer the fisherman off the ship and onto the island, where he could receive further medical attention.
