An official website of the United States government         Here's how you know         
**Official websites use .mil**
A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
**Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
 A **lock (lock )** or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to main content (Press Enter).

National GuardAlways Ready Always There

National Guard

                - 

Search

Search
Search

-  Home		 
-  News    -  Guard News         
  -  Overseas Operations         
  -  State Partnership Program         
  -  News Features         
  -  RSS Feeds         
  -  Press Releases         
  -  Transcripts 
-  Features    -  Features by Year         
  -  State Partnership Program         
  -  Special Features 
-  About the Guard    -  How We Began         
  -  Air National Guard         
  -  Army National Guard      -  DEERS Soldier Journey         
    -  Leader Development Program 
  -  History and Heritage         
  -  I am the Guard         
  -  NGB Official March 
-  Leadership    -  CNGB         
  -  VCNGB         
  -  SEA         
  -  DANG         
  -  DARNG         
  -  Joint Staff      -  J-1         
    -  J-2         
    -  J-3         
    -  J-4         
    -  J-5         
    -  J-6         
    -  J-7         
    -  J-8         
    -  Personal Staff        -  Inspector General         
      -  General Counsel          -  Special Victims Counsel 
      -  Public Affairs         
      -  Executive Support Services         
      -  Legislative Liaison 
    -  Special Staff        -  Office of the Provost Marshal         
      -  Office of the Joint Surgeon         
      -  Director of Acquisitions         
      -  Small Business Programs         
      -  Chaplain         
      -  Senior Leader Management Office         
      -  Diversity Equity Inclusion 
    -  Comptroller 
-  Resources    -  National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance         
  -  Community Engagement         
  -  FOIA         
  -  Fact Sheets         
  -  Helpful Links         
  -  Image Gallery      -  News Images         
    -  Graphics         
    -  Historical Paintings 
  -  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion         
  -  Legislative Liaison         
  -  Small Business Programs         
  -  Social Media         
  -  State Websites         
  -  Videos      -  Featured Videos         
    -  On Every Front         
    -  2019 Videos         
    -  2020 Videos         
    -  2021 Videos 
  -  Suicide Prevention         
  -  Family Programs         
  -  Environmental         
  -  Trial Defense Service         
  -  Holistic Wellness Challenge 
-  Contact Us		 

Home : Resources : Image Gallery : Historical Paintings : Heritage Series : Paradise

Tragedy in Paradise: Recovery of Flight 801

At approximately 1:45 am on August 6, 1997, Korean Airlines Flight 801 approached A.B. Won Pat International Airport in Agaña, Guam, en route from Seoul, South Korea. The Boeing 747-300 aircraft crashed in a jungle section of Nimitz Hill. The damaged fuselage caught fire and sparked an explosion. Of the 254 passengers and flight crew on board the aircraft, 228 perished.

The island’s remoteness from other U.S. territories made it inevitable that its National Guard would have to respond to a disaster of this size. Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez called upon nearly 500 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to support rescue and recovery operations. Operations at the crash site, already difficult due to the steep slope of the hillside and thick sword grass, were further complicated by a ruptured gas line and the large size of the debris field, as KAL 801 had broken up into multiple sections.

The Guam Territorial Area Command, the 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry, the 1224th Engineer Detachment, and the 254th Service Flight provided security, communication support, recovery and care of casualty and trauma victims, and much-needed crowd control. Guam’s National Guard did a highly commendable job in supporting territorial civil authorities in what was Guam’s worst aviation disaster.

Governor Gutierrez commended the Soldiers and Airmen of the Guam National Guard. “I saw the real heroes,” he said, “the National Guard ... the fire and police, and the other rescue workers who do this type of work on a daily basis. They are truly the heroes...”

The Guam National Guard’s support to the recovery of KAL 801, its first territorial mission since being organized in 1981, demonstrated its professionalism as a military force. The readiness and dedication of this force is underscored by the motto of the Guam Army National Guard: “A’ Adahen I tano,” which translates from the native Chamorro language as “Guardians of the Land.”

Copyright Notice

Images of these paintings may also be used for educational purposes with an appropriate permission statement, such as: "[name of painting], a National Guard Heritage Painting by [name of artist], courtesy the National Guard Bureau." The U.S. Government retains all copyrights to these paintings. No commercial use is authorized without prior approval.

Download images

Tragedy in Paradise: Recovery of Flight 801*Artist: Gil Cohen*

                            -  Full-Size(6001x3981).jpg                                          ...  27.0 MB 
                            -  Medium-Size(280x185).jpg                                          ...  0.0 MB 
                            -  Small-Size(230x150).jpg                                          ...  0.0 MB 

- Home
- Site Map
- Privacy & Security Policy
- Link Disclaimer
- Web Policy
- DOD Information Quality
- DOD Open Government

- FOIA
- No FEAR Act
- Accessibility/Section 508
- Contact Us
- Army Guard Careers
- Air Guard Careers
- USA.gov

                  - X
                  - YouTube
                  - Flickr
                  - Facebook
                  - Instagram

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil