The Coast Guard crew reacted swiftly, calling for additional help from shore-based helicopters and other cutters. The experience was a traumatic one, but combined with the fact that the same crew was the first cutter on-scene for the search and rescue effort following the crash of TWA Flight 800, it was a devastating blow. According to the cutter's commanding officer, LT Clay Diamond, the emotional strain was visible on the faces of the crew. He called for help, and within 90 minutes, the CRT was transported via helicopter to Mayaguez, PR to rendezvous with the cutter. Navy psychologist LT Andy Davidson, MSC, said that call accelerated the recovery of the crew.
Early intervention can reduce the number to as little as one percent.
The team, consisting of nurse LCDR Karen DiRenzo, Davidson, and HM3 Ezekial Williams, split the crew into two groups and began the process of getting the crew to talk about their experiences. According to Diamond, the CRT was able to do just that. They can't be with shoppers as they travel the aisles choosing the week's groceries, but the educators' hints for healthy eating are there in the form of red heart or gold star stickers. In collaboration with the Submarine Base Bangor commissary, the clinic's health promotion staff have marked foods that are low in fat and high in nutrients. Foods with three grams of fat or less and 30 percent of the daily requirement for either calcium, iron, or vitamin A and C per serving get a little red heart.