The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-06-18
ANOTHER LIFE
SAVED BY FAST
HELICOPT'R WORK
Helicopter Transports Soldier
With Broken Neck To
Hospital

BUXTON ON CAPE HAT
TERAS, June II. - Old hands
among Coast Guard m n
thought back to the days of the
redoubtable Capt Pat Etheridge
one night this week when a hell
copter from the big Coast Guard
Air Base at Elizabeth City came
churning through midnight
darkness to rescue a young SOL
der who had broken his neck
when he dived into shallow wa
ter off the docks at Hatteras viii
lage. Helicopters are not, accord
ing to previous theory, designed
for night flying.
But when BM1c Edison Mid
gett, acting for the Group Com
mander lin his absence, reported
to Capt. Donald McDairnid that
an emergency existed, and that a
soldiers life was in the balance,
the helicopter took off, through
an overcast night and in the face
of winds that had run small
craft into harbor and within five
hours the young soldier was in
the Naval Hospital at Ports
mouth, where hastily summon
ed specialist awaited him, and a
new first was chalked up beside
Captain Etheridge's "the regula-
tons don't say a damned word
about coming back-they say
you 60"
Today young Corp. Caleb
Stowe, U. S. Army, stationed at
Camp Lucas, Michigan became
able to wiggle his toes after total
paralysis and his doctors say he
will recover. And they add that
getting him to the hospital in
good time did more toward saw
ing him than all their skill. The
young corporal regained his
speech Monday and his faculties
are slowly returning to normal,
though his neck will be encaSed
in a cast for some months.
With young Bos'n Mate Mid
gette on the telephone co-ordi-
mating thing the plan of opera
ton began to tick at 9:24 when
the helicopter took off for the
--vo hour flight down the Outer
~. ks, its cruising speed reduced
oil ess than so miles by head
DIS. Lieut. Commander John
-. Weber, plotting the big Sikor-
sky, had the light house to aim
at for the last fifty miles and
upon arrival the ground crew,
led by EN1c Vance Midget, had
flares ready and the landing site
marked off with lights. The
flight and the landing were un-
eventful, even if epoch-making.
Stowe had been brought to the
infirmary here by DIR: Donald
Tharpe within a half hour after
he was lifted, limp and uncon-
scious, from the water at Hat
teras. DR.. Tharpe turned his
patient over to Chief Hospital
Corpsman Patrick w. Jackson,
an old hand at rescue work along
the Outer Banks, who made the
flight in lieu of the Base physi-
clan who was on leave. The re-
turn flight began almost on the
stroke of midnight and at 2:l4
am. Commander Weber set the
helicopter down on the ball dia-
mond adjacent to the hospital IN
Portsmouth. Stowe was turned
over to the waiting specialists,
one of them sent down from a
nearby Army base.
Members of both the helicop-
ter crew and the crew of the life
boat Station on Cape Hatteras
were warmly commended by
Capt. McDairmid for their fine
Capt. Etheridge, were awarded
ness. DR.. Tharpe, who reported
the emergency to young Midget
who is a great grandson OF Can't
BENJAMIN Daley, who, with
Capt. Etheridge, were awarded
the Congressional Medal u
wears ago for heroism, said that
Stowe would have died without
prompt medical and surgical
belp. of the sort that he got as
soon as he was landed at Ports
mouth.
Besides Midget and Midget
others in the ground crew were
Seaman Gray, Hendley' and
Polling. ADJ G. H. Hallen was
mechanic to the helicopter for
the flight.