Air Force Academy Cadet credited with saving friends’ life in harrowing rescue
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - On Saturday, Nov. 15, Cadet Third Class Jude Sterling went on a hike with friends, and it was so great, they decided to go on another hike.
While out enjoying the backcountry on Sheep Mountain, the group realized it was time to turn back, and then everything fell apart.
"We started heading back, and I was trying to catch up with them. And then my friend stepped on a rock that was not super stable. Fell about 20 or 30ft straight down, and then tumbled another 100 to 200ft down the mountain," explained Cadet Third Class Jude Sterling. "And then I climbed down the mountain to where my friend was. And then I took care of him for about three hours until Lieutenant Colonel Johnson came up with a small first aid kit and a bag of jackets."
Cadet Sterling says Chaffee County Search and Rescue North (CCSAR-N) made it to the group an hour after Lieutenant Colonel Johnson, four hours after his friend fell. Sterling used his training in the meantime to treat his friend.
"I'm a first responder on the first responder team here at the academy. And I saw him fall, and I knew that it was going to be pretty bad just because of all the training that I've been going through this semester. I had just recently gotten certified as an EMR two weeks before this, an emergency medical responder, and so when I climbed down to him, the first thing I saw was his foot, sticking up the mountain," detailed Sterling.
He hurried to meticulously follow his training, saying it had been drilled into him all semester.
"When I got to him, as I said, it was very loose. We were both kind of sliding around. He was caught on this tree, but it wasn't going to keep him in place for very long. So I removed my belt. I attached my belt to the tree, and I looped my belt through his arm like that," shared Sterling.
The cadet's friend held on to that belt for hours as he slowly slid further down the mountain. Sterling called his friends' family to help soothe him while waiting for help.
"It was definitely an intense situation, but I was just trying to keep my calm so that I could help my friend and keep him calm as well, so that he wouldn't freak out," shared Sterling.
Sterling called others at the academy for support and reassurance that every move was correct.
"I was very concerned because this is my first patient, and I wanted to make sure that I did everything right. But based off of what I've been told, everything I did was the right thing to do. So I'm glad that I was there to help him," said Cadet Sterling.
CCSAR-N agrees he did everything right, and they commend him for his swift action.
"I'd like to send out a giant thanks to Jude, one of the people up there who, he his quick thinking and resourcefulness, easily saved the subject's life. He used a belt around a fallen tree to create a handhold so that, you know, they wouldn't slide down any further because they were on a 45-degree slope," explained Nicole "Kiki" Lathrop with CCSAR-N.
Lathrop tells KRDO13 the CCSAR-N team had 800 feet of rope, and they had to do a 1600-foot descent. She said it was 1600 feet down the mountain to get the subject to a point where they could actually wheel them out to the ambulance. CCSAR-N says the rescue took around 12 hours in total. Rescuers also say the class 3 and 4 terrain in the area was a major challenge due to loose rocks everywhere. It's something Cadet Sterling dealt with while awaiting help.
"While we were on the mountain alone, there were two boulders about the size of bowling balls that came down the mountain. One was lined up with my head all the way until it got to where my patient and I were, it hit my patient and whizzed over my shoulder about a foot from my head, and then the other one was about a foot from me on the other side. And then it was also near freezing. So all of us got hypothermia," recounted Sterling.
After sustaining multiple injuries, Sterling's friend was rushed to the hospital and has since been treated and released.
Sterling was also commended by the head of the 306th Flying Training Group.
“While attending an Officers’ Christian Fellowship retreat near Buena Vista, I heard someone had fallen approximately 200 feet down the mountain and needed help. Another person and I grabbed supplies and hiked quickly to the area. When we arrived, Cadet Third Class Jude Sterling was with the injured person, keeping him safe and alive. I assisted Cadet Sterling and the Chaffee County Search and Rescue North team load the injured person into a litter, lower him down the mountain, and transport him to an ambulance. This was an extraordinary situation that could have ended very badly. Cadet Sterling used what he was taught at the Air Force Academy to provide emergency care. This incident is a reminder to always be prepared when doing any kind of outdoor recreation. Everyone involved was very brave, and I am thankful for the actions of Cadet Sterling and the swift response of the Chaffee SAR North team who did an absolutely fantastic job.”
-Lt. Col James P. Johnson III, Chief of Training, 306th Flying Training Group
CCSAR-N says an incident like this is a reminder of why it is so important to be prepared when hiking.
"Our best advice, first and foremost, check the weather. Always check the weather before heading out into the Colorado backcountry, because you know how fast that weather can turn," shared Lathrop.
Lathrop points to the "ten essentials" for preparedness: Extra layers, water, food, navigation, communication, first aid, sun protection, torch/illumination, shelter and a knife.
"All teams throughout Colorado are 100% volunteer. We all have day jobs outside of search and rescue. When we get a call, we all voluntarily come together to create this team, whether it's for training or a mission. And that's where you get the bulk of all Colorado's search and rescue teams. So we are all 100% volunteers," explained Lathrop.
To learn more about CCSAR-N, click here.
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