Sisters man was part of 'Lone Survivor' rescue

It was a mission that exemplified the Air Force rescue community's motto: "These things we do that others may live."

June, 2005, Afghanistan: Operation Red Wings, a mission to disrupt anti-coalition militia activity in a mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan went badly wrong; a Navy SEAL reconnaissance and surveillance team had been compromised and ambushed and a quick-reaction helicopter sent to their aid was shot down by ground fire.

Three helicopters were dispatched from Kandahar to Bagram Air Base to begin a search-and-rescue operation.

Also traveling to Bagram was William "Bill" St Clair.

Bill St Clair, now a Sisters Country resident, was a crew chief deployed with the 943rd Maintenance Squadron, 943rd Rescue Group, out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. The Air Force Reserve outfit specializes in rescue of isolated personnel and the mission fit their profile exactly.

The SEAL Team ambush and subsequent rescue of SEAL sniper Marcus Luttrell is the subject of a new movie, "Lone Survivor," a movie St Clair says is "very good; very real."

St Clair sat down with The Nugget to describe his unit's actions.

"It was time for rotation," St Clair recalled. "We were actually packed up; our replacements were on the ground."

When the call came down, three HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters were dispatched to begin searching for the compromised SEAL Team. A MH-47 helicopter that was part of a quick-reaction force responding to assist that ambushed recon team had also been shot down.

St Clair was sent to Bagram with a skeleton crew to do maintenance on the helicopters when they came in from their mission. The crew had to hitch a ride with a civilian contractor to get to their destination with their weapons and their tool boxes in tow.

The first day's search was unsuccessful. Radio communication with the isolated team in the rugged mountains was terrible. The three helicopters returned to Bagram. St Clair and his crew were tasked to lighten the aircraft so that they could perform at the high altitude required to continue the search.

This meant removing auxiliary fuel tanks and the H-bar used for pararescue crews to rappel down from the helicopters.

It turned out that the there were no survivors among the eight crew and eight SEALS on the downed MH-47, and the rescue helicopters focused their efforts on locating the ambushed SEALS.

"They were basically doing what's called 'trolling,'" St Clair said.

The practice is considered highly dangerous, because it makes the helicopters vulnerable to ground fire, particularly from RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades).

Anti-coalition forces had killed three of the SEALS in fierce combat; Marcus Luttrell was the lone survivor.

"Marcus had been picked up by a local and taken to a village," St Clair said.

The ethical code of the Pastun people of that region of Afghanistan, known as Pashtunwali, requires hospitality toward guests and protection against their enemies. Thus, Luttrell fell under the protection of the village in which he found refuge.

When U.S. forces got word of Luttrell's whereabouts, the 943rd Rescue Group went in for the rescue.

That, St Clair says, is one area where the movie deviates from the reality. Movie-making required the rescue to be depicted in the light of day. In fact, it was conducted at night - for security reasons - and it was not an easy operation. The landing zone was precarious.

"It was basically a ledge on a hill," St Clair said. "There was a drop-off and there was just barely room for a helicopter to get in there."

Rescue protocol requires a "low bird" to conduct the rescue and a "high bird" to provide security and a backup incase the first aircraft is unsuccessful or goes down, St Clair explained.

"'Spanky' Peterson piloted the low bird in while 'Skinny' Macrander flew the high bird," St Clair recalled.

"I think they should have thrown in the night scenario (in 'Lone Survivor') because that was a pretty hairy thing," St Clair said.

The helicopters of St Clair's unit were also responsible for the recovery of the bodies of the SEALs who were killed in the operation.

St Clair takes great satisfaction in the work of the rescue group, knowing they saved lives and helped warriors make it back.

"We're the first step in getting them back home again," he said. "We're pretty good at getting them to the hospital within an hour - that golden hour."

St Clair served on four deployments in Afghanistan, capping a 38-year career in the Air Force. His is an Air Force family. His dad was Air Force, his sons are Air Force, and his wife Kathryn worked for the Air Force.

Now, he's retired and looking at a new occupation on his property in McKenzie Canyon.

"We're potential farmers..." he said.

Native Oregonians, Bill and Kathryn chose Sisters for its natural beauty, good weather, and hiking opportunities.

He looks back with pride and satisfaction on his long career.

"Working on helicopters in the rescue community is the ultimate job," he said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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