The three men went missing in the Pagat Caves on Guam’s eastern shore the day before. Guam Fire and Rescue had launched a ground search party and located the three survivors. Due to severe dehydration and a heat stroke, the survivors could not hike out of the area.

The Coast Guard decided to contact HSC-25 to request air support. The rescue helicopter was piloted by Lt Pierre Ramos and Lt Frank Conenna. They were on the scene less than two hours later. Hospitalman Nolan Turner took care of the hikers on their flight to Naval Hospital Guam.

Ramos commented: “The crew came in ready to [go]. Everyone had their responsibilities, played their part, and we executed the mission like we're trained to do. Our maintenance department had that bird ready to go with no delays. We arrived overhead quickly, found the survivors, and hoisted them up. The smooth execution of this overland SAR is a true testament to the training conducted here in HSC-25.”

Cmdr Christopher Carreon, Commanding Officer of HSC-25, added: “HSC-25’s unique ability to launch SAR and [medical evacuation] missions on short notice, 24/7 is the trademark of our squadron. Every Island Knight should be proud of the hard work we are doing every day to be ready to execute our mission. Our team is here to get the job done around the clock, whether it is conducting training missions, supporting other units, or enabling vital life-saving operations like this to support emergency services in Guam and the CNMI.”