During a break in the second quarter of the Fresno State football game this past Saturday, three men walked onto the end zone wearing fatigues.
“How about a round of applause for these brave soldiers from the California Army National Guard,” boomed the announcer.
It was Salute to Service night at the game, and Chief Warrant Officers Kip Goding, Irvin Hernandez and Ge Xiong were being honored for their heroics during the Creek Fire. They were among the crew members of two helicopters that airlifted nearly 250 people in the Sierra Nevada to safety over Labor Day weekend 2020.
The campers had been trapped near Mammoth Pool Reservoir at the border of Madera and Fresno Counties. While the fire surrounded them, the national guardsmen had flown multiple trips through near-blackout conditions to airlift them all to safety.
“It was the largest ever rescue of Americans by army helicopters in the history of the United States,” the announcer continued at the game, to the roaring applause of tens of thousands of spectators.
Standing on the field with the officers were dozens of the survivors they had rescued. They had all been reunited just before the game, at a barbecue organized by the Army Aviation Association of America. It was the first time the helicopters crews and civilians had seen each other since the night of the rescue.
Among those rescued was Morena Ventura, who had been camping that weekend with her husband, three children and three step-children. Her family drove up from Los Angeles for the event, excited for the opportunity to thank the pilots and take pictures with them. “There’s nothing more important than that,” she said tearfully. “They're like our angels.”
“I look at my daughter and I'm extremely grateful that we’re here,” said Nuri Zeledon, whose daughter was seven months old at the time of the rescue. She said she’s still amazed that they survived the blaze.
“If I could, I would hug [the pilots] and kiss them and kneel down and say thank you for serving us and keeping our family alive,” she said.
Chief Warrant Officer Ge Xiong, who had crewed the Blackhawk helicopter and is now a pilot, said seeing these survivors again was surreal.
“I remember putting little children, toddlers, in the aircraft, and now that I’ve seen a few of them, they're all big now, and that really makes me happy,” he said.
Chief Warrant Officer Irvin Hernandez, who piloted the Blackhawk, said he often wonders how the survivors are doing.
“When I heard that they're going to be here, I was ecstatic about it,” he said. “It’s indescribable, the feeling of gratitude and pride that you get with that.”
This was just the latest honor for these national guardsmen. Shortly after the rescues, the crews of both helicopters were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest award in the U.S. for feats of aviation, from President Donald Trump.
