Page 6A
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.net
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
GUARDSMEN: remembering local National Guardsmen killed in SD
From page 1A
National Guard C-130 crew
who were killed or injured in
a crash in the Southern Black
Hills last July 1.
“I want to tell you that
your family members will al-
ways be remembered. I re-
ally want you to remember
this place and that we, the
people of South Dakota, love
you. This site was built to
honor them and to comfort
you,” Michels said.
Michels and other digni-
taries spoke at an Interpre-
tive Site ~~ Dedication
Ceremony held a year to the
date after the crash last year
that killed four of the six
crew members and critically
injured two others.
Guard members from
both states, along with local
dignitaries, attended the 11
a.m. ceremony which was
held at the site. The list of
“Life-long bond” formed in SD
Chief MSgt. Andy Huneycutt of the N.C. Air Na-
tional Guard’s 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte doesn’t
remember much after the C-
ing in crashed last July 1.
Huneycutt, of Lancaster,
130 Hercules he was fly-
S.C., and MSgt. oh
Marlowe, of Boiling Springs N. gc. were in the rear of
the aircraft operating a U.S.
Forest Service-owned
Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFES),
while fighting a 9,000-acre wildfire in the Southern
Black Hills of South Dakota. (See related story).
The two were the only surviving members of the
~ six-man crew from the N.C. Air National Guard 145th
Airlift Wing, Charlotte.
The huge four-engine aircraft reportedly was
caught in a severe downdraft on its second run of
day.
dropping. fire retardant chemical about 6:30 p.m. that
“I remember being i in the aircraft and then out of
the aircraft,” Huneycutt said. He doesn’t remember
~ what happened in between or how he got out of the
"aircraft,
Luckily, he did still have his cell phone with him
and immediately dialed 911.
Becky Sotherland, Fall River County 911 dis- !
patcher in Hot Springs, about 20 miles away from the
crash site, was on the receiving end of that call.
“He said he was in a plane that crashed. At first I
thought it was a small plane,” Sotherland said.
“Then he said it was a C-130. I knew they were
flying in the area fighting the fire,” she said.
“When a 911 call comes
in, Wwe can pinpoint where |
it is coming from. I lost him on the phone a couple of
times, but finally did locate
him,” she said.
A helicopter was dispatched to the area and man-
aged to find a spot to sit down near the crash site and
pick up both Huneycutt and Marlowe.
Both were flown to Rapid City Regional Hospital.
Huneycutt was flown on to a burn hospital in Chapel
Hill, N.C., where he spent the next several weeks in
treatment.
Huneycutt met Sotherland for the first time at an
“ Interpretive Site Dedication Ceremony held last Mon-
day, July 1, about two miles to the east of the crash
site along Highway 18, six miles north of Edgemont. .
“We absolutely have a life-long bond,” said Huney-
~~ cutt.
“She’s awesome. She saved our lives.”
Summer Heat Poses Special Risks to Seniors
those invited was limited to
100 because of the small size
of the area.
Two impressive interpre-
tive signs were unveiled at
the ceremony, one telling the
story of the C-130 firefight-
ing crew and the other telling
about the White Draw Fire
itself.
From the site, it is possi-
ble to see the area where the
plane went down about two
miles to the west.
The 6:30 p.m. accident
that day reportedly was the
result of a severe downdraft
in the area that caused the
low-flying aircraft to crash.
Killed were pilot Lt. Col.
Paul K. Mikeal, Mooresville,
N.C; pilot Maj. Joseph M.
McCormick, Belmont, N.C.; ,
navigator Maj. Ryan S.
David, Boone, N.C.; and
flight engineer Senior MSgt.
Robert S. Cannon, Charlotte,
N.C. whose wife’s family
lives in Kings Mountain.
MSgt. Josh Marlowe,
Boiling Springs, N.C., was
flown by helicopter to
nearby Rapid City Regional
Hospital with unspecified in-
juries, as was Chief MSgt.
Andy Huneycutt, who was
present at the ceremony. He
was then flown to the Jaycee
Burn Center Memorial Hos-
pital at Chapel Hill, N.C.
The two survivors were in
the rear of the four-engine
aircraft operating a U.S. For-
est Service-owned Modular
Airborne Fire Fighting Sys-
tem (MAFFS) when the
plane went down fighting the
White Draw Fire about five
miles north of Edgemont.
The fire ended up burning
9,000 acres of dry pine tim-
ber. :
All of the airmen were
members of the N.C. Air Na-
tional Guard 145th Airlift
Wing, based in Charlotte.
Huneycutt, a 33-year
Guard member, was accom-
panied by his brother, Col.
Newt Huneycutt and Col.
Huneycutt’s two sons, Je-
remy and Jesse, all members
of the 145th Airlift Wing, the
latter two being third gener-
Sgt. Robert Cannon
ation Guard members.
Andy Huneycutt said the
crew had been all over the
world together. It was impor-
tant for him to be at the emo-
tional ceremony because
“this is where my friends
died?
Marlo Mikeal, widow of
Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal, was’
there with her mother and
two children, Liam and
Amanda.
“It means the world to me
that they are being remem-
bered,” Marlo said. “Paul
was an incredible man all the
way around. I was very
lucky to have him in my
life,” she said.
Melanie Cannon, widow
of Senior MSgt. Robert Can-
non, a 29 year Guard vet-
eran, said, “It’s
overwhelming. It means so
much to us that people would
contribute to this (interpre-
tive site).” She was there
with her children Alex and
Madeline, along with her in-
laws, James and Sandy Russ
of Kings Mountain, NC.
Jenny Elerbe, wife of
Maj. Ryan David, said her
husband always looked for-
ward to flying missions, es-
pecially those in this country
that benefited Americans.
Maj. McCormick was
represented by his mother,
Sharon Hardee, and step-fa-
ther Audie Hardee, Conway,
S.C.
All of the crew members
had been on several lengthy
deployments to either Iraq or
Afghanistan, or both.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Lusk,
N.C. Guard Adjutant Gen-
eral, said the crew “volun-
teered to serve their fellow
Americans.” He continued,
“None took off that day
thinking they were heroes.”
Lusk thanked the state of
South Dakota and its Na-
tional Guard for what they
did to build the interpretive
site in remembrance of the
North Carolina Guard crew
members.
“The citizens of North
Carolina and South Dakota
will forever share a sacred
bond,” Lusk said. =
The interpretive site is a
pullout area along the west
side of Highway 18 in south-
western South Dakota, about
six miles north of Edgemont.
A White Draw Memorial
Fund was established at a
nearby Custer bank to fund
construction material ex-
penses and for future site
maintenance. The site prop-
erty and signs were procured
by the U.S. Forest Service.
Work on the site itself was
done by S.D. Army National
Guard engineer units in the
Black Hills.
Nearly $3,900 in dona-
tions thus far range from $10
to $2,300, the latter check
written by a retired Custer
Air Force officer, Hank
Whitney, who flew on C-
130s near the Russian bor-
der.
From page 1A
Revolutionary War and the
importance of the Declara-
tion of Independence.
“The encampment will
be like stepping back in
time, a time when the deci-
sive battle was fought just
seven miles south of town,
turning the tide of the Rev-
olutionary War,” stated
Kings Mountain Mayor
Rick Murphrey.
Sponsors for the event,
in addition to the City of
Kings Mountain, are his-
toric Kings Mountain
Tourism & Development
Authority, 238 Cherokee
Grill, Bojangles, Gaston
Realtors Inc., Kings Moun-
tain Herald and AM 1450
WGNC.
JULY 4: to feature re-enactors, fireworks
Revolutionary Fourth July 4th Schedule of Events
5 p .m.-=9 p.m.- Music at 6 p.m. by Chris Marks Band, food, vendors,
musket and cannon demonstrations, colonial craft making at the Kings
Mountain Walking Track on Cleveland Avenue. Opening of the historic
Colonial encampment next to the T-Ball field at the Children's Play-
ground next to the city walking track on Cleveland Avenue.
9 p.m.— Parade of Patriors and patriotic opening at the city’s walk-
ing track
Welcome- Mayor Rick Murphrey
Presentation of Colors — KMPD Explorer Post
Invocation — Erica Carpenter, Teen Miss Cleveland County
“National Anthem”- Sophia Kellstrom, Junior Teen Miss North Carolina
Pledge of Allegiance — Kings Mountain Boy Scouts
4th of July Message — Mayor Rick Mirphrey
Patriotic Medley —Loch Norman Pipe Band
“God Bless America” — Molora
Retrieval of Colors — KMPD Explorer Post
Closing Comments — Mayor Rick Murphy
Cannon Battle for the City of Kings Mountain
9:30 p.m. Fireworks Show conducted by Scott Neisler and pyrotech-
nic crew
In the event of rain the fireworks show will be held Saturday at 9:30pm
RIE IBE 3
Editor
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you write a column alerting
seniors to the dangers of summertime
heat? I manage a number of urgent
care clinics, and last summer we had
more than 200 cases of heat-related
illnesses, most of who were seniors.
1 would like to reduce that this year.
Concerned Citizen
Dear Concerned,
I certainly can. Most people don’t
realize that extreme summer heat
causes thousands of heat-related ill-
nesses in the U.S. each year, and kills
more people than hurricanes, light-
ning, tornadoes, floods and earth-
quakes combined, and seniors are
among the most vulnerable.
The reasons behind this are be-
cause of the body’s ability to regulate
temperature through blood circula-
tion and sweat glands tends to decline
with age. Bodies of older adults also
contain far less water than a younger
person, and older brains don’t recog-
nize thirst as easily, making them
more likely to get dehydrated.
In addition, many seniors have
certain health problems that can in-
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crease their risk of hyperthermia
(when the body overheats). These in-
clude:
» Underlying diseases like conges-
tive heart failure, diabetes and
chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
ease or COPD.
e Trouble walking or moving
around.
Being overweight.
» Having dementia or other prob-
lems with thinking skills.
Medications that some seniors
take, like diuretics and other high
blood pressure drugs, can also cause
dehydration or affect the ability of
their heart, blood vessels or sweat
glands to respond to the heat.
Signs of Danger
Heat stroke is the most serious
heat-related illness. The signs to
watch for include a body temperature
above 103 degrees Fahrenheit, a
rapid pulse rate, throbbing headache,
dizziness, nausea, confusion, and hot,
dry skin with the absence of sweat-
ing. If you, or someone you know is
experiencing these symptoms, call
911 immediately because heat stroke
. is a medical emergency.
Hedt exhaustion is milder and can
develop after several days of expo-
sure to high temperatures. The warn-
ing signs are heavy sweating,
paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness,
weakness, fainting, dizziness,
headache, and nausea or vomiting.
What to Do
If you think you may be suffering
from a heat-related condition, cool
yourself down by going indoors into
air conditioning, remove or loosen
any tight-fitting or heavy clothing,
drink plenty of water (but avoid alco-
hol and caffeine), take a cool bath or
shower, or apply cold water, ice
packs or cold compresses to your
skin.
And when you do go out in the
heat, be sure to dress in lightweight,
light-colored, loose-fitting clothing,
avoid extended periods of sun expo-
sure and drink plenty of water even if
you don’t feel thirsty.
Seniors who live without air con-
ditioning should go to public places
that have it like shopping malls, sen-
ior centers or public libraries. Your
local health department can also refer
you to an air-conditioned shelter in
your area.
For those who can’t afford to run
their air conditioning at home, there’s
the federal Low-Income Home En-
ergy Assistance Program (LIHEAP),
along with many utility companies
and charitable organizations that may
be able to help you with your utility
costs. To find out about the programs
available to you, along with their eli-
gibility requirements and how to
apply, call the National Energy Assis-
tance Referral project at 866-674-
6327 or visit energynear.org.
For more extreme heat-related
safety tips, visit the Center for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention website
at cdc.gov/extremeheat.
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Nor-
man, OK 73070, or visit SavvySe-
nior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC Today show and author of
“The Savvy Senior” book.
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