Some 3,300 hours of flight time, 750 parachute jumps, 526 rescue and recovery flights, and 134 lives saved.
Such figures would be impressive if they were the multiyear accomplishments of entire rescue squadron, yet they belong to a single pararescueman-Senior Master Sgt. Paul Reddington, who retires this month.
"'Red' set the standard for selfless service," said Maj. Thomas Stevens, commander of Reddington's unit, the Alaska Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron. "He's a patriot-always the first to volunteer."
Over the course of a 25-year military career, Reddington deployed to numerous austere locations around the world.
But he will probably best be remembered for his saving the 134 lives.
One of his most memorable "saves" occurred in 2001. Reddington was part of a rescue crew that hoisted two men from Cook Inlet, Alaska, after their helicopter crashed into the icy water.
"We got the call a minute after the helicopter went into the water, and we took off within 11 or 12 minutes," he said in January. "The two guys were very hypothermie, but we were able to get to them in time."
Reddington began his military career in the active-component Air Force in 1983. In 1989, he was instrumental in standing up the rescue squadron at Kulis Air Guard Base in Anchorage, Alaska, unit leaders said.
Squadron personnel said his increasing expertise since has rubbed off on every unit pararesuceman and led to advances in rescue operations.
"I'd say the most I've learned from Red is his ability to look at a situation and adapt to it, which is very important in any rescue mission," said Chief Master Sgt. Skip KuIa, who worked with Reddington for more than 20 years.
Reddington plans to stay around the 212th in retirement. He has accepted a private-contractor job as the unit's dive master.
-By Kalel Brooks
© 2008 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Source: National Guard
