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This was around 1983. I was on a USCG patrol boat that operated out of Santa Barbara CA. This was just before the CG instituted the policy that non emergency events required the boater to radio a civilian salvage co.

We were out doing our AAA on the high seas thing and had just put a civilian boat on I believe it was a 2" towline. I was OOD, Boarding Officer, EMT and didnt handle the lines. We fed out the line and were just putting strain on it when it snapped!

This heavy, wet, line recoiled 100 ft like a bullwhip and hit my crewmember Kevin in the groin! A very dangerous situation that could have killed him and anyone on deck. Petty Officer con77 ,EMT, LEAPS INTO ACTION!

This is where you have to remember that this was a medical emergency. Kevin was a black guy. An ex Kansas City Firefighter that had quit that and joined the USCG. He and I were pretty cool because I worked out like a motherfucker back then. I had to pull his pants down and examine the injured area.

It was definitely swollen with a lot of bruising. I told the Chief we should medevac him because he could have internal injuries.

It wasnt long before a USCG Helo showed up. I had Kevin strapped into a Stokes litter waiting to be winched up. Just as the helo went into a hover above us something happend and they started falling out of the sky! They had only been maybe 100 ft above us.

I threw myself down covering Kevin as best as I could. I remember looking up at the spinning rotor blades about 4 ft above us and 4 ft from the pilot house. The Chief maneuvered the boat away from the downed helo. They were floating. There designed to do that.

Now we had a helo crew ditched and an injured crewman! They did send another helo out for Kevin. Is America great or what? I was told later that the helo had a transmission malfunction. THAT was a close one!

I didnt get too much shit for lookin at Kevins junk because the crew knew if they got hurt that I was the first responder.