Today the Navy honored dozens of National Guardsmen, firefighters and others who helped rescue 17 people from a helicopter that crashed in the west virginia mountains.
Two paramedics who were lowered to treat seriously injured crew and passengers got hugs from the air crew and plaques and letters of appreciation from Navy brass at a special ceremony at the Elkins-Randolph County Airport.
Rescuers in Pocahontas County braved the extreme cold and rugged terrain last month to rescue and transport the crew and passengers to medical facilities. injured air crewmen came back to thank West Virginia.
Petty Office Ben Chellew, a crewman on the crashed helicopter, said:
"They're heroes. All of them were heroes, everybody who was apart of it. You know our job is search and rescue, For them to come and save use--that's pretty awesome. "
The helicopter was en route from Fort Pickett, Virginia, to Camp Dawson as part of a training exercise involving the Navy and National Guard. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.