FORT PICKETT, Va. –
Fort Pickett Fire and Emergency Services personnel, as well as personnel from several other garrison directorates and state and local partner agencies combined forces to execute complex, high-risk rescue operations after several paratroopers became stuck in trees July 10, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of our firefighters and installation leaders and employees who came together to make these rescues happen safely,” said Col. Eric Quinn, the Fort Pickett garrison commander. “Thanks to their efforts and the efforts of our partner agencies including Virginia State Police and Chesterfield Fire and Emergency Medical Services, we were able to bring those Soldiers to safety, uninjured, despite the high-risk environment.”
Three paratroopers with the Fort Lee-based U.S. Army Aerial Delivery and Field Services Department were conducting airborne training operations in the vicinity of Castles drop zone. Gusting winds and an unconventional approach to the drop zone created conditions for the Soldiers to overshoot their target and become snared in dense woods.
“Typically, the jump aircraft flies over the landing zone from south to north,” explained Mike Alder, deputy to the Fort Pickett garrison commander. “On this date, the aircraft flew a non-standard north-to-south approach. The combination of the tailwind and the sudden 20-mph gusts pushed the paratroopers far past their planned landing area and directly into the dense, old-growth timber.”
After the first parachutist became stuck about 45 feet from the ground, Fort Pickett firefighters responded under the leadership of Lt. Curtis Marshall and began ground rigging in an attempt to reach the survivor. After the Soldier began to complain about numbness in her legs, the Virginia State Police’s medical transport helicopter, MedFlight, was dispatched to the scene. Due to the dense tree canopy, it was quickly determined aerial rescue would not be possible.
Led by firefighter Curtis Berry, the ground crew rigged a complex rope and pulley system using tree stands. Brandon Martin, the installation’s natural resources manager, and Matthew Lynch, a forestry technician, took down a nearby tree to assist with access to the survivor, and firefighter Robert Paulett was able to free the Soldier and bring her safely to the ground without injury.
Alder said the parallel planning of a ground rescue saved critical time.
“Because Fort Pickett Fire maintained continuous operations, there was zero operational lag or time lost when MedFlight officially ruled that the tree canopy made an aerial hoist too dangerous,” Alder said. “The ground-rescue plan was already fully staged and ready to execute immediately.”
As that rescue operation concluded, two more Soldiers missed their drop zones and became stuck in trees about 300 yards away from the initial rescue. One was low to the ground and was able to be freed relatively easily, but the other Soldier was tangled in limbs and foliage about 80 feet from the ground. The VSP helicopter was called back to the scene to assist with the rescue.
To make room in the densely-wooded incident site for an aerial rescue, Martin again was called on to take down several trees to open a hole in the canopy for a rescue hoist, including one tree close to the survivor which was leaning in the high winds.
While the VSP pilot hovered just above the tree line, the Chesterfield County Fire & Emergency Services rescue technician was lowered and was able to fight difficult conditions to disentangle the parachutist and hoist him to safety.
“The pilot had to maintain a precision hover over an extremely small canopy hole,” said Alder. “The intense rotor wash thrashed the tree branches, creating a highly unstable environment. The Soldier was severely and awkwardly entangled in the thick branches. Fighting the rotor wash, the Chesterfield EMS rescuer was lowered, worked through the thrashing limbs, secured the Soldier and freed him from the harness.”
After landing, the Soldier was evaluated and released to his unit with no injuries.
While the aerial rescue took place, workers with the Directorate of Public Works were busy with a contingency ground rescue plan, transporting the tallest mobile elevated work platform on the installation to the scene and prepared to conduct a hasty road improvement to get the equipment to the rescue site in case the aerial rescue was unsuccessful.
Alder said the Fort Pickett Fire and Emergency Services team proved their proficiency during the operation.
“The entire Fort Pickett Fire and Emergency Services shift was on site for the duration of both incidents,” said Alder. “Firefighters Corey Woody and Dalirious Washington established and secured the landing zone for the helicopter, while the rest of the crew were instrumental in the initial search to locate the parachutists in the dense woods. They continuously moved heavy equipment and apparatus between the different incident sites and proactively managed scene safety by distributing hard hats to various personnel on site who lacked proper PPE, all while ensuring rescue crews stayed hydrated.”
Behind the scenes, more Fort Pickett personnel were busy managing the complex rescue efforts. Emergency coordinator and dispatcher Melissa Fisher was a vital asset, managing phone and radio communications between agencies and the installation to help get all personnel to the right location. Andrew Holsenback with Blackstone Army Airfield was on site to support aviation and airspace operations. Jason Burrow, the Virginia National Guard’s emergency coordinator, and Lt. Col. Christopher Guillory, Fort Pickett’s director of Plans, Training and Security, were both at the scene to help coordinate the rescue efforts.
“The level of inter-agency coordination, parallel planning and risk mitigation that happened on the ground was incredible,” said Alder.
Read more about Fort Pickett at https://vngpao.info/y6j7rpjm.