Synopses & Reviews
"So That Others May Live"In December 1994, two gargantuan rogue waves struck the Salvador Allende, knocking down the 450-foot cargo ship in the mid-Atlantic. In the darkness and howling winds, in the midst of a horrific, impenetrable storm, the terrified survivors clung to their lives by the thinnest of threads-out of contact and out of the reach of any ship afloat.
A thousand miles away, one of the world's most elite rescue teams scrambled into action...
This is the gripping and unforgettable true adventure of an astonishing rescue at sea -- a tale of the unparalleled courage and skill of men who endured a record-breaking fifteen-hour, non-stop helicopter ride through bone-jarring turbulence to carry out a mission on the ragged edge of impossibility. It is the story of a unit of the New York Air National Guard, the 106th Rescue Wing, which includes the famed PJs, the Pararescuemen, whose training is so rigorous and standards so high that only a dedicated handful qualify to join; heroes without peer who were willing to brave a maelstrom of forty-foot waves and schools of killer sharks, to risk their own lives "so that others may live."
Includes 16 pages of authentic photographs.
Synopsis
In December 1994, the cargo ship "Salvador Allende" capsized in the Mid-Atlantic in the midst of a horrific storm. A thousand miles away, the world's most elite rescue corps scrambled into action. This is the true story of an astonishing rescue at sea and of the men who endured a record breaking 16-hour non-stop helicopter ride through bone-jarring bad weather on a mission on the ragged edge of impossibility.
About the Author
Pararescue is Michael Hirsh's first book. He spent much of his career as a broadcast journalist producing documentaries and specials for PBS and WTTW/Chicago, where he won a Peabody Award as well as a lot of other stuff his wife is tired of dusting. Hirsh served as an Army combat correspondent with the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, Vietnam. He and his wife, Karen, live in Los Angeles with Kipper the Golden Retriever and Alfie the Aussie. Their two other children, Bill and Jennifer, work in New York.