The United States Army
08/23/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 08/24/2026 08:41
Montana Army National Guard rescues injured hiker in Beartooth Mountains
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion conduct a search and rescue mission near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains, Mont., Aug. 20, 2026. An HH-60M Black Hawk crew responded to assist Red Lodge Fire and Search and Rescue with the evacuation of an injured hiker from remote mountainous terrain. The crew transported the hiker to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion conduct a search and rescue mission near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains, Mont., Aug. 20, 2026. An HH-60M Black Hawk crew responded to assist Red Lodge Fire and Search and Rescue with the evacuation of an injured hiker from remote mountainous terrain. The crew transported the hiker to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion conduct a search and rescue mission near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains, Mont., Aug. 20, 2026. An HH-60M Black Hawk crew responded to assist Red Lodge Fire and Search and Rescue with the evacuation of an injured hiker from remote mountainous terrain. The crew transported the hiker to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL 4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion conduct a search and rescue mission near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains, Mont., Aug. 20, 2026. An HH-60M Black Hawk crew responded to assist Red Lodge Fire and Search and Rescue with the evacuation of an injured hiker from remote mountainous terrain. The crew transported the hiker to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL 5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers with the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion conduct a search and rescue mission near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains, Mont., Aug. 20, 2026. An HH-60M Black Hawk crew responded to assist Red Lodge Fire and Search and Rescue with the evacuation of an injured hiker from remote mountainous terrain. The crew transported the hiker to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care. (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
BILLINGS, Mont. - Montana Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 1-189th General Support Aviation Battalion rescued an injured 15-year-old hiker near Moon Lake in the Beartooth Mountains Aug. 20.
The 1-189th GSAB responded to a search-and-rescue request from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center after Red Lodge Fire Rescue and Search and Rescue requested assistance. The mission required helicopter hoist capabilities unavailable through civilian rescue assets.
An HH-60M Black Hawk and five-person crew departed the Billings Limited Army Aviation Support Facility at approximately 7 p.m. and flew to the incident site in Carbon County.
The crew rescued the injured hiker, who had sustained head injuries and a possible broken arm, and transported him to Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge for medical care.
The aircraft and crew returned safely to the Billings LAASF at approximately 9 p.m., completing about two hours of flight time.
The HH-60M crew included Chief Warrant Officer 3 Zach Lundgren, pilot in command; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Wass, co-pilot; Sgt. Derek Cordes, crew chief; Sgt. Cody Lilyquist, medical officer; and Billings Fire Department rescue technician Eric Barbeau.
The rescue marked the second search-and-rescue mission conducted this year by Montana Army National Guard helicopters based in Billings.
The Montana Army National Guard provides specialized aviation and hoist-rescue capabilities to state and local emergency responders upon request, strengthening Montana's ability to respond to emergencies in remote and challenging terrain.
The United States Army published this content on August 23, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 24, 2026 at 14:41 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]