An Operation Guardian Support joint aircrew rescued two men in distress early Sunday following a 9-1-1 call from the desert southwest of Tucson.
The National Guard and U.S. Border Patrol aircrew conducted and intensive search and spotted the pair under some brush. The UH-72 Lakota helicopter touched down to allow the U.S. Border Patrol paramedic on-board to assess and treat the two men found.
Both men, age 22, from Mexico, walked across the Sonoran Desert for five days. Despite being out of water and food, they were found to be in good health before being escorted to a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle and taken into custody. The two men were transported to the Tucson Station for processing and prosecuted for immigration violations.
Their call to 9-1-1 saved their lives.