Isle guardsmen recall horror of air show crash

Members of the Hawaii Air National Guard quickly transformed a tented luau site into a triage station Friday after a plane crashed into the crowd at an air show in Reno. Nev.

“It was a pretty horrible, horrible sight there,” said Col. Richard Ando Jr., a flight surgeon who was standing 50 to 100 yards from the crash site. “Lots of loss of life and horrific injuries. It was quite a shocker.”

More than 20 members of the Hawaii Air Guard arrived Monday aboard a C17 Globemaster cargo jet at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam, four days after what some described as one of the worst tragedies they’ve witnessed.

“There are no words I can tell you just what some of us saw out there,” said 1st Lt. Jason Lilly, who was standing about 350 yards away from the impact zone. “You just didn’t expect it at a place where families are coming for the weekend to just watch a show.”

They arrived in Reno on Thursday to prepare for the air show, where the C-17, one of nine based at Hickam, was to be among the aircraft on display.

During the show a P-51 Mustang called the Galloping Ghost crashed into the VIP seating section, killing the pilot, 74-year-old James Leeward, and nine others.

All of the Hawaii airmen, some of whom are firefighters and one who is a nurse, quickly reacted. Some tended to the injured and comforted those in shock, while others served as security officers and transported casualties.

The canopied area, intended for a luau, became a place to assess injuries.

“Individually, in the emergency room, you see a lot of things, but this was on a large scale,” said Ando, a doctor at Kuakini Medical Center and a National Guard member for 19 years. “It was pretty horrific.”

He said it was one of the most awful events he’s observed in terms of mass casualties.

A member of the National Guard suffered cuts from flying debris. He was treated and released that day and is doing fine, according to his fellow guardsmen. He returned Monday and declined to talk to the media.

Chief Master Sgt. Alan R. Ogata, a 36-year veteran, was standing about 60 yards from the impact zone. White chairs and people were flung into the air after the plane slammed into the crowd, he recalled.

“Seeing the aftermath, it was traumatic,” he said.

In the C-17 operations building courtyard Monday, Ogata lowered his head and teared up as he described how proud he was of his fellow guardsmen.

“They did it with a high degree of professionalism, compassion and aloha,” said Ogata, who serves full time as a chief loadmaster and operations superintendent. “I’m proud of them. They’re heroes.”

Ogata tended to a woman who told them she saw her husband killed in the crash. He said he grabbed his leather jacket and put it on her to comfort her as she trembled in shock.

“My heart goes out to the victims and families,” he said.