Ogdensburg native receives Red Cross Hero Award
Story and photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Jorgensen
The American Red Cross recognized an Ogdensburg, N.J., native as a military hero Friday, March 6, 2009, for rescuing a woman with severe head trauma from a sailboat 245 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Mass., during a thunderstorm July 2, 2008.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Mackenzie Skrba, a 2003 graduate of Wallkill Valley High School, has been a health services technician at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Mass., for the past four and a half years and was the medic on the helicopter that went to medevac the wounded woman.
When the helicopter arrived, Skrba helped the flight mechanic lower the rescue swimmer down to the 40-foot sailboat, Avra, as it was being tossed around in 15-foot seas. He and the flight mechanic worked together to keep the swimmer safe as the Avra's rigging and mast swayed unpredictably in the rough seas.
Once the injured woman was hoisted into the helicopter, Skrba administered advanced life support to stabilize her and then cared for her during the two-hour flight to shore. An Ambulance met the crew at the air station and took the woman to a local hospital where she was treated and made a full recovery.
The Cape Cod and Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross presented the Military Sea Rescue Award to Skrba and the four other men who were on the helicopter with him in front of more than 500 people during a ceremony in Hyannis, Mass.
"I'm honored to be recognized with so many other great heroes," Skrba said after the ceremony.
Skrba also received the Coast Guard Achievement Medal on Dec. 2, 2008, for his role in the rescue.
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