In June 2018, 13 people were trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. MSgt Derek Anderson was among those called for the rescue. This is his story.
Transcript
In June 2018, twelve Thai children, and their soccer coach, found themselves trapped deep in a cave, with no way out. Master Sergeant Derek Anderson, the Superintendent of Special Tactics and Weapons programs here at Aviano, was part of this rescue operation, and this is his experience.
[Derek] Initially, it was raining really hard at the cave. We just came in and we met with some of the Thai Navy SEALS that were already there for a few days. I think the most difficult part is there was no rule book. No one had ever done a rescue like this before so, we still only thought, maybe we had a 50% chance of success. But, what we did know is if we didn’t do anything, if we waited the five or six months for the rains to stop and then the water to come down, they would have for sure all died.
Master Sergeant Anderson learned a lot from the Thailand cave rescue, which is why he talked to Aviano Airbase, about the lessons he learned in cross cultural communication, leadership, and working in a complex, multinational environment. Airman First Class, Kevin Allen, Aviano Airbase, Italy.