E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Monday, June 15, 2009
UPDATED: Hundreds Mourn Fallen N.M. State Police Officer
By Barry Massey
Associated Press
SANTA FE — The chief pilot for the State Police, who died in a mountain rescue mission, was remembered Monday by family, friends and colleagues for his love of flying and commitment to helping others.
But it was Sgt. Andy Tingwall's own words — from a letter written to his family in case he died in the line of duty — that captured his dedication.
"When you see someone who needs help, help them. When you see someone who needs a hug, hug them," he wrote to his wife, Leighann, and two young daughters. "Help those who can't help themselves."
Police Chaplain Debbie Kuidis, a retired Albuquerque police officer, read portions of the letter at a memorial for Tingwall. The service drew more than 1,000 mourners to an aircraft hangar where he worked and where State Police aircraft are based.
"Think of me when you see a plane or helicopter blow by, and know that I am at peace," Tingwall wrote.
His brothers, Steven and Douglas, recalled that he had wanted to fly since childhood.
He died last week — on his 36th birthday — during an attempted rescue of a hiker lost in the mountains northeast of Santa Fe. The hiker, Megumi Yamamoto of Toyko, died in the crash.
The only survivor was Officer Wesley Cox, a State Police officer who served as the pilot's spotter on the mission.
Cox, 29, is recovering from leg and back injuries, and he attended the memorial in a wheelchair — his right leg extended and bandaged. A medical attendant accompanied Cox, who remains hospitalized.
He did not speak at the service but sat near Tingwall's family.
The crash happened last Tuesday night after Cox and Tingwall landed near an alpine lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, carried Yamamoto to the helicopter and took off.
But clouds rolled in and visibility disappeared, Cox reportedly told State Police, and the helicopter's tail rotor apparently hit a tree.
The helicopter slammed into a steep incline near a 12,600-foot mountain. Cox spent the night in the wreckage and hobbled out the next day, walking more than a mile through deep snow and rocky terrain before reaching a rescue team.
Yamamoto's mother and aunt attended the memorial along with the Japanese consulate general from Denver, who presented a wreath to Tingwall's family.
Gov. Bill Richardson called Tingwall a hero.
"And he would be flinching right now as I said that because he would be saying, `That's my job,'" said Richardson, who had flown on numerous trips on the helicopter with Tingwall and knows his older brother, Steven, who is a State Police officer and part of the governor's security detail.
"Andy described himself as a common man but he accomplished uncommon deeds," said Richardson.
Mourners gathered outside the hangar at the end of the memorial. Three police and military helicopters flew over side by side. Then one pulled up and hovered high above as the other two banked to the east — leaving a gap in the middle, a symbol of the fallen pilot.
At Yamamoto's viewing in Albuquerque, her boyfriend, Paul Harrington, and her mother, Junko Yamamoto, were joined by friends, family and members of the University of New Mexico's physics department, where she was a graduate student.
"She was my first-born baby and she has been supporting me," said Junko Yamamoto, who described herself as a single mother. "She was a tremendous lady."
Junko Yamamoto spoke to reporters in Japanese through an interpreter.
Harrington said his girlfriend lived an "extremely interesting life," spoke several languages and volunteered as a translator for international outreach groups, including Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders.
"She was pretty quiet but the friends she had were lifelong," he said. "She was so brilliant and did what she could to help people."
Copyright ©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
