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Naval Air Crewman Erik Courtney of Merritt Island Assists Family On Papua New Guinea

By  //  July 10, 2015

Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Erik Courtney, from Merritt Island, Florida, with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, poses in front of an MH-60S Sea Hawk during Pacific Partnership 2015.
Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Erik Courtney, from Merritt Island, Florida, with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, poses in front of an MH-60S Sea Hawk during Pacific Partnership 2015. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Valerie Eppler)

RABAUL, PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Erik Courtney of Merritt Island, a member of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 in Papua New Guinea, was a rescue swimmer during a patient transport mission where his helicopter picked up six stranded Papua New Guinea passengers, including one infant, on June 30 and brought them to the hospital ship USNS Mercy for evaluation and treatment.

USNS Mercy is at its second mission port of Papua New Guinea for Pacific Partnership 2015.

Pacific Partnership is in its 10th iteration and is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

While training for crisis conditions, Pacific Partnership missions to date have provided real world medical care to approximately 270,000 patients and veterinary services to more than 38,000 animals.

Additionally, the mission has provided critical infrastructure development to host nations through more than 180 engineering projects.

(From left) Lt. Junior Grade Jonathan Yaede, Lt. Julie Froslee, Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Erik Courtney, Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Taryn Billings, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Matthew Hawkins, with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, pose in front of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during Pacific Partnership 2015.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Lt. Junior Grade Jonathan Yaede, Lt. Julie Froslee, Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Erik Courtney, Naval Air Crewman 3rd Class Taryn Billings, and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Matthew Hawkins, with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21, pose in front of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during Pacific Partnership 2015. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Valerie Eppler)