22071-F-XX000-1007
Civil Air Patrol 1st Lt. Alysia Larson, West Bay Composite Squadron Emergency Services officer and Professional Development officer, and her husband, Capt. Paul Larson, West Bay Composite Squadron Character Development officer, were about a half-mile from Quonset State Airport, R.I., when their aircraft’s engine lost power short of the runway and they found themselves 2,600 feet from shore having to swim in the choppy, frigid water of Narragansett Bay, R.I., March 30, 2024. Alysia Larson credits their survival to training they received from U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sam Neitzer, 305th Operations Support Squadron Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Tactics noncommissioned officer in charge, at Hawk Mountain Ranger School in July 2022. (Courtesy photo)