When the call comes in, the Montana Army National Guard is on the move.
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Teenagers Justus Houghtelling and his friend Tobias Heidner found themselves in a dire situation while hiking in the Beartooth Mountains. It was supposed to be a fun summer hike, but on the way down, Justus fell hard, breaking his head open on a rock. The fall caused a seizure, a broken arm and various other injuries.
"He's having a seizure. There's blood all over him," Tobias Heidner said.
The two teens were stranded, without knowing what to do, on a mountain with nobody else in sight.
"He had a satellite phone, so I was able to text on that or use the emergency SOS," Heidner said.
The helicopters and rescuers that saved Justus' life were the same ones that greeted the boys Tuesday.
"The sun was going down and we were waiting. Finally we hear the helicopter propellers," Heidner said.
Justus' mother, Andrea Houghtelling, said she is thankful for the crews who showed up.
"Everybody who we encountered was super helpful, compassionate," Houghtelling said.
Tuesday, the boys had the chance to thank the Montana Army National Guard team that helped get them off the dangerous cliff.
"I thought I wasn't going to be able to recognize them, but it's like I just, you can tell who was there," Houghtelling said.
The Montana Army National Guard shows up in all kinds of ways that don't involve life-threatening close calls, too, like at a Headquarters for a Day event. Brigadier General Trent Gibson said community outreach events like these, speaking with the National Guard and going on helicopter rides, remind people of the National Guard's place.
"The Montana National Guard is a cross section of your neighbors right there teaching in your schools are working in your communities," Gibson said.
"A lot of people don't realize that you know, we are part of the community," Gibson said.
The crews work to keep people safe, especially in tricky situations, something Justus and Tobias know firsthand.
"It was a really smooth operation. I felt very confident and not scared the whole time because I knew there was people that knew what they were doing," Heidner said.
