An Alaska National Guard helicopter was shuttling Santa, Mrs. Claus and gifts to an Alaska Native village when it had to make a lifesaving detour. The 176th Wing has performed more than 2,000 civilian search and rescues since assuming search and rescue duties in Alaska nearly three decades ago. Army Times spoke with three aircrew members who were tasked with battling the largest wildfires in modern European history. The wildfire then swept toward the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii, where Perry and his wife had lived for seven years. Zarrius Ray Hildabrand faces murder and evidence tampering charges in the death of his wife, Saria Hildabrand, earlier this month. Guard and active duty troops are providing air and sea lift of cargo, fire suppression as needed and setting up supply staging areas on Maui and Oahu. The troops will be part of a joint force of National Guard and active forces responding to the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. President Joe Biden said the Coast Guard and Navy are supporting response and rescue efforts, and the Marines are providing helicopters to fight the fires. Two Army veterans turned Air Force civilians led a months-long effort to digitize more than 1,400 long-forgotten photos of Arctic training exercises. The port will accommodate larger cruise ships, and military vessels to counter the presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic. Load More