U.S. Military Copters, Personnel Join Search For Missing American in Costa Rica
August 24th, 2009 | by admin |
The U.S. military has sent two specially equipped helicopters and 15 military personnel to aid in the search for an American missing in Costa Rica, according to the military and the missing man’s congressman.David Gimelfarb, 28, of Chicago, Illinois, was last seen August 11, when he went hiking in a Costa Rican national park. His parents have been searching for him with the aid of the Costa Rican Red Cross and friends of the missing man.
Gimelfarb’s congressman, Rep. Mark Kirk, D-Illinois, wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Monday requesting assistance from the U.S. military, and the military agreed to send UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, equipped with infrared sensors that can detect a human body by its emitted heat. There are 15 U.S. Air Force and Army troops, including medics, pilots, crew and communications specialists, accompanying the helicopters in the search, according to a military spokesman.
The helicopters and personnel are from a base in Honduras that houses a joint task force under the United States Southern Command. The task force’s mission includes supporting rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the region, according to a spokesman for the Southern Command.
The Blackhawk helicopters flew two missions Wednesday in support of the search and continuing the flyovers on Thursday, according to the spokesman, Jose Ruiz.
Gimelfarb was hiking alone when he disappeared, according to information posted on a Facebook page set up by his family and friends. He had traveled to Costa Rica to explore the volcanic region in the Rincon de Veija National Park, and he was last seen by a park ranger there before he entered an area of “dense rainforest,” according to the Facebook page.
“The search for David is particularly appropriate for military assets because this is one American lost in the jungle,” Kirk said in a phone interview. “right now we think it boosts the chances to find David.”
