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On the morning of May 18, 1980, following a number of phreatic blasts from the summit of Mt. St. Helens, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a massive eruption at 8:32 a.m. causing a huge landslide and lateral blast that collapsed the volcano’s northern face. Hot pressurized magma erupted, and the ash plume reached a towering height of 80,000 feet, before blanketing the surrounding region.

Washington Army National Guard helicopter crews in Yakima conducting their Annual Training witnessed the horrific event and ran to their helicopters against orders with the goal of saving any lives they could. Guard members would risk their own lives to rescue countless citizens following the eruption.

In the weeks and months to follow more Guardsmen were called to support the state’s recovery, clean up and reopening efforts.

President Jimmy Carter would call this perhaps the National Guard’s finest peacetime response. The economic impacts were in the billions, the loss of life could have been much worse if not for the pilots and crews who immediately responded.

In this episode of Raven Conversations, Mike Cairns a retired helicopter pilot for the Washington National Guard talks us through his first-hand experience during the Mt. St. Helens rescue mission.



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