Pocono News Section

Local Connection to Gulf Oil Rig Explosion Rescue

Local Connection to Gulf Oil Rig Explosion Rescue - Friday, May 28, 2010 at 04:12AM EST

Reported by: Mark Hiller
Friday May 28 2010

WEST NANTICOKE, LUZERNE COUNTY - It turns out the Gulf oil rig explosion disaster has a local connection. A Luzerne County native helped supply support during the early hours of the crisis. His parents spoke Friday to Eyewitness News about the ordeal.

West Nanticoke native and Petty Officer Dustin Bernatovich was just leaving his New Orleans base to head home the night of April 20th. That's when the Coast Guard Rescue got an urgent phone call about the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. "They said where are you? How soon can you get back here? We have a major problem and we need you," said Dustin's mother, Swimmer's mother, Suzanne Bernatovich of West Nanticoke.

"And you could see it miles and miles away so he knew something was bad," said Dustin's father, Mike Bernatovich.

Petty Officer Bernatovich was choppered to the scene. He later told CNN in an interview, "We saw with the naked eye around 40 miles just the glow coming from the fire and then when we got on scene the oil rig looked like I would say a small city block that was shooting flames around 200-feet in the air."

He jumped from the chopper and swam about a mile to the supply vessel on scene to assess the injuries and determine who he needed to help first. "Some of the injuries that he had to deal with were pretty gruesome," said Mr. Bernatovich.

"People with burns... people just, you know, a lot of black marks on their skin. People that were frightened. He said it was just the worst thing he's ever, ever seen," said Mrs. Bernatovich.

From there, Petty Officer Bernatovich did what he's been trained to do -- execute a flawless rescue. "He loaded I believe it was three of them up in the basket 'cause they can only fit so many and were taking them back to shore," said Mrs. Bernatovich.

"I know the training that he went through and has to go through is pretty intense," said Mr. Bernatovich.

And they're pretty proud parents-- knowing their son is well-prepared to handle any mission that comes his way. The Bernatoviches say they worry about their son whether he's jumping into the middle of something like the oil crisis or a capsized boat rescue.

But they say he doesn't think twice about it and they usually don't find out about his missions until after they're done. They say they prefer it that way.