Your comments only reinforce my point the difference between your relative and the climbers is your relative's altruistic motivation is necessary to save lives while the climbers self centered actions to fulfill a thrill is unnecessary and endangers others lives. .... Man50D
You need to understand that these rescuers are thrill seekers too. That is why they chose to be rescuers.
People often come up to me and tell me that I "saved their life" by picking up that early cancer on their mammogram or their CT. I seldom remember the case or their name.
When I "save a life" in the safety of my hospital, I get the "warm and fuzzies" for five minutes and then move on with the rest of my day.
By contrast, you should see my relative describing, with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye, how he had to hold his helo close to the cliff face to lower his Corpsman to the injured climber while fighting the swirling updrafts caused by the cliff face.
When my relative "saves a life", the associated danger gives him a thrill that he relives every time he tells the story.
In regards to "necessary", right now he is back in Iraq flying other missions besides just SAR. The dangers faced while rescuing civilians in the U.S. are serving him well as he is used to being in sphincter-tightening situations.
If real life climbers in trouble did not exist, the military would just have to put themselves in dangerous situations to rescue plastic dummies.
