Lisa Hannon - 021, an ASRC IC who died in the line of duty on May 3 1994.

Lisa attended the University of Virginia where she majored in international relations and English literature. While in college, she joined the Blue Ridge Mountain Rescue Group, a member group of the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference (ASRC), where she served as the equipment officer, incident staff training officer, ASRC Board of Directors representative and preventative search officer, which included her active involvement in coordinating the Hug-A-Tree program that teaches children how to survive and be found if lost in the woods. Operationally, Lisa rose through the field and management ranks to become an ASRC and VA state incident commander, the highest certification possible in the ASRC and VA state search and rescue program. She was one of two female ICs in the ASRC at the time. She was a certified VA emergency medical technician and member of the Scottsville, Virginia, Rescue Squad, serving on a regular weekday night crew. Lisa graduated UVA in December 1993 and began working part-time while looking for a job in the area of international aid and development. During the Spring of 1994, she trained and was certified in April as an Outward Bound instructor in order to fine tune her group leadership and mentoring skills and help others through outdoor experiential education.

On Monday May 2, 1994, the West Virginia State Police called the Virginia Department of Emergency Services to request assistance with a 3-day old massive search for a five-year-old boy, Victor Shoemaker, lost in the mountains of Hampshire Country near the town of Kirby. Lisa responded as the initial IC for Virginia and the state liaison for all VA SAR resources. She was to be the highest SAR trained and most experienced SAR person on-site. However, she would have to figure out the political and command structure of the mission and determine in what role she or others from VA could help. That night, Lisa together with the other search managers successfully established an incident command system organization under a single IC, Lisa, for mission coordination. As someone later recalled, when she arrived on scene and began to organize the effort, a calm began to settle on the search base. When her relieving ICs arrived, John Punches-ASRC-SWVMRG, and Dave Carter ASRC-TSAR, they found a well-organized search operation.

Lisa left the mission base on a bright clear morning about 8am to make it back to the DC area in time for her afternoon job, since a fellow co-worker had taken her original morning shift. While driving along US Route 50 about 20 minutes after leaving base, she is believed to have fallen asleep, her truck striking a tree at full speed, killing her instantly. Lisa was 24 years old. She died in the line of duty, the first such death in the Virginia search and rescue program.

See the longer version of this tribute for details on the Lisa Hannon service awards, memorial fund, and follow-up actions by ASRC to help avoid fatigue related accidents in SAR and emergency services in general.

Bud Hyland - 065 (ASRC PIN) / 676 (SMRG PIN), who passed away May 26 2004.

Bud was a staunch supporter of SMRG and the ASRC over many years. He was a great source of wisdom and knowledge and humour when it was needed. We shall miss him.

A retired electrical engineer at the FAA, he was a long-time member of the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group. A former Navy Frogman and Navy Seal, Bud was also a member of the Virginia SAR Tracking Institute. He was a certified EMT, a commercial pilot, a Civil Air Patrol volunteer and a volunteer forest fire fighter for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Between hazardous missions, Bud found time to become a grandfather of 17 grandkids.

Bud Hyland was 'sent on his final search' in fitting style. On Monday 31 May family friends and colleagues gathered to tell stories of Bud's life. Perhaps the most memorable was how, as a young lad, he had persuaded two sisters to tie weights to themselves and to lower themselves into a lake as they wore a bucket over their heads and Bud pumped air to them through a garden hose. On Tuesday June 1st, after a farewell Mass at a local church, the funeral procession, under police escort, drove to Quantico where a Naval bugler and escorts helped all to say farewell to Bud.

Peter McCabe

As many of you know, we lost a very dear member of our Venture Crew 616 this past year. Peter McCabe was not just a white haired gentleman, but also a grand and beautiful personality who had a presence that shines through everyone at MSAR to this day. When I was traveling to my very next meeting following his funeral, I was thinking very hard about whether or not I would be able to go into the church, set up the tables and chair the meeting as President, and continue with business as usual. That meeting passed with me fully expecting a hearty laugh from the back of the room with a stately man standing and saying, "AH YES, I do have one thing to add, historically speaking...." Of course, this didn't happen, and although it wasn't mentioned, I know how different it was without him there.

However, at the next officer's meeting, a discussion took place which really opened my eyes. We were voting on what to do in his honor, or "In Memory Of." All the ideas presented were exquisite; ranging all the way from naming a shelter after him, developing an award in his honor, planting a tree, or even having a ceremony in memory of him. Some of these ideas have already been put into action, but the most significant idea to me was the one which was unspoken. This idea was to remain a crew, a team, to be Maryland Search and Rescue, or Venture Crew 616, and do our job; to respond to searches with the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference. This was probably what he would have wanted. Of course, hats off to all of you who do this, because it is truly the work of a lifetime. This is the greatest honor you can give to his memory, and he is truly always with us in spirit at every meeting, at every search and every time we are on a training weekend (explaining the ERV or the antenna. :)

At the MSAR feast in June we had a candlelight circle tribute for our dear Mr. McCabe, and memories were shared, tears were shed, and laughter resounded while sharing the stories and personality of this vibrant individual who was loved, and dearly so. The beauty of that moment was that it connected everyone in that circle, whether or not you knew him or whether or not he touched a part of life; that is truly a memory that will never be forgotten. We then decided that this tribute still wasn't enough, and so are having another ceremony on October 10th at the McKeldin area of Patapsco State Park at 6 pm. Everyone is welcome. It is bound to be a gorgeous ceremony, and we urge all of you to attend, for afterwards we will be having a regular meeting and training. We will be planting a silver maple in his honor and sharing more memories.

Those of us in MSAR always remember that MSAR is our second family, and the more you participate, the more you come to gain insight into your life and those around you. Our business is that of creating leaders, as one fine gentleman once put it. These leaders are some of the most wonderful people you will meet in your life, those who will give up their birthdays, anniversaries, time, energy, commitments, and at times, their sanity to provide every opportunity for you to grow as a person and as a leader. They help us explore and maximize our potential; both physically and mentally in order to encourage you to expand your horizons and reach for the moon. They are there to tell you when it's better to stop, to get you back on your feet when you fall, to find your limit and push you beyond, to redefine the meaning of success, to turn mistakes into stepping stones, and finally, to say: “Look, I know you CAN do it, don't let yourself think you can't.” When your response is:” I really don't think so.”, Their response is: “I know, but I do.”

This program is unforgettable, and if you stick with it, you will learn more than you ever thought possible, achieve more than you ever have before, and stretch your comfort zone like a rubber band without worrying that it will ever snap. The beauty of MSAR is truly that you have no idea when you will learn a valued lesson, for it could be part of any moment, which makes the tiniest suggestion of a compliment more valuable than any physical award. Looking back over the past four years, I understand now why I stayed. During my very first meeting, a remarkable man that went by the name of Peter McCabe told me that it would mean the world to him if I would come back next week, “just to see”. I did come back, and I’ve never left since. I can honestly say there has not been even a fraction of a second where I have looked back upon my decision with regret. The incredible amount of experience and friendship I have gained from that one decision is more than I can ever express in words; I doubt I will ever be able to and to me, that is truly a beautiful thing.
By Tabassum Majid, MSAR

Glynn Mooneyham, who passed away December 12, 2004.

Glynn Mooneyham, an active member of Piedmont Search and Rescue, passed away Sunday evening December 12th, after a sudden illness.

Glynn joined Piedmont Search and Rescue in March of 2001 and quickly became a familiar face at many missions over the next several years. Glynn is remembered for his warm smile, quick laugh, and dedication to the hunt for lost and missing persons.

Glynn is survived by his wife Linda, son Joshua, parents Ruby and Max, and three brothers; Max, Rodney, and Gerald. Memorial contributions may be made to Piedmont Search and Rescue.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Mooneyham family.