By Eric Durr, New York National Guard

KANGERLAUSSAUQ, Greenland –A misstep while running outside the airport in Kangerlaussauq, Greenland, resulted in a broken leg for New York Army National Guard Sgt. Major Corey Cush, on May 18, 2026.

But a combined effort involving Danish military personnel, Greenlandic civilian medical personnel, and New York Air Guard Airmen got him patched up and back home for advanced medical treatment two days later.

The “rapid, coordinated treatment” of Cush, the New York National Guard’s senior enlisted leader, demonstrated how New York Guardsmen and Danish military personnel have learned to work together seamlessly, according to Col. Eric Underhill, the deputy commander of the New York Air Guard 109th Airlift Wing.

Cush was in Greenland with Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, and Richard Anderson, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs.

They were visiting members of the 109th Airlift Wing operating in Greenland executing training requirements and a mission flying equipment and personnel to science stations on the Greenland Ice Cap.

The 109th , which operates from Stratton Air National Guard Base outside of Schenectady, New York, flies the LC-130 version of the Hercules transport, the largest ski-equipped aircraft in the world.

Each year the Air Force tasks the wing’s Airmen to use their unique aircraft and skills to supply scientists working in Greenland. These missions hone the skills they employ in conducting other missions in the harsh Arctic and Antarctic environments.

The Airmen of the 109th Airlift Wing have flown Soldiers and their gear onto frozen Arctic ocean ice, and frozen lakes while conducting tactical training with Canadian forces.

“Greenland provides a training ground you cannot replicate anywhere else,” explained Col. Steven Slosek, commander of the 109th Airlift Wing. “It allows our crews to build the critical skills required to operate in the challenging polar environment.”

The wing operates from the Kangerlussuaq Airport, and it was while visiting the 109th Airmen–as well as New York Army Guard engineers working on facilities there- that Cush was injured.

Fortunately, Danish Army Lance Corp. A.M. Sethsen, a Greenland native who teaches at the Danish Joint Arctic Command’s Arctic Basic School saw Cush go down and immediately moved to help the sergeant major.

A Danish Army medic who was in Greenland as part of Denmark’s Exercise Arctic Endurance, and Greenlandic emergency services personnel, responded quickly as well.

They treated Cush and moved him to the nursing station at the airport, Underhill said.

Danish Army doctors responded, as did Air Guard Lt. Col. Kevin Collins, the 109th’s flight surgeon.

The Danish doctors determined that while Cush would need additional treatment, there was no need to evacuate him to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. Instead, they applied a cast to stabilize his leg.

Meanwhile a team from the 109th’s 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron—Dr. (Lt Col) Kevin Jones,
Capt. Justine Bottorff, and Master Sgt. Rebecca Eldred—flew into Kangerlussauq on May 19.

The three comprised a Critical Air Transport Team. These are medical personnel who specialize in moving badly injured patients.

On May 20, Cush was on his way back to Stratton Air National Guard Base. When he arrived, he was taken immediately to nearby Albany Medical Center for the more complex care he required.

The combined Danish, Greenlandic and American effort demonstrates the “critical strength and strategic value of our Arctic alliances,” said Anderson, the Air Force undersecretary.

“This immediate, unified action by Greenlandic first responders, Danish military medical personnel, and the 109th Airlift Wing demonstrates flawless interoperability,” Anderson emphasized.

Anderson joined Shields in presenting a challenge coin to Sethsen to thank him for his quick initial reaction to Cush’s injury.

“We are deeply grateful to our Danish and Greenlandic partners for their exceptional care and unwavering commitment to mutual support in such a demanding environment,” Anderson added.

The New York Air National Guard first began flying missions to Greenland in 1975, so the Danish Joint Arctic Command and New York Air Guard know each other well, Underhill noted.

“The bonds between the 109th Airlift Wing, the people of Greenland, and our Danish military partners are built on fifty years of shared history and mutual trust,” Underhill said.