B.T.B. bigs up B.D.F. Air Wing for rescue efforts

They made headlines in 2005 as the heroic officers who circled the skies tirelessly as part of a search and rescue mission for four missing tourists. And during the annual Belize Tourism Awards ceremony at the Biltmore Plaza on Friday night, members of the Belize Defence Force Air Wing were presented with an official token of appreciation. In addition to a recognition plaque, Captain Raymond Shepherd also accepted a cheque for two thousand five hundred dollars towards the work of the Air Wing. In late October of last year, four divers went missing near Gladden Spit. For three days, rescuers in the air and on the water searched for the two men and two women. The four divers drifted in open water until they were spotted by a B.D.F. defender. Three would survive the ordeal, but twenty-eight year old Abigail Brinkman did not. The tour company and employees responsible for the trip has since been banned from operations by the Belize Tourism Board. During the B.T.B. event on Friday, the Belize Disaster Response Team was also awarded a cheque valued at two thousand five hundred dollars for their contributions to the industry in 2005.