March 23, 2025
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (KT) — In the midst of great trouble, sounds of praise were heard in Eastern Kentucky on Monday.
When the Kentucky Army National Guard was called upon to rescue people trapped by flood waters, a group of about 15 people were loaded onto a helicopter and flown to a safe area. One of the helicopter crew chiefs was Austin Banks, who was touched by what he heard.
“We had two people singing church hymns from the moment we picked them up until we dropped them off,” said Banks, a 23-year-old who has been in the Guard for five and a half years. “It’s hard to hear with a helicopter going, but I turned back and looked and saw them belting out hymns. Others were shouting AMENS!'”
Banks said his unit was tasked with rescuing people from an apartment complex who had been stranded for three days. “We flew in, landed on a baseball field, and brought them all out.”
The experience caused Banks, a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Berea, to reflect on the sermon the previous day by interim pastor Randy McPheron.
“He preached about revival, how this world needs revival. At that moment, I felt God was working that aircraft. It was like a small revival with people coming together. When we landed people were praising God. Many were not used to a helicopter, some may have never flown before, but there were a lot of amens and praising. It was about like that on every lift.”
The unit, based in Frankfort, transported three groups for the day. Their aircraft rescued 97 people, six dogs, and a cat.
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This story first appeared in Kentucky Today.
