Service Members Secure ‘Freedom’ in the Skies Over Crane with Valiant Eagle Rescue

CRANE, Ind. – It is not uncommon for the service members and civilians who work, live, and recreate on Naval Weapons Station Crane to observe the variety of wildlife that inhabits the rural southern Indiana military installation.

Far less common is coming face-to-face with that wildlife while supporting the installation’s critical mission. But for two service members stationed at Crane, that was the situation they found themselves in while working to save a young bald eagle.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Mitchell Brimner and Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Park were performing duties as uniformed security officers when a large bird on the side of the road caught Park’s eye.

“I stopped my car to direct traffic once I noticed there was a bald eagle on the side of the road,” Park said.

The eagle, a juvenile that had not yet developed its distinctive white head and tail feathers, was unable to fly. Alone and clearly ill, the bird was in dire condition.

Multiple attempts were made to capture the eagle over the course of about an hour, causing many onlookers to wonder if a rescue was possible. But Brimner and Park were determined not to leave the bird—a living emblem symbolizing the traits of strength, resiliency and freedom that make America special—wounded and alone on the side of the road.

“Several attempts were made to rescue the bird, but they all essentially failed,” Park explained.

But with support from the installation environmental office and fellow security colleagues, the pair eventually obtained a box, modified it for ventilation and executed a successful capture.

“We got a box, taped it up, cut some holes in it, and then I had him (Park) stand in front of it to distract the eagle while I came up behind it and put the box over its head,” Brimner recalled. “But once we were about a foot away, it sort of stopped wriggling. I think it just wanted the help.”

A concerned motorist provided the phone number for the nearby Bedford-based https://www.facebook.com/p/Raptors-Rise-Rehabilitation-Center-100078985784246/ Lola Nicholson, founder of the organization, immediately drove to the security gate to receive the bird.

“We knew right away something was wrong,” Nicholson said. “If you can catch a bald eagle, there is obviously something wrong with it.”

A veterinarian later diagnosed the juvenile eagle with two strains of avian pox, including the severe diphtheritic form that had caused one eye to swell and foam, severely impairing its vision. The bird was also emaciated after being unable to hunt or feed properly. Experts believe the eagle was roughly one year old—a recent fledgling whose parents likely abandoned it after it fell ill.

Following months of medical treatment, quarantine, and flight and hunting training at Raptor Rise’s 30-acre facility, the eagle was named “Freedom,” honoring both America’s semiquincentennial and the military associations of the location where it was found.

On Sept. 21, with natural resources staff and many others on hand, Freedom returned to Naval Weapons Station Crane where Brimner and Park could cheer its release back into the wild.

“They absolutely saved Freedom’s life,” said Melissa Brown, a volunteer at Raptor Rise. “It would have died on the ground.”

Brady Miller, natural resources manager for Naval Weapons Station Crane, noted Crane’s unique role in fostering the bald eagle population and its contribution to the species’ recovery and removal from the endangered species list in 2007.

“Bald eagles first began successfully nesting at Crane in 1993 and we currently have two active nesting pairs which each typically produce one to two young eagles each year,” Miller said. “Crane also has many eagles which use the installation during migration and during the winter months.”

Nicholson, who has helped lead hundreds of birds from injury back into the wild, noted that the installation’s protected 64,000 acres provide a spacious sanctuary for the species.

“Crane is an ideal place for them,” Nicholson said. “There is an extra level of security there for them and their food sources.”

For the military police officers who made the rescue possible, their actions were a natural extension of their duty to protect and serve.

“I mean, it’s a bald eagle,” Brimner said. “We didn’t want to just leave it. It’s our national bird.”

Their commitment gave the eagle a second chance at life—enabling Freedom to once again fly proudly over the skies of Crane.

Crane Army Ammunition Activity is a vital component of the U.S. Army's Organic Industrial Base, responsible for the full life-cycle management of conventional munitions to enable Joint Force readiness. It is part of the Army Sustainment Command which provides globally responsive strategic logistics capabilities and materiel readiness to ensure America’s military forces are equipped to conduct the full range of military operations. Established Oct. 1977, it is located on Naval Weapons Station Crane.

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