“Quiet, we’re rolling!”

Crescent Harbor beach on the Seaplane Base and Ault Field’s Hangar 1 resembled a Hollywood set last weekend with grip and lighting, cameras, and even the proverbial director chairs. Production crews came to spotlight NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue Swimmers, “stars” and heroes to many in the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Navy Recruiting Command hired the Los Angeles based Bandito Brothers to film new commercial video spots focusing on five unique Navy jobs. According to DoD employee Jim Simpson of Navy Recruiting Command, the commercials will be aimed for male and female ages 18 to 24.

“Air rescue swimmers are one of five jobs we’re recruiting, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Divers, Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen and Navy SEALs (Navy Sea, Air and Land Forces), said Simpson. “Young people who want a job out of the ordinary; who want a mental challenge and are physically fit.” NAS Whidbey’s own SAR swimmers are one such elite group to promote that message of excitement and saving lives.

The Bandito Brothers are well-known in the movie industry as a full-service media company that creates, produces, manages and distributes audio-visual content. Movie camera expert Shane Hurlbut, who directed photography for this year’s Hollywood movie “Terminator Salvation,” came to help make this a professional product.

They filmed water rescue Saturday from a commercial boat and with a civilian helicopter film crew to capture Naval Chief Aircrewman Helicopter Jeremiah Wilkins, Aircrewman Helicopter 1st Class Andrew Worth, Aircrewman Helicopter 2nd Class Salomon Padilla and Aircrewman Helicopter 2nd Class Nicholas Tookenay in action.

They started early Saturday morning with scenes at sunrise jumping from the MH-60S Knighthawk into Crescent Harbor, rescuing a “victim” played by another SAR crewman. Ironically while filming Saturday afternoon at Hangar 1, SAR responded to a real call to search the waters off of Lopez Island, Port Angeles and Anacortes for two missing boaters who unfortunately were not found.

On Sunday, they flew to Split Rock, a 3,163-foot summit in Skagit County, for a land rescue scenario, just one of the typical training scenarios they conduct on a regular basis.

What did Wilkins think about his brush with Hollywood? ”It was very cool to show what we do and how we train to the film crew,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how the final edit looks when it hits the airwaves and internet.”

Worth agreed saying, “Working with a Hollywood film group like the Bandito Brothers and stunt helicopter pilot for the movie ‘Transformers’ was a killer experience. There was some truly unbelievable footage taken promoting Air Rescue. I am really looking forward to seeing the result here in a few months.”

For the audience who will soon see the commercials, Tookenay said during his personal interview, “Today’s Navy is geared toward education and success. They set you up with valuable skills that work in the Navy as well as (when you get out) of the Navy.”

As rescue swimmers, they all agreed they had made the right job choice, believed in the SAR motto “So others may live” and challenged others to join them.