Bad weather is not anything new to Coast Guard pilot Cmdr. Patrick Shaw, who once was stationed in Kodiak, Alaska, navigating the low visibility and gusting winds often found there.
Despite such conditions, in his 15 years of decorated service, he never had an accident, or even a close call.
On Wednesday when he hit a snowstorm in Wasatch County on his way from the Pacific Northwest to his base in North Carolina, it may have been his experience that saved the lives of his passengers.
Two days after the crash, Shaw continues to battle for his own.
Shaw was returning from a security assignment at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver when his MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter went down in a heavy snowstorm. Shaw and one of his passengers, electronics technician Gina Panuzzi, were in critical condition, though Shaw on Thursday improved to serious condition. His co-pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Steven Cerveny, was also in serious condition. Two others were uninjured.
The cause of the crash still is unknown, and crash investigators are on their way from Shaw's home base of Air Station Elizabeth City.
For now, Shaw's friends and family are praying for a speedy recovery.
His athleticism is helping him to overcome his injuries, said his mother Suzanne Shaw.
He is the youngest of four children, and the only one who was able to graduate from the high school he started in -- his father, James, served in the Coast Guard for almost 34 years, and the family moved every few years as assignments changed, she said. James Shaw put in for a year extension in Alaska so his son could graduate from Juneau Douglas High School, where he played on the basketball team, ran track and was also a baseball player.
In high school, he was friendly and a natural leader in high school, said his former basketball coach George Houston, who also coached Jazz player Carlos Boozer.
"Just knowing Pat and his capabilities, it doesn't surprise me he's saving lives," Houston said. "He was always just a really good person."
While Shaw never really took an interest in what his dad did for a living, between his junior and senior years in high school, Shaw attended the Coast Guard Academy for a preview week, and came home with a lot of questions for his father about serving. After graduating high school, Shaw attended the academy, playing on the school's basketball team and excelling in classes, his mother said.
About four years after graduating from the academy, and finishing aviation school, Shaw became a pilot for the Coast Guard.
He's had an exemplary record, free from crashes and earning 27 ribbons, medals and commendations for his service, according to Coast Guard Lt. Jeremy Davis in North Carolina.
"He's always been really safety-conscious," Suzanne Shaw said. "And he knows how to deal with weather. He was in Kodiak for awhile."
She has spoken with her son twice since the accident, though she hasn't asked any specifics about what happened. Patrick Shaw has talked with his wife, Heather, and their three sons, Ty, 19, Drew, 16, and Quinn, 13.
While none of the boys have expressed interest in joining the Coast Guard, Suzanne Shaw is still hopeful one of them will.
"Ty and Drew just went to homecoming at the academy with their dad, and all of Pat's friends were asking 'Wouldn't you like to be here?'" she said. "So they're getting some exposure, and they're still young. There's still time."
Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.
