In October of 1991, a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the East Coast, calling for the dangerous rescue of a private sailor on a 40-foot boat. The harrowing situation and all that ensued were part of the inspiration for the movie "The Perfect Storm."
Lt. Col. Graham Buschor, a survivor of that "Perfect Storm," will appear Saturday, July 30, at the New England Air Museum.
He was among the helicopter pilots who ditched in the Atlantic Ocean, surviving five hours in the 50-degree water, where they were bombarded by 60-foot waves. He was picked up by a freighter.
"One thing that went through my mind was the next day was Halloween," he said in a recent interview. "Who was going to take (my children) trick-or-treating?"
Buschor, a father of two, will tell his tale of survival at an evening presentation at the museum in Windsor Locks. He will also be at the museum during the day.
Ever since he was a young boy, Buschor knew he would be joining the armed forces.
"I was from a military family, I was always interested. I have eight brothers and four sisters. Six of my brothers joined the military, so it was just kind of natural," he said.
Right out of high school Buschor got started. "I went to the United States Merchant Marine Academy and I was in the Naval Reserve briefly, and then transitioned over to the Air National Guard."
He has had many positions since then, including chief of flying safety, and squadron commander of the 101st Helicopter Squadron. He has more than 2,000 hours of experience as an instructor, but stopped flying in 2006.
Buschor now works in Syracuse, N.Y., in the "air operations world," meaning he helps manage U.S. aircraft involved in wars and combat missions.
"We manage the air war from an air operations center," he said. "There are a lot of planes flying; you have to decide all the missions. It's basically managing the entire air war."
Discussing more details of the rescue attempt during that huge storm in 1991, Buschor said his team had to fly out to an area about 250 miles off the coast of Long Island. They had to ditch the helicopter, he said, because they ran out of fuel after some 40 attempts to refuel (from an airplane) midair.
Four of the five crew members were rescued after floating five hours in the rough waters. It was thinking about his family and friends that got him through it, Buschor said.
"At the time, I was 29. It was a little bit of an eye-opener to realize you're not indestructible," he said. "It made me appreciate my family and friends more, but there were no (other) radical changes."
Interestingly, it wasn't fear that Buschor felt in those waves. "I was actually quite angry in the water that I had gotten myself into a situation I couldn't get out of," he said. "My big concern was what my family was going to think of this."
The New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Road, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks. Saturday, July 30, 6:30 p.m. $10, free for members. Museum admission $11, $6 ages 4-11, seniors $10. 860-623-3305, www.neam.org.
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