ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina (July 23, 2002)--Learning how to sew is one of the myriads of jobs an Aviation Survival Technicians (AST) has to learn. ASTs function operationally as Helicopter Rescue Swimmers and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) Basic. ASTs may find themselves being deployed into a myriad of challenging rescues ranging from hurricanes and cliff rescues, to emergency medical evacuations from ships at sea. USCG photo by Telfair Brown