‘You Are One of many Many Heroes Right here’

Prince Harry spent his Friday evening in Carpinteria, Calif., serving to increase funds for Santa Barbara County First Responders.

The prince took the stage on the star-filled One805LIVE! live performance, hosted by Kevin Costner. The live performance helps increase funds for the native fireplace, police, and sheriff departments, with proceeds going in direction of tools and psychological well being sources.

The Duke of Sussex took the stage in entrance of a whole bunch of concertgoers with the evening’s honoree, Santa Barbara County air assist pilot Loren Courtney.

“As you have most likely heard already, 22 years [of] navy service over 10,000 hours and infrequently sees his household as a result of he is all the time right here flying helicopters,” Prince Harry mentioned of Courtney.

After he quipped that Courtney was 65 years outdated however seemed 40, he requested him, “Why do you continue to do what you do?”

“I do that as a result of I really like doing it and I really like doing it for the county of Santa Barbara. It is a rewarding expertise at any time when we exit, both placing out fires or rescuing someone within the again nation or medical evacuations from car accidents or doing the regulation patrol, holding residents secure,” Courtney replied.

When Prince Harry requested if there was “an expertise or a narrative that stands out” from his years of service, Courtney recalled an expertise when he was doing search and rescue in Colorado and helped rescue a bunch of skiers who had gone off a 30-foot embankment.

One in all them, he mentioned, suffered a extreme head damage and took 5 makes an attempt to get out.

“I discovered within the navy, you by no means go away anyone behind. We acquired him out. He spent nearly a 12 months in intensive care after which rehab, and now he is strolling, he acquired married. He truly went to the highest of the Grand Tetons and, and proposed to his girlfriend after the accident,” the pilot added.

“You did not have to rescue him once more, did you,” Prince Harry joked. “You might be one of many many heroes right here tonight. There are individuals right here tonight who’re alive due to you and who’re again to their households due to you… from all people right here, thanks a lot.”

One other honoree of the evening was musician Kenny Loggins, who carried out and acquired this 12 months’s “Coronary heart of the Neighborhood Award.”

“In recognition of his extraordinary and fixed philanthropic work in Santa Barbara County, One805 has chosen to honor Kenny Loggins as a recipient of this 12 months’s ‘Coronary heart of the Neighborhood Award.’ He’ll obtain the award on-stage on the live performance. Prior recipients have included Kevin Costner and founding board member Alan Parsons,” mentioned One805 govt board member Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith in a earlier press launch.

The lineup additionally included Pink & Dallas Inexperienced as “You + Me,” Joe Bonamassa, Alan Parsons, Al Stewart, Richard Marx, Alyssa Bonagura, Jordan Asher Huffman, Plastic Harpoons, and the Santa Barbara Symphony.

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Final September, Prince Harry was accompanied by Meghan Markle as he attended the One805LIVE! Fall 2023 fundraiser occasion.

Prince Harry beforehand served as a helicopter pilot throughout his decade within the British Military, flying coaching missions within the U.S., U.Okay. and Australia, in addition to fight missions in Afghanistan.