YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- When U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ty LaCourse, 48th Intelligence Support Squadron cyber systems operation section chief, and his wife set out to climb Yosemite National Park’s (NP) famous Half Dome early in the morning on June 28, 2025, they knew it was going to be exciting. This wasn’t LaCourse’s first time summiting the route, but it would be his wife’s very first experience going rock climbing.
Yet, what started off as a thrilling day soon turned into a life-altering one.
After driving for hours, LaCourse and his wife arrived at Yosemite NP at 4:30 a.m. and immediately proceeded on the nine-mile hike to Half Dome’s summit, eventually gaining 4,880 feet from the base to its top via the cable route. “The most famous—or infamous—part of the hike is the ascent up the cables. The two metal cables allow hikers to climb past the last 400 feet to the summit without rock climbing equipment,” writes the National Park Service.
For LaCourse, the day was shaping out to be memorable. “Hiking through Yosemite Valley is something so profound as you’re surrounded by these granite monoliths,” said LaCourse. “We watched the sun rise over the valley, pouring over the waterfalls, it was just incredible.” Yet, when he and his wife neared the top, LaCourse heard the call to action when he happened upon a distressed hiker.
While LaCourse was there at the right place at the right time, he just as easily might not have been able to hike that day. He grew up hiking and rock climbing in Vermont, continuing his hobby and passion after enlisting and while he was stationed at Aviano Air Base (AB), Italy. There, while climbing a rock wall, he fell 35-feet onto concrete. He broke his scapula, C7 vertebrae, hip, sternum and ankle, as well as bruising tissues in his stomach.
“After the emergency surgery I was hospitalized for about three months, the Air Force took care of me, but every step of the way my future was uncertain,” said LaCourse. “I had doubt about where my career would be going, and a lot of people didn’t quite know what would happen.”
It took six months for LaCourse to get back to full health. And miraculously, he started climbing again, even becoming a climbing instructor at Ramstein AB in Germany. He taught aspiring climbers how to have fun, while staying safe to avoid an injury like his own.
“I got to apply the experience that I had to make things better for others,” said LaCourse. “Sometimes I would talk about it and remind them, even while having fun in a controlled environment, how serious it could be.”
One hundred feet into the cable section of the Half Dome hike, LaCourse happened upon a serious situation. “We noticed nobody was moving and then someone mentioned a woman was stuck and trying to come down,” said LaCourse. “So, I just climbed past and around everyone to go help.”
He approached a visibly shaken woman, who had lost her footing trying to descend the cables. LaCourse quickly acted, helping her stabilize and reach the next foothold.
“I started talking her through what we were going to do, but she had this makeshift kit to secure and unsecure from the cable, so that involved taking a hand away from the cable to continuously secure and unsecure, that added to the risk,” said LaCourse. “I helped her to use it while navigating her down and other people that were trying to go up, bracing her the whole way down, it took about ten-minutes to get to the base to safety.”
Once safe, LaCourse took a moment to talk through the incident. The hiker was trying to descend and had become exhausted. The growing fear due to the steep angle of the rock caused her to lock her grip and lose all momentum. LaCourse had been able to break through that paralysis and guide the woman to safety.
“It’s hard to say what made me think or decide to go help in that moment, I just knew somebody had to or it was just going to get worse,” said LaCourse. “I guess it was instinct, like a gut reaction. People could get hurt or even die, so I kind of knew it had to be me, and I stepped up, which I’m grateful I did because who knows what could have happened.”
While initially quite shaken, the hiker became more responsive as LaCourse coached and reassured her on their descent. When they did reach the bottom, she was immediately thankful to LaCourse for stepping in during the precarious situation.
“Somebody was in distress and needed a hand and nobody else was stepping in, I had the confidence to do so,” said LaCourse. “If you’re not confident or lack the skills and try to help, you might just make things worse. I happened to be the most equipped person in the area at that time, so the confidence just kicked in as well.”
That inherent desire of his to help, to make things better, LaCourse attributed to the Air Force.
“To act in a moment where hesitation isn’t an option and respond swiftly and effectively, that’s ingrained in me from over ten years in the Air Force,” said LaCourse. “In that moment, it’s not about thinking I’m a good person, it was just immediately acting, providing the help that was needed, rising to that occasion when there was a need. Of course, afterwards it does feel incredible to have been part of that solution, to have helped someone, provided safety, and made things better, but in the moment that’s not really the thought process.”
LaCourse’s drive to lend a hand encapsulates the Air Force core value of “service before self.” His impact was felt that day on Half Dome, and every day at Beale.
In the Air Force, an Airman must achieve the rank of Master Sergeant before they can hold the position of First Sergeant, or “shirt”. These First Sergeants hold special responsibilities to care for Airmen. At Beale, LaCourse serves as an additional duty First Sergeant, an acting “shirt.”
“When the First Sergeant needs to step out, I take the phone, and I hate seeing an Airmen in distress, but I love helping them through it,” said LaCourse. “I love being the one that can show up for someone when they need it and let them know they’re cared for. You’re important, you’re a human and you matter.”
When he fell, LaCourse had to work his way back up. That day on Half Dome, he used his experience, and expertise to extend a hand to another climber in need. Now, every day in the Air Force, he is able to be that hand to reach out and help Airmen get down from their own “rock.”