Agreed. Not only was dustoff personally rewarding (saving soldiers/airman/marines from all over) but also a major way to gain the trust of a skeptical populace. Many many of our patients were locals who had no other option. Humanitarian flying was something I wasn't expecting but what I think about the most.

At CBP, same thing. Surveillance work rarely pays off in the moment. Federal investigations take forever. But an SAR is an immediate benefit to my community which builds massive goodwill.