79th Rescue Squadron
79th Rescue Squadron
| |
---|---|
Active | 1952–1960; 1961–1972; 1993–1998; 2003–present |
Land | Vereinigte Staaten |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Combat Search and Rescue |
Part of | Air Combat Command |
Garrison/HQ | Davis-Monthan Air Force Base |
Engagements | War in Afghanistan Global War on Terrorism[1] |
Decorations | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
Insignia | |
79th Rescue Squadron emblem (approved 23 July 1968)[1] |
The 79th Rescue Squadron operates the Lockheed HC-130J "Combat King II" variant of the C-130 "Hercules" and provides rapidly deployable combat search and rescue forces to theater commanders worldwide. It conducts helicopter air refueling, airdrop, and airland of pararescue personnel and/or equipment in support of combat personnel recovery. Its crews are capable of landings on short, unimproved, runways and low-level operations during day or night with night vision goggles.[2]
Mission
The 79th Rescue Squadron operates the HC-130J "Combat King II" and provides rapidly deployable combat personnel recovery forces to theater commanders worldwide. It conducts helicopter air-to-air refueling, airdrop and airland of pararescue personnel and/or equipment in support of combat personnel recovery. The 79th is capable of providing airborne mission commander and rescue mission commander duties for long periods of time due to our receiver aerial refueling capability, limiting mission length to crew stamina. Its crews are capable of landing on short, unimproved runways and conducting low-level operations during daytime missions, or night with the aid of night vision goggles.
History
Operations
Recent Accomplishments
2011 Meritorious Unit Award (1 Jun 2011 – 31 May 2011); 2012 Meritorious Unit Award (1 Jun 2011 – 31 Jan 2012). In 2011, the 79th Rescue Squadron completed an eight-month Operation ENDURING FREEDOM deployment, where it executed 1215 combat sorties, saving the lives of 334 allied, coalition, and Afghan military and civilian personnel. 2015 Meritorious Unit Award
2005 Hurricane Katrina Rescue Missions
The 79th Rescue Squadron (RQS) deployed to Moody Air Force Base (AFB) in support of Joint Task Force Katrina. The 79th along with their sister squadron, the 71st RQS located at Moody AFB, flew search and rescue and refueling missions over the New Orleans area for several days after the hurricane destroyed much of the Gulf Coast. The crews from the two rescue squadrons were credited with over 4,300 saves.
2006 Sudan mission
On 28 November 2006, a squadron of HC-130 aircraft assigned to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti was sent to an airfield in Darfur, Sudan to retrieve the belongings of a US military liaison who had left the area. On the ground at Al-Fashir airfield, the aircraft was surrounded by 150 Sudanese soldiers who refused to allow the aircraft to leave, fearing that the crew had taken photographs of Sudanese military operations at the airfield. The Sudanese soldiers threatened to rape two female members of the crew and stated that the entire crew would be executed. The US crew barricaded the aircraft and refused to allow the Sudanese soldiers to enter during a tense stand-off.[3]
After four hours, a locally assigned US military liaison was able to persuade the Sudanese airfield commander to allow the aircraft to depart without further incident.[4]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 79th Air Rescue Squadron on 17 October 1952
- Activated on 14 November 1952
- Discontinued and inactivated on 18 September 1960
- Activated on 10 May 1961 (not organized)
- Organized on 18 June 1961
- Redesignated 79th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 January 1966
- Inactivated on 30 June 1972
- Redesignated 79th Rescue Flight on 1 April 1993
- Activated on 1 May 1993
- Inactivated on 2 July 1998
- Redesignated 79th Rescue Squadron on 22 January 2003
- Activated on 14 March 2003[1]
Assignments
- 11th Air Rescue Group, 14 November 1952 (attached to Far East Air Forces, until 1 June 1953, then to 6319th Air Base Wing)
- 2d Air Rescue Group, 16 February 1954 (remained attached to 6319th Air Base Wing to 1 August 1954, to Far East Air Forces to 10 May 1955 then to Seventh Air Force unitl an unknown date)
- Air Rescue Service, 24 June 1958 – 18 September 1960
- Military Air Transport Service, 10 May 1961 (not organized)
- Air Rescue Service (later Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), 18 June 1961
- Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center (later 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing), 1 April 1967 – 30 June 1972
- 321st Operations Group, 1 May 1993
- 321st Missile Group, 1 July 1994 – 2 July 1998
- 355th Operations Group, 14 March 2003
- 563d Rescue Group, 1 Oct 2003 – present[1]
Stations
- Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 14 November 1952 – 18 September 1960
- Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, 18 June 1961 – 30 June 1972
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 May 1993 – 2 July 1998
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 14 Mar 2003 – present[1]
Aircraft
- Boeing SB-29 Superfortress, 1952-1956
- Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1952-1954
- Sikorsky SH-19, 1955-1960
- Douglas SC-54 Skymaster (later HC-54), 1956-1960, 1961-1966
- Lockheed HC-130, 1966-1972, 2003-
- Kaman HH-43 Huskie, 1971-1972
- Bell HH-1 Huey, 1993-1998[5]
- HC-130P Combat King, 2003–2012[citation needed]
- HC-130J Combat King II, 2012 – present[citation needed]
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Dollman, TSG David (19 June 2017). "Factsheet 79 Rescue Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ 563d Rescue Group Fact Sheet
- ^ Hoffman, Michael, "11 airmen survived 2006 confrontation in Sudan", Military Times, 28 October 2009.
- ^ Hoffman, Michael, "11 airmen survived 2006 confrontation in Sudan", Military Times, 28 October 2009.
- ^ Aircraft in Dollman, except as noted.