Jump to content

920th Rescue Wing

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

920th Rescue Wing
Members of the 920th Rescue Wing conductingfreefalltraining overCape Canaveral Air Force Station
Active1963–1965; 1973–1983; 1997–present
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
TypeWing
RoleCombat search and Rescue
Size2,500 personnel
Part ofAir Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQPatrick Space Force Base,Florida
DecorationsAir Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
CommanderColonelJesse Hamilton
Vice CommanderColonelAmy Meier
Command ChiefChief Master SergeantJames Loper
Insignia
920th Rescue Wing emblem(approved 26 September 1984)[1]
Aircraft flown
Multirole helicopterHH-60G Pave Hawk
TransportHC-130J
COMBAT KING II

The920th Rescue Wing(920th RQW) is part of theAir Force Reserve Command(AFRC) of theUnited States Air Force.The wing is assigned to theTenth Air Forceof theAir Force Reserve Command(AFRC).

The 920th Rescue Wing is stationed atPatrick Space Force Base,Florida, with additional geographically separated units consisting of the943d Rescue Group(943d RQG) atDavis-Monthan Air Force Base,Arizona; the304th Rescue Squadron(304th RQS) atPortland International Airport,Oregon; and the 920th Aerospace Medicine Squadron (920th AMDS) atJoint Base Langley-Eustis,Virginia. When mobilized to active duty, thewingis operationally gained by theAir Combat Command(ACC).

Overview

[edit]

Headquartered atPatrick Space Force Base,Florida, the 920th RQW is AFRC's premier combat search and rescue (CSAR) unit. The wing consists of over 2,500 combat rescue Airmen, trained and equipped to locate and recover U.S. Armed Forces personnel during both peacetime and wartime military operations. Additional missions have included crewed spaceflight support, such as providing rescue support forNASASpace Shuttlemissions during that program's operation; providing search and rescue support for civilians who are lost or in distress over land or at sea; and lending support in humanitarian and disaster relief operations with the wing'sHH-60G Pave Hawkand, until December 2019,HC-130P/N Hercules COMBAT KINGaircraft.[2]With retirement of its last HC-130P/N, the 920th RQW transitioned to theHC-130J COMBAT KING II,with the wing's first HC-130J arrived on 2 April 2020.[3]

The 920th RQW has initiated the retirement of its HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, replacing them with theHH-60W Jolly Green Giant II.

In addition to its three aircraft squadrons, two in Florida and one with its subordinate 943 RQG in Arizona, the 920th RQW has three Guardian Angel rescue squadrons in Florida, Arizona and Oregon consisting ofCombat Rescue Officersand enlistedPararescuemen,the latter known as PJs. While many CROs and PJs enter the 920th from the active duty Air Force, others are accessed directly into the Air Force Reserve. CRO and PJ Candidates must pass a physical assessment test which has about 15% success rate. An average of eighty people Air Force-wide enter the 2-year CRO / PJ training program each year.[4]The CRO / PJ team, along with enlisted Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) experts, is collectively known as GUARDIAN ANGEL.[5]

The 920th RQW was involved in the famous 'Lone Survivor'Operation Red Wingsmission, that rescuedNavy SEALMarcus Luttrellin Afghanistan and helped in the recovery operation to retrieve the remains of Luttrell's fallen SEAL team. Since 1956, the 920th RQW and its predecessor organizations have saved more than 3,900 lives, including 850 combat rescues and 3,000 peacetime rescues, such as the 1043 lives the wing saved during HurricanesKatrinaandRita.[6]

Units

[edit]

Operations

[edit]

NASAcrewed space flight support:

Disaster relief:

History

[edit]

Need for reserve troop carrier groups

[edit]

During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages. Communities were more likely to accept the smallersquadronsthan the largewingsand the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning.Continental Air Command(ConAC)'s plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States. When these relocations were completed in 1959, reserve wingheadquartersand wing support elements would typically be on one base, along with one (or in some cases two) of the wing's flying squadrons, while the remaining flying squadrons were spread over thirty-five Air Force, Navy and civilian airfields under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept.[10]

Although this dispersal was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during theBerlin Crisis of 1961To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishinggroupswith support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for theCuban Missile Crisis,with the units being released on 22 November 1962. The formation of troop carrier groups occurred in January 1963 for units that had not been mobilized, but was delayed until February for those that had been.[11]

Activation of 920th Troop Carrier Group

[edit]

As a result, the920th Troop Carrier Groupwas established atMemphis Municipal Airport,Tennessee, on 11 February 1963 as the headquarters for the702d Troop Carrier Squadron,which had been stationed there since November 1957.[12]Along with group headquarters, a Combat Support Squadron, Materiel Squadron and a Tactical Infirmary were organized to support the 702d.

The group's mission was to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials byairdrop,landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped withFairchild C-123 ProvidersforTactical Air Commandairlift operations.

The 920th was one of three groups assigned to the445th Troop Carrier Wingin 1963,[13]the others being the918th Troop Carrier GroupatDobbins Air Force Base,Georgia, and the919th Troop Carrier Groupat Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee. The group continued training with C-123s at Memphis until it was inactivated in 1965.

Tactical airlift and weather reconnaissance

[edit]

In 1973, the group was again activated atKeesler Air Force Base,Mississippi, as the920th Tactical Airlift Groupand equipped withLockheed C-130 Herculesaircraft as part of the459th Tactical Airlift Wing.In 1973, it was redesignated as the920th Weather Reconnaissance Groupflyingweatherreconnaissancemissions withWC-130H Herculesaircraft, including flying intohurricanesas "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft from 1976 to 1983 as part of the403d Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wingat Keesler AFB. The 920th Weather Reconnaissance Group inactivated in 1983 and its mission was assumed by the815th Weather Reconnaissance Squadronwithin the 403d Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing.[1]

Air rescue / combat search and rescue

[edit]
One of the 920th Rescue Wing's HC-130P Hercules "Combat King" aircraft refuels one of the wing's HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters.

In January 1993, the301st Rescue Squadron(301 RQS), a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the939th Rescue Wing(939 RQW) atPortland Air Reserve Station,Oregon, moved from its former home station atHomestead Air Force Base,which had been devastated byHurricane Andrew,toPatrick Air Force Base.[14][15]In one day in March 1993, the 301 RQS saved 93 elderly residents from rising flood waters at their Tampa area retirement community. In coordination with theU.S. Coast Guardand theAir Force Rescue Coordination Center(AFRCC), the squadron's HC-130P and HH-60G aircraft routinely searched the Caribbean for downed aircraft and retrieved critically ill sailors from ships hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic. With aid from the U.S. Coast Guard, the unit also made a daring rescue of 28 British seamen from their sinking merchant vessel 270 miles off the east coast of Florida.

In April 1997, the rescue mission at Patrick AFB expanded as the former 920th Weather Reconnaissance Group was reactivated as the920th Rescue Group(920 RQG), forming a headquarters for the 301 RQS and the newly-formed39th Rescue Squadron(39 RQS) as the helicopter and fixed-wing elements of the 301 RQS were formed into separate units.[1]

In 2001, portions of the 920 RQG were forward deployed to Southwest Asia supportingOperation Southern Watchwhen the attacks on the U.S. homeland of 11 September 2001 quickly had the group segueing toOperation Enduring Freedomduring 2001 and 2002.[16]

On 1 April 2003, the 920 RQG was redesignated as the920th Rescue Wing(920 RQW) and became the parent unit for all combat search and rescue (CSAR) organizations inAir Force Reserve Commandas it added the943d Rescue Group(943 RQG) atDavis-Monthan AFB,Arizona. The same year, elements of the 39 RQW and 301 RQS mobilized to active duty under Presidential Selected Reserve Callup (PSRC) authority and forward deployed toTalil Air Base,Iraq in support ofOperation Iraqi Freedom.Several unit aircraft came under enemy antiaircraft fire, both antiaircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles during this deployment.

In 2004, the 920 RQW's Regular Air Force gaining command was briefly reassigned fromAir Combat Command(ACC) toAir Force Special Operations Command(AFSOC). This was done as part of a USAF and DoDJoint Personnel Recovery Agency(JPRA) initiative to merge all USAF combat search and rescue assets and USAF special operations fixed-wing and rotary-wing airborne infiltration/exfiltration (INFIL/XFIL), helicopter air refueling (HAR), and combat search and rescue (CSAR) assets into a single command. However, command and control issues unique to the special operations community made it apparent that this was not a preferred arrangement and, in 2006, all Regular Air Force and ARC combat search and rescue assets in AFSOC were aligned back under ACC as the gaining command in the Continental United States, underPacific Air Forces(PACAF) for Regular Air Force CSAR units atKadena Air Base,Okinawa and ARC units in theAlaska Air National Guard,and underU.S. Air Forces in Europe(USAFE) for Regular Air Force CSAR units then based in the United Kingdom.

In 2005, the wing'sHC-130andHH-60flight crews recorded more than 1,000 lives saved during disaster operations along theLouisiana,Mississippi,andAlabamaGulf Coast in the wake ofHurricane Katrina.the wing provided extensive rescue and humanitarian support along the U.S. Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, this less than 48 hours following the return of a significant portion of the wing's assets from an AEF deployment to Djibouti.

In 2008, three of the 920 RQW's subordinate rescue squadrons, the 39 RQS, 301 RQS and 308 RQS, led military units engaged in civilian rescue and relief efforts for hurricane-related disasters in southeast Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Mississippi to include Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Both Hurricanes Hannah and Ike wreaked havoc upon these states, with the 301 RQS providing support with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, the 39 RQS with HC-130P Hercules aircraft and the 308 RQS providing pararescue support.

The 920 RQW's flight crews fly in weather conditions which often test man and machine or at night using night-vision goggle (NVG) technology. The 920 RQW has repeatedly completed arduous, over-water rescues which frequently require the wing'sHH-60G Pave Hawkhelicopters to be mid-air refueled, previously by theirHC-130P HerculesCOMBAT KING aircraft, and now by theirHC-130J HerculesCOMBAT KING II aircraft – a capability not shared by theU.S. Coast Guard's service-uniqueMH-60T Jayhawkhelicopters andHC-130HandHC-130J Herculesaircraft.

The 920 RQW is also fully integrated into the Air Force's Air and Space Expeditionary Force and has deployed personnel and equipment to the formerNaval Air Station Keflavik,Iceland on a routine basis in support ofNATOoperations, and to various locations in Southwest Asia (to include combat zones in Iraq and Djibouti) from 1991 to 2021 in support ofOperation Desert Storm,Operation Southern Watch,Operation Enduring Freedom,Operation Iraqi Freedom,andOperation Freedom's Sentinel.The wing also continues to routinely deploy to Djibouti in support ofCombined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africaand elsewhere in Southwest Asia in support ofOperation Inherent Resolve.

HC-130P/Nsof the39th Rescue Squadron,920th Rescue Wing, on the ramp at their home station of then-Patrick Air Force Base,Florida, circa 2008
920th Rescue Wing/301st Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk during Hurricane Katrina-like flood training at the Guardian Centers in Perry, Georgia

On 7 August 2017 the 920 RQW retired its last "legacy" HC-130P/N COMBAT KING when it was flown to the309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group(309 AMARG) atDavis-Monthan AFB.[17]The "legacy" HC-130P/N aircraft having been based on modified C-130E airframes, the 920 RQW temporarily transitioned to newer HC-130P aircraft based on modified C-130H2 airframes transferred from the176th Wing(176 WG) of theAlaska Air National Guardpending the 920 RQW's transition to and receipt of new manufacture HC-130J COMBAT KING II aircraft.

In January 2018, members of the 920 RQW were honored in theInternational Maritime Museum HamburginHamburg, Germanyafter saving two German citizens whose vessel caught fire in July 2017 approximately 500 nautical miles off ofCape Canaveral, Florida.The medal is the organization's highest recognition awarded to individuals, crews or organizations who either took part in the rescue of Germans, or to German crews who took part in a rescue under extremely difficult or challenging circumstances. TheGerman Maritime Search and Rescue Servicepresented the 920th Rescue Wing with the Medal of Honor for Rescue in Distress in a special ceremony.[18]

In December 2019, the 920 RQW retired its last HC-130P that had been transferred from the Alaska ANG as an interim aircraft. Flight crews of the 39 RQS and HC-130 flight crew on the 920 RQW staff began rotating through the58th Special Operations Wing's415th Special Operations SquadronatKirtland Air Force Base,New Mexico on extended temporary duty for transition training on the HC-130J while 920th Maintenance Group personnel rotated through the82nd Training WingatSheppard Air Force Base,Texas for HC-130J maintenance training. On 2 April 2020, the 920 RQW accepted delivery of its firstHC-130J Hercules COMBAT KING IIaircraft from theLockheed Martinfactory atAir Force Plant 6inMarietta, Georgia.[19]

Lineage

[edit]
  • Established as the920th Troop Carrier Group,Assault and activated on 15 January 1963 (not organized)
Organized in the reserve on 11 February 1963
Discontinued and inactivated on 15 December 1965
  • Redesignated920th Tactical Airlift Groupon 2 March 1973
Activated in the reserve on 25 April 1973
Redesignated920th Weather Reconnaissance Groupon 1 January 1976
Inactivated on 1 November 1983
  • Redesignated920th Rescue Groupon 1 April 1997
Activated in the Air Force Reserve on 15 April 1997
Redesignated920th Rescue Wingon 1 April 2003[1]

Assignments

[edit]

Components

[edit]
Groups
  • 920th Operations Group: 1 April 2003 – present[1]
  • 920th Maintenance Group: 1 April 2003 – present[20]
  • 920th Mission Support Group: 1 April 2003 – present[20]}
  • 943d Rescue Group:12 February 2005 – present[1]
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,Arizona[21][note 1]
Squadrons
  • 39th Rescue Squadron:15 April 1997 – 1 April 2003[1]
    • Shifted to 920th Operations Group on 1 April 2003
  • 301st Rescue Squadron:15 April 1997 – 1 April 2003[1]
    • Shifted to 920th Operations Group on 1 April 2003
  • 308th Rescue Squadron: 15 April 1997 – 1 April 2003
    • Shifted to 920th Operations Group on 1 April 2003
  • 920th Operations Support Squadron: 15 April 1997 – 1 April 2003
    • Shifted to 920th Operations Group on 1 April 2003
  • 702d Troop Carrier Squadron: 11 February 1963 – 15 December 1965[1]
  • 815th Tactical Airlift Squadron(later 815th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron): 25 April 1973 – 1 November 1983[1]
  • 920th Aerospace Medicine Squadron: 5 Aug 2012 – present[20](previously designated 920th Aerospace Medicine Flight)
Joint Base Langley-Eustis,Virginia
Flights
  • 34th Air Weather Flight: 1 January 1980 – 1 November 1983[22]

Stations

[edit]
  • Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, 11 February 1963 – 15 December 1965
  • Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, 25 April 1973 – 1 November 1983
  • Patrick Space Force Base,Florida, 15 April 1997 – present[1]

Aircraft

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Components are stationed with wingheadquarters,except as noted.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefghijklmRobertson, Patsy (13 May 2008)."Factsheet 920 Rescue Wing (AFRC)".Air Force Historical Research Agency.Retrieved16 July2016.
  2. ^"The End of an Era".
  3. ^ab"Super Herculean Milestone".Retrieved11 April2020.
  4. ^Moody, R. Norman (10 October 2010). "Parachute jumpers' journey begins at Patrick". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  5. ^"Guardian Angel".
  6. ^"920th Rescue Wing recalls 'Lone Survivor' mission".Retrieved1 April2020.
  7. ^"Units".www.920rqw.afrc.af.mil.Retrieved16 February2017.
  8. ^"Rescue Wing activates new flight".920th Rescue Wing.Retrieved16 February2017.
  9. ^"920TH RESCUE WING UNITS".Retrieved1 April2020.
  10. ^Cantwell, pp. 156, 169
  11. ^Cantwell, pp. 189–191
  12. ^Maurer, pp. 707–708
  13. ^Ravenstein, pp. 241–242
  14. ^"301 Rescue Squadron (AFRC)".
  15. ^Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission: 1995 Report to the President, Ch.1, pp. 1–90 – 1–92
  16. ^Air Force Reserve Handbook for Congress, 2003, pp. 38-39
  17. ^"Wing bids farewell to last HC-130P model".Retrieved1 April2020.
  18. ^Maurice, Lindsey (26 January 2018)."Reserve wing receives prestigious German Maritime Search and Rescue award".920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs.Retrieved30 January2018.
  19. ^"Super Herculean Milestone".
  20. ^abc"Units".
  21. ^920th Rescue Wing – 943 Rescue Group.920rqw.afrc.af.mil. Retrieved on 2013-09-18.
  22. ^Markus, Rita M.; Halbeisen, Nicholas F.; Fuller, John Frederick (1987)."Air Weather Service: Our Heritage, 1937-1987".

Bibliography

[edit]

Public DomainThis article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=920th_Rescue_Wing&oldid=1243583330"