79th Rescue Squadron

79th Rescue Squadron
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79th Rescue Squadron HC-130J and HC-130P near the Grand Canyon
Active 1952–1960; 1961–1972; 1993–1998; 2003–present
Country  United States
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

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 deployed to Moody Air Force Base in support of Joint Task Force Katrina . The 79th along with their sister squadron, the 71st Rescue Squadron located at Moody, 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

In 2006, personnel and aircraft from the squadron were the primary force provider to the 79th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, located at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti was sent to an airfield in Darfur, Sudan to retrieve equipment left behind by a US military liaison officer who had recently been evacuated from 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 were on the airfield to document Sudanese military war crimes at the airfield. The Sudanese soldiers threatened to rape, then sell, 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.[3]

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

Stations

Aircraft

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dollman, TSG David (June 19, 2017). "Factsheet 79 Rescue Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Library: Fact Sheet 563rd Rescue Group (AFSOC)". 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Hoffman, Michael (October 28, 2009). "11 airmen survived 2006 confrontation in Sudan". Military Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ Aircraft in Dollman, except as noted.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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