Headquartered at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, the 920 RQW is AFRC's premier combat search and rescue (CSAR) unit. The wing consists of over 2,500 Airmen, trained and equipped to locate and recover U.S. Armed Forces personnel during both peacetime and wartime military operations. Additional missions have included manned spaceflight support, such as providing rescue support for NASASpace Shuttle missions 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's HH-60G Pave Hawk and, until December 2019, HC-130P/N Hercules COMBAT KING aircraft.[2] With retirement of its last HC-130P/N, the 920 RQW transitioned to the HC-130J Hercules COMBAT KING II, with the wing's first HC-130J arriving on 2 April 2020.[3]
The 920 RQW will also eventually retire its HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and replace them with the HH-60W Jolly Green Giant II.
In addition to its two aircraft squadrons in Florida and an additional aircraft squadron with its subordinate 943 RQG in Arizona, the 920 RQW has three additional rescue squadrons in Florida, Arizona and Oregon consisting of Combat Rescue Officers and enlisted Pararescuemen, 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 920 RQW also has an additional squadron consisting of aerospace medical personnel as a geographically separated unit (GSU) based in Virginia.
The 920 RQW was involved in the famous 'Lone Survivor' Operation Red Wings mission, that rescued Navy SEALMarcus Luttrell in Afghanistan and helped in the recovery operation to retrieve the remains of Luttrell's fallen SEAL team. Since 1956, the 920 RQW and its predecessor organizations have saved more than 3,800 lives, including 850 combat rescues and 3,000 peacetime rescues, such as the 1043 lives the wing saved during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.[6]
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 smaller squadrons than the large wings and 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 wing headquarters and 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 the Berlin Crisis of 1961 To resolve this, at the start of 1962, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with 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 the Cuban 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
As a result, the 920th Troop Carrier Group was established at Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, on 11 February 1963 as the headquarters for the 702d 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 by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with Fairchild C-123 Providers for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.
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, the 301st Rescue Squadron (301 RQS), a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 939th Rescue Wing (939 RQW) at Portland Air Reserve Station, Oregon, moved from its former home station at Homestead Air Force Base, which had been devastated by Hurricane Andrew, to Patrick 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 the U.S. Coast Guard and the Air 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 the 920th Rescue Group (920 RQG), forming a headquarters for the 301 RQS and the newly-formed 39th 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 supporting Operation Southern Watch when the attacks on the U.S. homeland of 11 September 2001 quickly had the group segueing to Operation Enduring Freedom during 2001 and 2002.[16]
On 1 April 2003, the 920 RQG was redesignated as the 920th Rescue Wing (920 RQW) and became the parent unit for all combat search and rescue (CSAR) organizations in Air Force Reserve Command as it added the 943d Rescue Group (943 RQG) at Davis-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 to Talil Air Base, Iraq in support of Operation 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 from Air Combat Command (ACC) to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). This was done as part of a USAF and DoD Joint 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, under Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) for Regular Air Force CSAR units at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa and ARC units in the Alaska Air National Guard, and under U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) for Regular Air Force CSAR units then based in the United Kingdom.
In 2005, the wing's HC-130 and HH-60 flight crews recorded more than 1,000 lives saved during disaster operations along the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane 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's HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to be mid-air refueled, previously by their HC-130P Hercules COMBAT KING aircraft, and now by their HC-130J Hercules COMBAT KING II aircraft – a capability not shared by the U.S. Coast Guard's service-unique MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters and HC-130H and HC-130J Hercules aircraft.
HC-130P/Ns of the 39th Rescue Squadron, 920th Rescue Wing, on the ramp at their home station of then-Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, circa 2008920th 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 the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) at Davis-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 the 176th Wing (176 WG) of the Alaska Air National Guard pending 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 the International Maritime Museum Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany after saving two German citizens whose vessel caught fire in July 2017 approximately 500 nautical miles off of Cape 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. The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service presented the 920th Rescue Wing with the Medal of Honor for Rescue in Distress in a special ceremony.[18]
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base 5 miles southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing assigned to Twelfth Air Force (12AF), part of Air Combat Command (ACC). The base is best known as the location of the Air Force Materiel Command's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, the aircraft boneyard for all excess military and U.S. government aircraft and aerospace vehicles.
The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed forces.
The 129th Rescue Wing is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Moffett Federal Airfield in Sunnyvale, California. The wing is equipped with the HC-130J Combat King II and the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. If activated to federal service, the wing is assigned to the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC).
The United States Air Force Combat Rescue School, was an organization of the United States Air Force.
The 58th Special Operations Wing is a combat unit of the United States Air Force stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 58 SOW is part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Nineteenth Air Force.
The 403rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians. The 403rd Wing is a subordinate unit of the 22nd Air Force at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
The 939th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the Fourth Air Force, based at the Portland Air Reserve Station, Oregon. It was inactivated on 30 June 2008.
The 347th Rescue Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 1 October 2006.
The 211th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing located at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The 211th is equipped with the HC-130J Hercules.
The 212th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the Alaska Air National Guard 176th Wing stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. The squadron has no assigned aircraft; personnel assigned use aircraft of the 210th and 211th Rescue Squadrons of the Wing.
The 101st Rescue Squadron is a unit of the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York. The squadron is equipped with the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, configured for combat search and rescue operations.
The 103d Rescue Squadron is a unit of the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York. The squadron has no assigned aircraft; the squadron is composed of Air Force pararescue specialists (PJs) that use aircraft of the 101st and 102d Rescue Squadrons of the Wing.
The 129th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing located at Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, California. The 129th is equipped with the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter. If activated to federal service, the 129 RQS is gained within the United States Air Force by the Air Combat Command (ACC).
The 130th Rescue Squadron is a unit of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing located at Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, California. The 130th is equipped with the HC-130J Combat King II. If activated to federal service, the 130 RQS is gained within the United States Air Force by the Air Combat Command (ACC).
The 39th Rescue Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit of the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. Until December 2019, it operated the Lockheed HC-130P/N Combat King aircraft conducting search and rescue and combat search and rescue/personnel recovery missions. The squadron is currently transitioning to the Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, which will provide significant increases in the squadron's capabilities. An Air Force Reserve Command unit, the 39th Rescue Squadron is operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC) upon mobilization.
The 71st Rescue Squadron is part of the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It flies HC-130J Combat King II aircraft conducting search and rescue missions.
The 79th Rescue Squadron is a United States Air Force combat search and rescue unit of the 563rd Rescue Group, 355th Wing, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The 301st Rescue Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit, part of the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. The squadron operates the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter, conducting both peacetime and combat search and rescue missions. As a reserve unit, it is operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC).
The 304th Rescue Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command combat search and rescue unit located at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. The squadron is a geographically separated unit assigned to the 943d Rescue Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida.
The 305th Rescue Squadron is part of the 943rd Rescue Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, a subordinate of the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida. It operates HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft conducting peacetime and combat search and rescue missions.
References
Notes
↑ Components are stationed with wing headquarters, except as noted.
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