Rescue wing hosts Atlanta-area civic leaders

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Peter Dean
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 920th Rescue Wing showcased their rescue mission to leadership of the 94th Airlift Wing, Dobbins Air Force Base, Ga. and selected civic leaders from the Atlanta Ga. area. In the early morning hours of Oct. 24 the group boarded a 94th Airlift Wing C-130 Hercules aircraft for the hour-long flight to Patrick Air Force base, Fla.
 
"That was a great flight," said Dr. Debra Boureau, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "This is the first time I have flown on a military airplane, we were allowed up on the flight deck, it was cool."

Once at Patrick AFB, the group boarded a bus for a Cape Canaveral Air Station Tour, Fla. that included numerous stops that had significance in history. One such stop was at Launch Pad 34, where it stands today as a memorial to the crew of Apollo 1, U.S. Air Force Lt. Commander Roger B. Chaffee, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, and Lt. Col. Edward H. White II, all perished in a cabin fire during a launch pad test.

Day two was all 920th RQW, wing commander Col. Jeffrey Macrander gave the civic leaders a mission brief then led them out to the flight line for an up close and personal tour of a HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter.

As luck would have it, as the civic leaders were experiencing the military cuisine at the Patrick AFB dining Facility, the 920th pararescuemen (PJs) were performing a water rescue training exercise in the Banana River. Civic leaders witnessed as PJs parachuted from a C-130P/N king personal recovery aircraft and landed in the Banana River. Once in the river, Pave Hawk rescue helicopters swooped in to recover the PJs utilizing the hoist capabilities or the Pave Hawk.

"This is a great program," said Chris Rideout, transportation manager, Croy Engineering. "As an honorary commander, I have had the opportunity to experience many aspects of the military. It has provided me with a greater knowledge, understanding and the role our military."

For more information about the 920th RQW, log on to the wing's Web site: www.920rqw.afrc.af.mil or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.