Wing commander honored for Hurricane Ike service

  • Published
  • 920th Public Affairs Office
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The commander of the Air Force Reserve's 920th Rescue Wing was recognized during a ceremony held here Jan. 11 for superior performance while leading the Hurricane Ike relief mission.

Col. Steve W. Kirkpatrick received a Meritorious Service Medal for his role as commander of the 331st Air Expeditionary Group (AEG), the joint, military unit responsible for providing search-and-rescue services and immediate medical care for areas affected by Ike.

From a command post at Randolph AFB, Texas, Colonel Kirkpatrick commanded more than 800 joint-forces personnel with approximately 20 Air Force and Navy HH-60 helicopters and four HC-130s during the six-day operation, during which the group flew 153 sorties and rescued 323 civilians throughout Texas.

First Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Henry Morrow, who selected Colonel Kirkpatrick to lead the relief efforts for both Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, flew to Patrick to present the award. After he pinned the medal to Colonel Kirkpatrick's blue service uniform, General Morrow spoke of his high-opinion of the colonel to the hundreds of 920th Rescue Wing reservists in attendance.

"When the hurricanes started festering up, there was only one guy I could call who could get the job done," said General Morrow. "I'm greatly indebted to him."

The general went on to describe Colonel Kirkpatrick as a superb leader, and before leaving he presented the colonel with an etched marble plaque as a token of his gratitude.

Commissioned in 1984 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colonel Kirkpatrick called his involvement with the Ike relief mission a professional high point.

"Perhaps the proudest moment in anyone's career--certainly in mine--is being at the right place, at the right time to make a difference and help save lives," he said.

Colonel Kirkpatrick took command of the 920th Rescue Wing in April 2006. The wing's primary mission is combat search and rescue, which involves locating and retrieving U.S. servicemembers trapped behind enemy lines. The wing also provides civil search and rescue, humanitarian relief and is the primary response unit for every NASA shuttle and rocket launch.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the cost in damages from Hurricane Ike may reach more than $10 billion, likely making the storm one of the costliest in U.S. history.