PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Taking pause to recognize and show appreciation for our rescue families, the wing hosted a family-focused weekend conducting spouse appreciation flights on March 2 followed by Family Day events, March 3 here.
Over 100 military spouses flew over eastern Florida aboard HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and an HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, an event designed to show gratitude and showcase the wing’s combat search and rescue mission capabilities. These incentive flights gave spouses the opportunity to see first-hand what their rescue spouse does, giving insight into the mission that drives the daily sacrifices made to support their service members. The participants received a briefing on the capabilities of the Pave Hawk and Combat King II, safety procedures, then took flight over the eastern Florida coastline and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The following day, families and loved ones were welcomed for the wing Family Day. Over 1,000 rescue family members attended the day’s events which included static displays of the wing’s aircraft and military vehicles, military working dog demonstrations, obstacle courses, arts and crafts and more.
Military families often endure frequent relocations, long periods of separation and the challenges of managing daily life while their loved ones are deployed. Events like these acknowledges their sacrifices, resilience and fosters a sense of recognition and validation for their contributions to the rescue family.
The 920th Rescue Wing is a combined arms team enabled by agile combat support capable of multi-lateral assault on a defended point of incident in highly contested environments. The wing plans, leads and conducts military rescue operations and missions in order to deny competitors and adversaries exploitation of isolated personnel.