Rescue reservists search for missing teen boaters

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Flipse
  • 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Air Force Reserve search and rescue personnel from the 920th Rescue Wing here joined the Coast Guard in the search for two 14-year-old boys reported missing July 25.

A rescue crew departed in one of the wing's HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters July 29 at approximately 8 p.m. for a four-hour search off the coast of nearby Cape Canaveral.

An additional rescue crew departed from here in a Pave Hawk at approximately 10:30 a.m. July 30 to continue the search for Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen, who were last seen in the Jupiter, Florida area July 24 purchasing fuel for a 19-foot, white, single-engine boat.

The vessel was found capsized 67 nautical miles east of Ponce de Leon inlet at 11 a.m. July 26 by Coast Guard search-and-rescue personnel. The Coast Guard suspended its search for the boys at sunset July 31.

The 920th RQW is an Air Force Reserve combat-search-and-rescue unit that performs more than 20 percent of the Air Force's combat-search-and-rescue mission. The wing comprises more than 1,700 Airmen and flies both fixed- and rotor wing-aircraft: the HC-130P/N extended-range Hercules and the Pave Hawk.

The wing also provides humanitarian relief during hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as search and rescue support for emergency situations at sea.

Since its activation in 1956, wing reservists have saved nearly 4,000 lives, including more than 850 combat rescues.

The 920th Rescue Wing's motto, "These things we do, that others may live," is indicative of their commitment to the rescue mission. To learn more about the 920th RQW, go to their website and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Flickr.