Happy Thanksgiving!

To All of Our Military -

I am Thankful and our Country is Thankful for your commitment and patriotism to us. Whether you are home with your loved ones or far off in another country - you are remembered, and thought of.

God Bless our Men and Women who serve the United States of America, and thank you for all you do to allow our country to continue to be FREE!

Save Combat Rescue

The Sikorsky HH-60G - Pave Hawk Helicopters were designated as Air Force Search and Rescue officially in 1991.  The initial design of these HELOs was in 1981 - replacing the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant  with the UH-60A Black Hawk.  The Jolly Green Giant was used during the Vietnam era for Combat Search and Rescue (CSR) - thus the Air Force was allocated a number of the new Black Hawks for modifications for CSR.  Doing what they do best, the Air Force made modifications to the fueling system, and upgraded the machine guns to an M60.  82 of these modified HELOs were given to CSR, Air Force Special Operations, again in 1991.

The Pave Hawks are out of date...  on 22 October 2012 the Air Force put in a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH).  The mission of the CRH will remain the same; search and recover personnel in hostile and isolated territories.  Humanitarian missions, civil search and rescue, disaster relief, casualty and medical evacuations and non-combative medical evacuations will also be continued and considered apart of their missions.  The requirements for the CRH are as follows:

combat radius of 416 km
payload of 1,500 lbs
space for up to 4 stretchers

A request of 112 CRHs was requested, and proposals were submitted. Sikorsky is the only bidder to remain, with Lockhead Martin as a subcontractor.  This is a $6.8 billion dollar contract that has been delayed until the first quarter of 2014 FY, which begins October of 2013.  The new CSR would be known as the "CRH-60".

Government furlough, and in response to sequestration budget cuts require the Air Force's FY 2015 budget proposal to cut out the funding for this much needed new helicopter.

Okay... I hear you $6.8 BILLION DOLLARS???!!!!  Are you crazy??!!!  That's a lot of money.  I know that.  But can you really put a price on a life?  I'm sorry I meant to say 100, no 1,000's of lives that are saved during the missions that take place with the CRH.

Most civilians don't understand the impact of what Combat Search and Rescue (CSR) is and does.  In a nut shell, they bring our men and women in combat home - NO MAN LEFT BEHIND.  They risk their own lives with each mission, evacuation, rescue they go on, for the life of another.  Their motto "That Others May Live" is meant and in bedded deep in their souls.  The men who make up CSR are truly the unsung heroes of our military, little to no glory given or asked for.

Scenario for you:  you are driving in a convoy in Afghanistan... your vehicle is hit with a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG), you have insurgents coming down upon you and your trapped inside your vehicle with multiple injuries.  I hate to tell you this, but your local fire department or ambulance is not on its way.  Their will be no sounds of emergency crew sirens heading your way.  What you will hear is the "whoop whoop" of the Pave Hawk, what you will see is a Pararescue Jumper (PJ) leaning over you, risking his life to extract you from the mangled machine that was once your vehicle.  It's the PJ that will get you to the Pave Hawk and the CSR team that will get you back to base - fighting to keep you alive so you can go home to your loved ones.

Your loved ones - your mother, father, sister, brother, spouse, children, friends...  they are waiting day by day praying for your safe return.  They sit home shivering watching the news knowing that they may get that knock on the door, that call, that what they just viewed may have to do with you. The fear is real, the fear of knowing we may never see you again...

$6.8 billion dollars to bring you home....and all those after you.  Who can put a price on that?

Go to http://savecombatrescue.org/ to show your support.  Click on the tab "Take Action"  - a letter has already been written showing your support, you simply put your name, e-mail address at the bottom and hit "Submit".  Then, SHARE on Facebook, Twitter, Google+  let everyone know.  The more support the better.

For additional support of the Rescue Community visit : http://thatothersmaylive.org/  a non-profit organization helping the families of fallen Rescue Personnel.

Thank you, and God Bless You, our Military, and God Bless America!

What would happen if...

Do you ever think to yourself, what would happen if.... you got lost while you were out hiking in the mountains?   if.... you became injured while exploring the Grand Canyon?   if...  you took your personal sailboat into the ocean, the weather became bad and you could not make it back to shore or if you were apart of a fishing boat that experienced adverse weather what would become of you?  Here's one...  a hurricane came to shore and took out your home, neighborhood, all that you knew leaving you and your neighbors stranded,  or even worse....  a terrorist attack... who would help find your loved ones that have become missing?

All of these events have, do and will occur again.  Our first answers to these type of questions is always, our first responders; local firemen and policemen.  We also think of the Coast Guard or Air National Guard.

Among the brave men and women of the Coast Guard, Air National Guard (ANG), and Air Force (yes Air Force) is an elite group of men that, in a sense, is the first responder.  These men are the Air Force Pararescuemen, also know as PJs.  They are a special operations force that specializes in Search, Rescue and Recovery, in all adverse conditions.

 The ANG has PJ reserve units across the nation for when a tragedy occurs and their skills are needed.  Working directly with the Coast Guard, they are called upon to help in the search and recovery of boats at sea, and in the Great Lakes, or wherever the Coast Guard is in need of help (the movie "The Perfect Storm" shows the PJs at work).

Over the past year, PJs have been called upon multiple times to assist in the search and rescue of lost and injured hikers in places like Washington, Alaska, and Arizona to name a few.  They have the training to climb in harsh conditions, locate, treat the patient, and recover the individual(s) to safety.

During storms like Katrina and Sandy; PJs recovered a countless amount of people from their rooftops, front porches, and small boats while the water levels were uncontrollable.  They either came in by a HELO and hoisted individuals to safety, or used military boats to recover them and bringing them to safety.

9-11....  Yes, Pararescuemen were apart of the team that helped in the rescue efforts at both the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

These men undergo over 2 years of training...  and continue to maintain their training throughout their careers.  They are among an elite group of Special Operations men and work directly with the Naval SEALS.  They put their own lives on the line with every rescue they undertake - they do this with courage and honor.  They do this... that others may live.

How Many PJs Do You See?

Air Force Parasrecuemen from the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron take cover during an attack simulation of incoming fire from an enemy during an exercise in the Grand Bara Desert, Djibouti earlier this year.  the 82nd ERQS perform regular exercises, supporting the Combined Task Force - Horn of Africa


 

Labor Day

This great country was founded and formed by men who wanted something greater in life for not only themselves but also for their children.  Over the years, wars have been fought in order to maintain our right to pursuit happiness.  And this stands true today.

Labor Day was founded to honor the social and economic dedication and achievements  that American Workers perform throughout the year.  It's a yearly national tribute to the hard working citizens of this great country who continue to give our country strength, prosperity and ensures its well-being. 

The first state bill was introduced to the New York Legislature, however it was actually the state of Oregon that passed the law of a Labor Day recognition on February 21, 1887.  Colorado, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts also passed the law that same year.  By the end of the decade, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Nebraska followed suit and by 1894 23 additional states had adopted the holiday to honor the American workers.  Finally, on June 28, 1894 the District of Columbia had passed the law stating that the first Monday of September will be declared a legal holiday known as Labor Day for the District and all of its territories.

 Labor Day has become a day of BBQs, the last of the summer, and a time to enjoy your close friends and family.  Beer, liquor, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken on the grill... let us not forget the potato or macaroni salad, and all the dips and chips.  Soda galore and juice boxes for the little ones.  But, miles away, this day of recognition won't have the same impact.  Men and Women will still put on their flax vests, their helmets, check their weapons...  they will wake up and put on their ABUs, BDUs...  blouse their pants, tie their boots, and the sounds of their dog tags jingling while they place them under their T-shirts can be heard if you listen.  F-16's, A-10s, Pave Hawks, take the sky - the sounds of American Freedom.  Let us not forget about them...  Let us not forget why we can continue to have holidays such as these...  Let us not forget...

God Bless America, all its Military Members and their families, and God Bless each of you.  Have a safe and enjoyable Holiday!

TSgt Mark A. Smith - Arlington National Cemetery Sept 5th

TSgt Mark A. Smith, 33rd RQS Flight Engineer who died when the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter in which he was flying went down during a training mission, will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on September 5, 2013 at 11:00 Easter Daylight Time.  Lt Col Pedro Ortiz, 33rd Rescue Squadron commander requests that friends of Rescue please join them for this solemn remembrance.

Information will be passed on as it is received....

12,000 Recoveries within CENTCOM since 9/11

"According to a DoD study, Air Force rescue forces have recovered more than half of all joint personnel recovery missions in the CENTCOM area of operations with 2 percent of the deployed rotary-wing aircraft.  According to the Air Force, this achievement has resulted in over 12,000 recoveries in CENTCOM since Sept. 11, 2001." - Mick Harper

Simply amazing work that our Rescue Heroes do every day.  That's 12,000 people who have gotten to go home to their loved ones, 12,000 families who got to hold their loved one again, 12,000 fathers/mothers/brothers/sisters/sons/daughters that were brought home.  12,000 plus lives effected because of your selfless acts.

Thank you for all you do!

And thank you "That Others May Live Foundation" for passing on this information!