79th Rescue Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 79th Rescue Squadron (79 RQS) operates the HC-130P Hercules and provides rapidly deployable combat search and rescue
forces to theater commanders worldwide. It conducts helicopter air refueling, airdrop
, and airland of pararescue personnel and/or equipment in support of combat personnel recovery. Its crews are capable of landings on short, unimproved, runways and low-level operations during day or night with night vision goggles
.
was sent to an airfield in Darfur
, Sudan
to retrieve the belongings of a US military liaison who had left the area. On the ground at Al-Fashir airfield, the aircraft was surrounded by 150 Sudanese soldiers who refused to allow the aircraft to leave, fearing that the crew had taken photographs of Sudanese military operations at the airfield. The Sudanese soldiers threatened to rape two female members of the crew and stated that the entire crew would be executed. The US crew barricaded the aircraft and refused to allow the Sudanese soldiers to enter during a tense stand-off.
After four hours, a locally assigned US military liaison was able to persuade the Sudanese airfield commander to allow the aircraft to depart without further incident. Once back at Djibouti, for unknown reasons the 79th's squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Austin, declined to report that the crew had been held hostage and the crew's ordeal was kept secret from USAF senior leadership. The story did not become known until October 2009 when crew members were awarded decorations for their actions in the incident. Although several crew members had been recommended for the Bronze Star, then United States Air Forces Central Commander Lieutenant General Gary North downgraded the awards to Air Force Achievement Medals. At least two of the aicrew members involved in the incident now suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
forces to theater commanders worldwide. It conducts helicopter air refueling, airdrop
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
, and airland of pararescue personnel and/or equipment in support of combat personnel recovery. Its crews are capable of landings on short, unimproved, runways and low-level operations during day or night with night vision goggles
Night vision goggles
A night vision device is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users...
.
2006 Sudan mission
On November 28, 2006, a squadron of HC-130 aircraft assigned to Camp Lemonnier, DjiboutiDjibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
was sent to an airfield in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to retrieve the belongings of a US military liaison who had left the area. On the ground at Al-Fashir airfield, the aircraft was surrounded by 150 Sudanese soldiers who refused to allow the aircraft to leave, fearing that the crew had taken photographs of Sudanese military operations at the airfield. The Sudanese soldiers threatened to rape two female members of the crew and stated that the entire crew would be executed. The US crew barricaded the aircraft and refused to allow the Sudanese soldiers to enter during a tense stand-off.
After four hours, a locally assigned US military liaison was able to persuade the Sudanese airfield commander to allow the aircraft to depart without further incident. Once back at Djibouti, for unknown reasons the 79th's squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Austin, declined to report that the crew had been held hostage and the crew's ordeal was kept secret from USAF senior leadership. The story did not become known until October 2009 when crew members were awarded decorations for their actions in the incident. Although several crew members had been recommended for the Bronze Star, then United States Air Forces Central Commander Lieutenant General Gary North downgraded the awards to Air Force Achievement Medals. At least two of the aicrew members involved in the incident now suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder.