304th Rescue Squadron
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304th Rescue Squadron
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|---|---|
 Pararescuemen from the 304th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron free-fall during a high-altitude jump over the Gulf of Tadjoura, Africa, | |
| Active | 1957–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Search and Rescue |
| Motto(s) | "These Things We Do, That Others May Live."[1] |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 304th Rescue Squadron emblem (approved 7 October 1991)[2] |  |
| 304th Rescue Squadron legacy emblem |  |
| 304th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron emblem (Approved, 10 Sept 1985)[3] | .png) |
| 304th Air Rescue Squadron emblem (Approved, 11 Aug 1961) | .png) |
The 304th Rescue Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command combat search and rescue unit located at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. The squadron is a geographically separated unit assigned to the 943d Rescue Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida.[1]
Mission
[edit]The peacetime mission of the 304th is to train and maintain rescue capability for Department of Defense personnel, humanitarian and disaster relief activities. The 304th's wartime mission is to provide combat rescue capabilities to recover downed aircrew members and isolated personnel. The squadron can provide this capability under the harshest of circumstances to include, day/night, inclement weather and all terrain rescue conditions.[1]
Astronaut Recovery
[edit]The 304th will also be responsible for recovery of NASA Artemis Program, Boeing Starliner astronauts landed in U.S. spacecraft off American shores. For these missions, the squadron will have three teams ready.
During ascent for Starliner, SpaceX Dragon, and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the 304th Rescue Squadron will have two teams stationed along the east coast of the United States, one at Patrick Space Force Base (just South of the Cape) and the other in Charleston, South Carolina. The Patrick SFB team, (Rescue 1) will be responsible for on-pad aborts that place a capsule in the water or for aborts in the first few minutes of flight that places the capsule within a 200 nautical mile zone from the Cape. After that distance is exceeded, the Charleston crew (Rescue 2) would be responsible for rescue of a launch-aborting crew vehicle anywhere else across the Atlantic. The third team, stationed in Hawai’i, (also part of Rescue 2) would be responsible for any after-launch immediate landing need or off-nominal Station return contingency that places a Starliner or Dragon in the Pacific. If an off-nominal from orbit return occurred with splashdown in the Atlantic, an emergency ocean return within 200 nautical miles of Cape Canaveral would fall to Rescue 1. Any other Atlantic splashdown would fall to Rescue 2 from Charleston because they have more powerful aircraft that could reach Starliner or Dragon or Orion quicker than the Patrick support craft.
Rescue 1 carries a requirement to have a crew en route back to land within 6 hours of splashdown. Rescue 2 carries a requirement to have the hatch on a capsule opened within 24 hours of splashdown and a crew evacuated (via helicopter or ship) from the sea landing area within 72 hours of hatch open.[4]
History
[edit]The 304th has trained for combat search and rescue (CSAR) capability from its inception. The 304th was activated in the Reserves on 16 November 1957 at Portland IAP. In 1961, Pararescuemen (PJs) were added to the unit. Since then, the 304th has been training, equipping and employing Combat Rescue Officers, PJs, and support personnel worldwide in support of U.S. national security interests. It has performed search, rescue, and medical evacuation missions primarily in the Northwestern United States, including over 100 missions immediately following the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption in May 1980. The unit responded to the crash of United Flight 173 in 1978. It maintained HC-130 Hercules helicopter air refueling capability from 1985 to 1997 and deployed to provide SAR coverage worldwide, including Keflavík, Iceland, during and after the Gulf War and to the Persian Gulf region from 1990 to 2003.
Tragedy struck the 304th on November 22, 1996, as KING 56, HC-130P 64-14856, crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately 50 nautical miles west of Point Mendocino off the California coast.[5] The aircraft was enroute to NAS North Island at San Diego, California to conduct a routine overwater navigation evaluation. Ten of the eleven crewmembers perished: Lt. Col John W. Keyes, Capt Robert P. Schott, Capt Brant G. Ferrarini, Capt Kirk A. Wellnitz, SMSgt Robert Roberts, TSgt David W. McAuley, SSgt Marvin H. Forrest, SSgt Jonathon R. Leonard, SSgt James R. Johnson and SSgt Ronald E. Garner, Jr.[6] The lone survivor, Airborne Communications Specialist TSgt Robert T. Vogel was later rescued by Coast Guard helicopter, all remaining crewmembers were killed on impact with only three bodies eventually recovered.[7] A formal USAF accident investigation was initiated to include review of the Flight Data Recorder, Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript[8] and recovery of specific aircraft wreckage on the ocean floor at a depth of 5500ft. The mishap board determined the aircraft experienced a sequential four engine flame-out and subsequent electrical failure due to inadvertent fuselage fuel tank starvation.[9] This unrecoverable condition resulted in a power-off glide and ocean impact in conditions of darkness. This mishap prompted a larger C-130 Broad Area Review[10] which resulted in improvements to USAF C-130 flight safety, emergency procedures and aircrew training. On November 16, 2006, a ceremony was held and memorial erected at Willamette National Cemetery honoring the KING 56 crewmembers lost.[11]
In 2003, the parent unit for the 304 RQS, the 939th Rescue Wing at Portland Air Reserve Station, transitioned from a CSAR mission to an air refueling mission. Re-equipped with KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft the wing was redesignated the 939th Air Refueling Wing (939 ARW) and its HC-130 and HH-60 aircraft were redistributed across the Air Force. With the loss of a flying mission, the 304 RQS converted into a GUARDIAN ANGEL unit and became a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 943rd Rescue Group (943 RQG) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, the 943 RQG being a GSU of the 920th Rescue Wing (920 RQW) at Patrick AFB, now Patrick SFB, Florida.
Since 2001, personnel from the 304 RQS have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.
Lineage
[edit]- Constituted as the 304th Air Rescue Squadron on 24 October 1957
- Activated in the reserve on 16 November 1957
- Redesignated 304th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 18 January 1966
- Redesignated 304th Air Rescue Squadron on 1 April 1990
- Redesignated 304th Rescue Squadron on 1 February 1992[12]
Assignments
[edit]- 2343d Air Reserve Flying Center, 16 November 1957
- 2346th Air Reserve Flying Center, 1 December 1957
- 2345th Air Reserve Flying Center, 8 April 1958
- Fourth Air Force, 8 April 1960
- Sixth Air Force Reserve Region, 1 September 1960
- Western Air Force Reserve Region, 31 December 1969
- 403d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing (later 403 Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing), 15 March 1976
- 939th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group (later 939 Air Rescue Wing, 939 Rescue Wing), 8 April 1985
- 939th Operations Group, 1 August 1992
- 920th Operations Group, 1 April 2003
- 943d Rescue Group, 12 February 2005 – present[12]
Stations
[edit]- Portland International Airport, Oregon, 16 November 1957 – present[12]
Aircraft
[edit]- Grumman SA-16 Albatross (later HU-16) (1958–1971)
- Sikorsky HH-34 (1971–1976)
- Bell HH-1 Huey (1976–1991)
- Bell UH-1 Huey (1979–1987)
- Lockheed HC-130 Hercules (1985–1997)
- Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giant (1986–1992)
- Sikorsky MH-60 Black Hawk (1991–1992)
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk (1991–1993)
- Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk (1992–2003)[12]
References
[edit]- Notes
- ^ a b c "920th Rescue Wing Factsheet: 304th Rescue Squadron". 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The mountain terrain and night sky reflect the difficult conditions the Unit sometimes encounters during search and rescue operations. The stars as a constellation further allude to the navigational skills necessary to accomplish the mission. The hawk, with its keen eyesight and ability to soar, symbolizes the Unit's tireless efforts to search, and its diligent devotion to affect a rescue in any kind of weather. The green ray/beam denotes the night vision capabilities and advanced technical equipment in the aircraft used by the Squadron.
- ^ On a blue disc a white mountain peak detailed gray issuing from base, overall a gray duck with twirling tail, yellow feet, bill and bands on tail and neck, wearing brown skis and military flying helmet with white goggles and looking through black binoculars; all within a narrow yellow border. Attached below the disc a blue scroll bordered yellow. SIGNIFICANCE: Blue and yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations. Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required of Air Force personnel. The duck with goggles and flight helmet portrays the early traditions of military aviation and its rescue role. The skis represent rescue from mountainous terrain indicated by the mountain in the background. The yellow band on the tail of the duck symbolizes the unit's historic ties to the Air Force global mercy mission when all rescue aircraft were so marked for international recognition.
- ^ "DoD practices Starliner at sea recovery for first time – NASASpaceFlight.com". Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ "Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "KING 56 memorial". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "KING 56 crewmembers recovered". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "KING 56 CVR transcript". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Lost at Sea: Latent Design Flaws in a USAF HC-130P Aircraft, KING 56". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "C-130 Broad Area Review". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "KING 56 memorial". Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dollman, TSG David (7 October 2016). "Factsheet 304 Rescue Squadron (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
Bibliography
[edit]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cantwell, Gerald T. (1997). Citizen Airmen: a History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946–1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program. ISBN 0-16049-269-6. Retrieved 1 October 2014.