40th Helicopter Squadron: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=MarchNovember 20132019}}

| image=HC-130P refueling HH-53B over North Vietnam.jpg

| image_size = 290300

|dates=1968-19761968–1976; 1978-19871978–1987; 1993-present1993–present

|country={{flag|United States|23pxUSA}}

|identification_symbol_label=40th Helicopter Squadron emblem <smallref group=note>(Approved 10 July 2003).</smallref><ref name=40HSfacts>{{cite web |url= http://www.afhra.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/432389/40-helicopter-squadron-afgsc/ |last1=Robertson|first1=Patsy|title=Factsheet 40 Helicopter Squadron (AFGSC)|date=April 26, April 2011|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|deadurlaccess-date=no3 |accessdate=April 3, 2015}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

|identification_symbol_2=[[File:40 Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Sq emblem.png|165px]]

|identification_symbol_2_label=40th Aerospace Rescue & Recovery Squadron emblem

The '''40th Helicopter Squadron''' is a missile support unit of the [[United States Air Force]]. As the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron it was a helicopter rescue squadron of the USAF during the [[Vietnam War]].

The [[squadron (aviation)|squadron]] was activated as the '''40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron''' at [[Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base]] in March 1968 with [[Sikorsky HH-3]]s which were nicknamed "Nitnoy." Later [[Sikorsky MH-53|Sikorsky HH-53]]s arrived and these were nicknamed "BUFF."

In March 1968, Detachment 2 of the [[37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron]] at Udorn RTAFB operating HH-3s and HH-53Bs, was transferred to the 40th ARRS.<ref name=Tilford>{{cite book|last=Tilford,|first=Earl|title=Search p.and Rescue in Southeast Asia 1961–1975|publisher=Office of Air Force History|year=1980|url=https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/29/2001329780/-1/-1/0/AFD-100929-010.pdf|isbn=9781410222640|page=81}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

20 August 1972, the local base rescue detachments of the 3d Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group each operating 2 [[HH-43]]s were transferred to the 40th ARRS, comprising:<ref name="Tilford115">Tilford, p. 115</ref>{{rp|115}}

30 November 1972, with the inactivation of the [[37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron|37th ARRS]] at [[Danang Air Base]], 5 of its HH-53s were transferred to the 40th ARRS, while its two HH-43s remained at Danang as Detachment 7 of the 40th ARRS to provide base rescue during [[Operation Linebacker II]].<ref name="Tilford127">Tilford, p. 127</ref>{{rp|127}}

Following the [[Paris Peace Accords]] all remaining US Forces were withdrawn from South Vietnam by 27 March 1973. Detachment 7 at Danang Air Base and Detachment 14 at Tan Son Nhut Air Base were inactivated during this period. Following the withdrawal from South Vietnam the 40th's force level was 11 HH-53s and 14 HH-43s.<ref name="Tilford128">Tilford, p. 128</ref>{{rp|128}}

The USAF continued combat operations over Cambodia until 15 August 1973 and the 40th provided CSAR support during this period. Following the end of combat operations the 40th kept 2 HH-53s at Nakhon Phanom on 15-minute alert during daylight and 45-minute alert at night.<ref name="Tilford135">Tilford, p. 135</ref>{{rp|135}}

In July 1974 Detachment 10 at Takhli was disbanded, followed in August by Detachment 3 at Ubon. On 20 February 1975, Detachment 1 at Nakhon Phanom was disbanded. At this time the 40th's force level had dropped to 8 HH-53Cs and 4 HH-43Fs.<ref name="Tilford136">Tilford, p. 136</ref>{{rp|136}}

The 40th moved to [[Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base]] on 1 October 1975. On 15 October 1975 with the inactivation of the [[56th Rescue Squadron|56th ARRS]] its 4 [[HC-130]]Ps joined the 40th.<ref name="Tilford154">Tilford, p. 154</ref>{{rp|154}}

On 31 January 1976 the 40th ARRS was inactivated at Korat RTAFB.<ref name="Tilford155">Tilford, p. 155</ref>{{rp|155}}

*30 May 1968, Jolly Green, an HH-3E was attempting to rescue COL[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Norman Phillips the pilot of a downed [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105]], near [[Savannakhet]], Laos. [[Pararescueman]] SGT[[Sergeant]] Thomas A Newman descended into a hostile jungle environment to rescue the pilot. Hampered by darkness and concentrated automatic weapons fire, Newman requested the rescue helicopter to enter a nearby orbit, both for the safety of the crewmembers, and to prevent the hovering aircraft from establishing their location for the unfriendly ground forces. When the HH-3 returned, he secured the injured COL Philips to the forest penetrator and protected him with his own body as they ascended to the helicopter. SGT Newman was awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United States)|Air Force Cross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3593

*25 December 1968, ''Jolly Green 17'', an HH-3E was attempting to rescue MAJ[[Major (United States)|Major]] Charles R Brownlee,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=6318

|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref> the pilot of ''Panda 01'' an F-105 shot down near Ban Lathama, Mahaxia District, Khammouan Province, Laos. Pararescueman [[Airman First Class]] Charles Douglas King descended by rescue hoist to rescue the injured pilot. With the pilot attached to the hoist, the HH-3E and Airman King were hit by enemy fire, seriously injured, King instructed the helicopter to depart. King was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross,.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3453

|work=Military Times}}</ref> The bodies of King and Brownlee were not recovered and both were listed as KIAkilled in action -BNR body not recovered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=28009 |title=CMS Charles Douglas King|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref>

*18 January 1969, ''Jolly Green 67'', HH-53B, ''66-14430'', was hit by ground fire while on a [[Combat search and rescue|CSAR]] mission for ''Sandy 02'', an [[A-1 Skyraider|A-1H]] lost the previous day. Helicopter made an emergency landing 15&nbsp;km southeast of [[TchephoneTchepone]], Laos. The crew and the A-1 pilot were rescued by ''Jolly Green 70''. An airstrike was ordered to destroy ''JG-67''

*28 January 1970, ''Jolly Green 71'', HH-53B, ''66-14434'', on a CSAR mission for the pilot of ''Seabird 02'', an F-105G, was shot down by a missile fired from a [[Mig-21]] piloted by [[Vu Ngoc Dinh]] of the [[921st Fighter Regiment]].<ref name="ACIG VN2">[{{Cite web |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_246.shtml |title=Vietnamese Air-to-Air Victories, Part 2] |access-date=10 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304225827/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_246.shtml |archive-date=4 March 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 6-man crew were all KIAkilled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=3358

*30 June 1970, ''Jolly Green 54'', HH-53C, ''66-8283'', was on a CSAR mission for the crew of ''Nail 44'' an [[OV-10]]A, over Savannakhet, Laos. Abandoning the first rescue attempt due to heavy fire, the pilot Capt[[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]] Leroy C Schaneberg decided to make a second rescue attempt. ''JG54'' was hit by ground fire and crashed. The 5-man crew were all KIAkilled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=45834|title=Capt Leroy C Schaneberg|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=18922

|title=SSGT Michael F Dean|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref> The crash site was excavated in December 1993 and remains were identified as a group on 7 March 1995. Capt Schaneberg was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3562|title=Capt Leroy Schaneberg Air Force Cross|work=Military Times Hall of valor}}</ref>

[[Image:Former Son Tay raider Apple 1.jpg|thumb|HH-53B of the 40th ARRS which participated in the Son Tay Raid<ref group=note>Aircraft, serial 68-10357, is pictured after it was converted to an MH-53M Pave Low IV. During the Son Tay raid its call sign was Apple 1. It is on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]</ref>]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=12440 |last1=|first1=|title=Callsign 'Apple 1'|date=March 6, March 2015|publisher=National Museum of the United States Air Force|deadurlurl-status=no dead|accessdateaccess-date=3 April 3,2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409190916/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=12440|archive-date=9 April 2015}}</ref>

*27 March 1972, ''Jolly Green 61'', HH-53C, ''66-10359'', crashed over Stoeng Treng Province, Cambodia, about {{convert|10 miles|mi}} southeast of the[[Siem city ofPang SiempangDistrict]] due to unknown causes. A pararescue specialistpararescueman was lowered to the ground at the site of the crash to check for survivors, but due to the intense heat from the burning helicopter, he could not approach near enough to determine if there were crew members inside the aircraft. Some three hours later a second rescue specialist was deployed in the immediate area, who reported the wreckage was still burning, precluding close inspection. The 5-man crew were all KIAkilled in action -BNR body not recovered.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=39329|title=CAPT David E Pannabecker|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=13937|title=CAPT Richard E Dreher|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=32243|title=SGT James Manor|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=11266

*13 April 1972, Capt.Captain Bennie D Orrell pilot of a Jolly Green, rescued a downed pilot near Tchepone, Laos. Capt. Orrell was awarded the Air Force Cross.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3526|title=CAPT Bennie D Orrell, Air Force Cross|work=Military Times}}</ref>

*2 June 1972, Capt.Captain [[Dale E. Stovall]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=7278

|title=Biography: Brigadier General Dale E Stovall|work=U.S. Air Force website}}</ref> pilot of a Jolly Green, flew through intense hostile ground fire to complete the rescue of Captain [[Roger Locher]], an F-4 copilot who had evaded capture for 23 days after being shot down in North Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1992/March%201992/0392valor.aspx|title=Valor: A good thought to sleep on|work=AirforceAir Force Magazine.com}}</ref> This rescue was the deepest CSAR mission into North Vietnam and took place 8&nbsp;km northeast of [[Yên Bái Air Base]], one of the most active [[Vietnamese People's Air Force]] MiG airfields. Stovall was awarded a Bronze [[Oak leaf cluster]] in lieu of a second award of [[Silver Star]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3468|title=CAPT Dale Stovall, Air Force Cross|work=Military Times}}</ref> Stovall was also awarded the 1973 [[Jabara Award]] for Airmanship.

*27 June 1972, Pararescueman SGTSergeant Charles D. McGrath was on a CSAR mission on ''Jolly Green 77'' over North Vietnam. While penetrating dense jungle to rescue [[F-4]] crewman, Captain Lynn A. Aikman, who had a broken leg, knee, elbow and jaw, SGT McGrath exposed himself to intense ground fire in order to drag the incapacitated Aikman to a suitable recovery area. Seeing ''JG73'' crippled by the hostile fire, he directed air strikes against surrounding hostile ground forces until he was able to secure CAPT AikmanCAikman and himself to the penetrator of ''Jolly Green 57'', the backup helicopter. Rising through constant accurate ground fire, he shielded CAPT Aikman with his own body until they were successfully recovered. McGrath and the pilot CaptCaptain Dale Stovall were both awarded the Air Force Cross.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=3607

*27 December 1972, ''Jolly Green 73'', HH-53C, ''6669-107885788'', on a CSAR mission for crew of ''Jackel 33'', an [[F-111]]A downed on 22 December 1972 over North Vietnam, lost its fuel probe due to enemy ground fire and crash-landed due to fuel starvation. ''JG-73'' was then destroyed by an [[A-17D SkyraiderCorsair]].

*14 June 1973, ''Jolly Green 64'', HH-53C, ''66-10362'', lost its tail rotor and crashed into the [[Tonle Sap]], Cambodia. 3 of the crew were KIAkilled<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=44643|title=CAPT Gilbert A Rovito|work=The Virtual Wall}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thewall-usa.com/info.asp?recid=34546|title=1LT Francis E Meador

*12 April 1975 the squadron supported [[Operation Eagle Pull]], the evacuation of [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia.<ref name=Dunham>{{cite book |last=Dunham |first=George R |title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, p1973–1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series)|publisher=Marine Corps Association|year=1990|url=https://archive.org/details/TheBitterEnd|isbn=978-0-16-026455-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/TheBitterEnd/page/n125 115]}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

*29–30 April 1975, 2 of the squadron's HH-53s operating from [[{{USS |Midway (|CV-41)]]|6}} took part in [[Operation Frequent Wind]], the evacuation of [[Saigon]].<ref name="Dunham186">Dunham, p. 186</ref>{{rp|186}}

*15 May 1975, 7 of the squadron's HH-53s participated in the recapture of the [[Mayaguez Incident|SS Mayaguez]].<ref name="Dunham239">Dunham, p. 239</ref>{{rp|239}}

* Redesignated '''40th Helicopter Flight''' on 1 May 1998

* [[41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing]] (later 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing): 20 August 1972 -– 31 January 1976

* [[39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing]]: 1 July 1978 -– 31 December 1987

* Detachment 1, Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Thailand: 18 March 1968 -– 1 July 1971

: Detachment 1, [[Homestead Air Force Base]], Florida: 8 January 1981 -– 1 October 1985

* Detachment 3, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 -– 20 August 1974

* DetachemtnDetachment 4, Hill Air FotceForce Base, UtachUtah: 1 July 1978 -– 31 December 1987

* Detachment 5, Udorn RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 -– 30 September 1975

* Detachment 5, [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California: 1 July 1978 -– 31 December 1987

* Detachment 6 [[Holloman Air Force Base]], New Mexico: 1 July 1978 -– 31 December 1987

* Detachment 7 Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam): 11 December 1972 -– 10 February 1973

* Detachment 8 Takhli RTAFB, Thailand: c. Dec 1972 -– 31 January 1973

* Detachment 10 Takhli RTAFB, Thailand: 31 January 1973 -– 30 July 1974

* Detachment 10 [[MacDill Air Force Base]], Florida: 8 January 1981 -– 31 March 1981

* Detachment 12 U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand: 20 August 1972 -– 31 January 1976

* Detachment 14 [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]], South Vietnam: 15 September 1972 -– 10 February 1973

* Detachment 18 [[Plattsburgh Air Force Base]], New York: 8 January 1981 -– 30 November 1987

* Detachment 22 [[Mountain Home Air Force Base]], Idaho: 1 July 1978 -– 30 November 1987

* Detachment 24 [[Fairchild Air Force Base]], WachingtonWashington: 1 July 1978 -– 30 November 1987<ref name=40HSfacts/>

* [[Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand, 15 September 1975 -– 31 January 1976

* [[Hill Air Force Base]], Utah, 1 July 1978 -– 31 December 1987

*[[Sikorsky MH-53|Sikorsky HH-53]]B & C (1968–1976)

*[[Bell UH-11N Iroquois]] (1973–present)

*{{US Air Force}}

===; Citations===

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