USAF Patch Rescue USAFE b 67 ARRS 39 ARRW Aerospace Rescue Recovery Wing CSAR b

USAF Patch USAFE 39 ARRW Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing 67 ARRS CSAR 1970s RAF Woodbridge C 130 HH 53 Super Jolly Green Giant fully embroidered cut edge 101mm by 78mm four inches by three and one sixteenth inches.

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History

39 Aerospace Rescue And Recovery Wing ARRW was reactivated on 1 January 1970 at Richards-Gebaur AFB Missouri under Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service ARRS assigned to Military Airlift Command MAC to provide helicopter support to Strategic Air Command SAC intercontinental ballistic missile sites in the US and to provide Search And Rescue SAR with 41 42 43 44 54 55 and 71 Aerospace Rescue And Recovery Squadrons in the US South East Asia and Vietnam.

The Wing relocated to Eglin AFB Florida in June 1971 losing its SAC ballistic missile support mission but taking responsibility for numerous ARRS rescue detachments in the Western Hemisphere and Europe. The Wing was assigned 48 ARRS on 15 September 1972 and 67 ARRS based at RAF Woodbridge UK on 17 May 1973. Cuts to SAR services led to the inactivations of 42 and 44 ARRS on 15 June 1973 43 ARRS on 1 June 1974 71 ARRS 1 July 1974 54 ARRS 15 July 1974 41 ARRS on 1 September 1975 and 48 ARRS on 1 January 1976 leaving the wing with 55 ARRS at Eglin AFB and 67 ARRS at RAF Woodbridge UK.

On 1 January 1978 39 ARRW was assigned 37 ARRS UH 1 and HH 1 as Missile site detachments 38 ARRS UH 1 Homestead AFB and 40 ARRS UH 1 Holloman AFB. The Wing lost 38 ARRS on 8 January 1981. 39 ARRS was reassigned to 23 Air Force under MAC on 1 October 1983 which had been assigned all USAF Special Operations forces in March 1983. 48 ARRS UH 1 Homestead returned to the Wing on 1 October 1985 and lost 37 ARRS on 1 February 1987.

A new era commenced with 7 Special Operations Squadron equipped with MC 130E Combat Talon aircraft at Rhein Main AB Germany being assigned to the Wing on 1 February 1987 when 2 Air Division was deactivated. 40 and 48 ARRS were both inactivated on 31 December 1987 leaving the Wing with 7 SOS 55 ARRS and 67 ARRS.

39 ARRW was redesignated 39 Special Operations Wing at Eglin AFB on 1 March 1988 and was assigned 9 Special Operations Squadron on that day with 21 SOS and 56 ARRS being assigned 1 May 1988. The Wing was tasked with the provision of assets to conduct infiltration exfiltration and resupply of US and allied special operations forces and Combat Search And Rescue CSAR. 55 and 67 ARRSs were both redesignated Special Operations Squadrons in June 1988. The Wing trained and participated in special operations exercises and continued to provide Search And Rescue cover.

On 1 May 1989 the Wing Headquarters moved to Rhien Main AB W Germany and became the air component of Special Operations Command Europe SOCEUR. 56 ARRS was reassigned to 41 Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing on 1 April 1989 and 9 and 55 SOSs were reassigned to 1 SOW on 18 April 1989 leaving the Wing with 7 SOS with C 130 Combat Talons 21 SOS with HH 53 helicopters and 67 SOS with HC 130.

On 23 May 1990 Air Force Special Operations Command AFSOC was established by 23 Air Force being upgraded to Command status and redesignated AFSOC with 39 SOW being reassigned from Military Airlift Command MAC to AFSOC.

In response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 the majority of the 39 SOW personnel deployed to Turkey 12 17 January 1991 and operated as part of the Joint Special Operations Task Force JSOTF Elusive Concept the hunt for Iraqi SCUD missiles. Following the return of the deployment the Wing relocated to RAF Alconbury England on 1 January 1992.

In December 1992 the 39 SOW was inactivated and replaced by 352 Special Operations Group SOG at RAF Alconbury. Deployed elements also participated in Operation PROVIDE COMFORT II. During the 1990s 352 SOG supported numerous humanitarian and combat operations in Europe Africa and Southwest Asia including Operations Provide Promise Deny Flight and Allied Force in Yugoslavia and Provide Comfort and Northern Watch over northern Iraq. In February 1995 352 SOG relocated to RAF Mildenhall.

In 2002 352 SOG took part in Operation Autumn Return the evacuation of American citizens from Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire and has been regularly called upon to support special operations for OIF OEF and OEF TS as well as other Overseas Contingency Operations. 21 SOS was inactivated 31 October 2007 leaving 352 SOG with 7 SOS with MC 130H Combat Talon II 67 SOS with MC 130P Combat Shadows.

In addition to the flying Squadrons 352 SOG includes 352 Special Operations Support Squadron which provides support for the two flying squadrons the special tactics squadron and the maintenance squadron with intelligence communications security force protection weather information technologies 321 Special Tactics Squadron which provides a fast reaction rapidly deployable expert force of combat controllers pararescuemen and weathermen capable of establishing and providing positive control of the air to ground interface during special operations or conventional missions and 352 Special Operations Maintenance Squadron which provides all organizational maintenance on the MC 130H and MC 130P aircraft assigned to the flying squadrons.

USAF 39 Rescue Wing

This USAF 39 Rescue Wing patch dates from the 1970s