USAF Patch Rescue b 71 RQS Rescue Squadron HC 130 Combat King

USAF Patch 71 RQS Rescue Squadron HC 130 Combat King CSAR 1993 Patrick AFB Florida Velcro Fully embroidered cut edge 90mm by 79mm three and nine sixteenth inches by three and one quarter inches.

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History 

71 Air Rescue Squadron was activated on 14 November 1952 at Elmendorf AFB Alaska assigned to 10 Air Rescue Group equipped with SA 16 Albatross amphibious flying boats to provide search rescue and recovery support to USAF operations and civilian requirements in Alaska. The Squadron was attached to Alaskan Air Command for operational control on 1 August 1954. 71 ARS added C 54 Skymaster fixed wing aircraft and H 5 Dragonfly and SH 19 Chickasaw helicopters to its fleet in 1954. The Squadron retired its H 5 Dragonfly helicopters and exchanged its C 54s for SC 54 Skymaster fixed wing aircraft adapted for SAR in 1955 and replaced its SH 19 Chickasaws with SH 21 Workhorse helicopters in 1956. The Squadron was reassigned to Air Rescue Service on 21 October 1957. The SC 54 Skymasters were retired in 1958 leaving the Squadron operating SA 16 Albatross amphibious flying boats and SH 21 Workhorse helicopters until inactivated on 18 March 1960. 

The Squadron was reactivated as 71 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 Mar 1970 at Elmendorf AFB Alaska assigned to 39 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing ARRW equipped with HC 130 Combat King Hercules aircraft boats to provide search rescue and recovery support to USAF operations and civilian requirements in Alaska. The Squadron was attached to Det 1 39 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing on 8 March 1970 then the Elmendorf Rescue Coordination Center on 1 July 1971 followed by the Alaskan Air Command Rescue Coordination Center on 25 June 1972 before reassignment to 41 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing ARRW on 1 July 1974 itself redesignated 41 Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing RWRW on 1 September 1975. 71 ARRS added HH 3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters to its fleet in 1975 and CH 3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters in 1976. The CH 3 helicopters were retired in 1979 but returned in 1981. The Squadron was redesignated 71 Air Rescue Squadron ARS on 1 June 1989 and responsibility for rescue in the Alaska theater was transferred from the Squadron to the Alaska Air National Guard and its newly reactivated 210 Rescue Squadron in 1990. 71 ARSs CH 3 helicopters retired again in 1990 leaving it with HC 130 Combat King Hercules aircraft and HH 3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters until inactivated on 30 June 1991. 

71 Air Rescue Squadron ARS was reactivated on 1 October 1991 at Patrick AFB Florida assigned to Air Rescue Service equipped with HC 130 Hercules aircraft to support combat search and rescue and personnel recovery worldwide specializing in airdropping equipment and pararescue personnel from other Squadrons low altitude helicopter refuelling including clandestine night operations with night vision goggles NVGs as well as humanitarian SAR and relief operations. In 1992 the Squadron began regularly deploying expeditionary forces to Southwest Asia to execute personnel recovery operations and to support CSAR missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. The Squadron was redesignated 71 Rescue Squadron on 1 February 1993 and was reassigned to 1 Operations Group on 1 February 1993 and to 1 Rescue Group on 14 January 1995. The Squadron relocated to Moody AFB Georgia and was reassigned to 347 Operations Group on 1 April 1997. The Squadron upgraded to HC 130P Combat King Hercules aircraft in 2003 carry out the last deployment and last combat sortie of the HC 130P in August 2014 before transitioning to HC 130J Combat King II Hercules aircraft in 2015. 

This patch dates from 1993.