Hurricane Ike responders return home

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Eric Schloeffel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Amidst the path of destruction left behind by Hurricane Ike, 23rd Wing Airmen successfully carried out their mission of providing rescue and relief operations to victims of the affected areas in the greater-Houston area.

Airmen from the 23rd Wing teamed with other rescue assets from around the Air Force to form the 331st Air Expeditionary Group. From the 331st AEG staging ground at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, the unit directly participated in 19 missions - rescuing a total of 27 people.

"The efforts of 23rd Wing Airmen show a positive side to an otherwise tragic event," said Col. Kenneth Todorov, 23rd Wing commander. "Despite an already high operations tempo and deployment rate, our Airmen showed their ability to respond at a moment's notice whenever their vital search and rescue expertise is needed."

From the 23rd Wing, eight HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130P aircraft, one C-130E and approximately 200 Airmen were deployed to assist with the rescue efforts.

The wing's missions in Texas included search and damage assessment and providing medical assistance to distressed victims on the ground.

While cleanup efforts continue along the Texas coast, search and rescue operations are currently winding down, said Col. Darryle Grimes, 347th Rescue Group commander.

"We expect the requirement for active duty search and rescue support to begin drawing down today, with roughly half the forces being released back to their home units," he said.

The 23rd Wing is the only active-duty combat search and rescue wing in the U.S. Air Force. Units from the wing's two Rescue Groups, the 347th RQG at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and the 563rd RQG co-located at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and Nellis AFB, Nev., were responsible for more than 1,700 saves during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

"Like many times before, our Airmen proved the capabilities of the 23rd Wing and U.S. Air Force to rapidly respond in an emergency situation," said Colonel Todorov. "Our Airmen exemplify the word warrior, and we're extremely proud of their efforts over the last few days."