Guardian Angels from the 563rd RQG in rescue mission off Pacific coast of Mexico

by Staff Sgt. Adam Grant

ANGEL THUNDER Public Affairs

5/4/2014 - CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO -- Airmen from the 563rd Rescue Group (RQG) responded to a Rescue Mission after being notified of a Venezuelan fishing boat 1,100 nautical miles off the Pacific coast of Mexico with two critically injured Chinese sailors May 02, 2014. While preparing for the world's largest Combat Search and Rescue Exercise, ANGEL THUNDER, Airmen from the 563rd RQG were tasked to execute a real world mission involving the injured sailors.

The Chinese vessel came under distress after a fire injured four personnel and left six missing sailors. The remaining sailors boarded a life raft as their vessel sank and they were later recovered by a Venezuelan fishing vessel. Seven of the Chinese fishermen were in good condition and were transferred with two of their fellow sailors who succumbed to their injuries, to a Chinese-flagged ship in the area, returning to China.

Airmen from the 563rd Rescue Group (RQG) flew in a 79th RQS HC-130J Combat King II for nearly 11 hours, to parachute Guardian Angel teams near the ship, with two inflatable zodiac boat packages and medical equipment, so that they could board the vessel and stabilize the injured sailors. "We were preparing for the training exercise when we were notified of what was going on. As a Guardian Angel, this is what we are trained and equipped to do, so there is no better way to show our capabilities," said 1st Lt. Ben Schmidt, 48th Rescue Squadron (RQS) Combat Rescue Officer (CRO).

The Guardian Angel (GA) is the U.S. Air Force's human-centric and equipment-based weapon system that executes all five tasks of personnel recovery (PR): report, locate, support, recover and reintegrate. GA consists of CROs, Pararescuemen (PJs), and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Specialists.

GA is considered the ground component within the USAF rescue triad, comprising the HC-130J Combat King II and the HH-60G Pavehawk. As such, CROs and PJs deploy as teams into uncertain or hostile environments. They are trained to operate independently or in conjunction with rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, watercraft and overland vehicles, in order to locate, authenticate, and recover isolated personnel for return to friendly control. In addition to preparing personnel at risk of isolation, SERE Specialists conduct planning and execution operations across the full spectrum of PR.

"We are prepared to rescue anyone, anytime, anywhere, when tasked by the Air Force," said Col. Sean Choquette, 563rd RQG Commander. "Our Airmen train diligently to execute difficult missions like this one."

"At first glance before I parachuted down into the Pacific Ocean my only thought was That others may live," said Staff Sgt. Chris Peters, a 48th RQS PJ.

"Upon landing in the water, the GA team ensured each member who jumped was okay, as well as accountability for the gear. They then proceeded to the ship by way of their inflatable vessels, to assess and treat their patients. "Once they stabilized the patients, they continue medical treatment of the injured Chinese sailors, while ensuring they are prepared to transport the injured to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they will be loaded onto a 79th RQS HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and flown to the La Jolla Burn Facility in California," said 1st Lt. Ben Schmidt, 48th RQS CRO.

"Water rescues are highly complex and the distance, which required multiple aerial refueling operations, present more challenges in this rescue," said Maj. Scott Rein, 563rd RQG Operations Center planner. "Everyone has complicated tasks in this mission; from the Guardian Angels treating injured sailors with equipment they had to parachute in with, aviators who are flying very long missions and support personnel who are executing their roles at a remote airfield in Mexico, everyone is rising to the occasion."

"We have three factors that are in our favor, for this particular mission: the 563rd RQG was ready for Exercise ANGEL THUNDER, which trains Rescue personnel for situations very similar to this mission. The 79th RQS has the HC-130J Combat King IIs, the newest C-130 models in the Air Force, that are capable of aerial refueling, enabling them to travel farther and deliver lifesaving care faster. Finally, the 161st Air Refueling Wing was already part of the ANGEL THUNDER team, and with a telephone call from the exercise director, Mr. Brett Hartnett, immediately supported our need for refueling over the Pacific Ocean," Colonel Choquette said.

Airmen from intelligence, communications, maintenance, logistics, operations and special mission aviators from the 563rd RQG are executing this civil rescue mission due to an AFRCC tasking received 2 May 2014. The Rescue Group is part of the 23rd Wing, out of Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.

"The amount of personnel involved in this rescue mission is standard, in terms of deploying a package capable of maintaining operations in a non-military location, and performing maintenance and logistics operations for the Airmen and aircraft involved," said Lt. Col. Peter White, an HC-130J Combat King II pilot with the 563rd RQG. "The real challenge of this rescue is in the communication realm, in which critical medical and country coordination information needs are complicated with the language barriers."