The airmen of Air Education and Training Command’s 36th Rescue Flight at Fairchild AFB, Wash., ply their trade primarily for USAF Survival School students, but they also get tapped for local area rescues. Earlier this month, the UH-1N helicopter unit performed its 613th save, rescuing a woman with a broken leg in rough terrain in Idaho. Just a few days earlier in another part of Idaho, they brought out a man and his teenage son stranded overnight when their snowmobiles got stuck in deep snow.
When acting Air Force Secretary Gary A. Ashworth rescinded service-wide “Family Days” last week citing the need to build readiness, he left it up to commanders, directors, and supervisors to decide if they would still permit extra days off. Here’s how Air Force major commands are taking that guidance.