Officials elevated the 36th Rescue Flight to squadron-status in a redesignation ceremony at Fairchild AFB, Wash., last Friday, according to a release. “The flight has been preforming at a squadron level for years,” said Lt. Col. Jason Snyder, the commander of the newly christened 36th Rescue Squadron, during the Aug. 14 ceremony. “This is a great accomplishment for us, and well deserved,” he added. The unit’s UH-1N Huey helicopters mainly support Fairchild’s 336th Training Group, which conducts the Air Force’s survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) training. “We also do other support, such as hoist training, parachute drop demonstrations, and even some missions that are not in support of the Survival School,” added 36th RQS scheduling chief Capt. Faith Sanders-Walker. The unit is credited with saving 689 lives since its inception as the 48th Aerospace and Recovery Squadron in 1971, according to the release.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…