Since Sept. 1, airmen of the 66th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at British-run Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, have saved 253 lives and assisted another 580 patients during 620 flying missions in their HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, according to unit officials. “Sometimes we may have five missions during a 12-hour alert period, with two to three of those being ‘scrambles,’ or highest priority, which means someone’s life is on the line,” said Capt. Mark Uberuaga, a pilot with the unit. Trained in combat search and rescue, these airmen’s taskings have expanded of late to include casualty evacuation. And the rescue squadron regularly works with Army, Marine, and British rescue forces responding to missions like ridgeline extractions. Still, the unit retains the constant alert status required for the demanding CSAR mission, said Maj. Joseph Alkire, 66th ERQS detachment commander. (Camp Bastion report by TSgt. Joseph Kapinos)
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
