Airmen with the 36th Rescue Flight, a UH-1N helicopter unit at Fairchild AFB, Wash., last week saved six people and a dog during two separate operations in northern Idaho. Unexpected snowfall, up to three feet deep in some places, stranded a father and daughter as well as four campers among the 7,000-foot peaks in that area. A five-person UH-1N crew recovered the father and daughter near St. Maries, Idaho, on Oct. 28. On their way back to Fairchild, the call came about the missing campers outside of Lewiston, Idaho. The crew found the four campers and evacuated them. A second UH-1N from Fairchild retrieved the campers’ dog. Maj. John Beurer, flight commander, praised his airmen, saying: “Their professionalism and dedication to the mission saved lives and reunited families today.” (Fairchild report by SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski)
Gene Smith, Former POW and AFA Chair, Dies at 91
Jan. 19, 2026
Lt. Col. Richard “Gene” Smith, who overcame five and a half years as a prisoner of war in the notorious Hanoi Hilton from 1967 until 1973, died Jan. 16. He was one day short of his 91st birthday.
