March 31, 1979

March 31, 1979
Maj. James E. McArdle Jr. and his four-man crew in an HH-3 helicopter from the 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Osan, South Korea, rescue 28 Taiwanese seamen from a sinking ship in the Yellow Sea during a nighttime mission. McArdle earns the 1979 Mackay Trophy, awarded for the most meritorious flight of the year in the Air Force.

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