The Air Force’s elite pararescue jumpers deployed to Southwest Asia don’t just sit around waiting for the next rescue operation, they constantly practice their craft. “We always train, train, and then train some more,” says SSgt. Jon McKenzie with the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Balad AB, Iraq. He told journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz: “You can never train enough. You accomplish on mission rehearsal after another and work as a team to get the job done.” That team includes the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and gunner who man the HH-60G Pave Hawk combat search and rescue helicopter that routinely transport PJs to their destinations. And, McKenzie doesn’t leave out the ground crew, who, he says, “bust their tails day in and day out ensuring these aircraft are mission ready.”
Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East
Oct. 27, 2024
As tensions spiral in the Middle East, U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Germany have flown to the region, U.S. Central Command said Oct. 25. The F-16s are from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and represent some of the service’s most advanced models.