As a very young NCO, my mentor was a PJ. There are none better. A reader from their homebase asked us to post this article in it's entirety. Godspeed the rescuers - Gertz, Flores, White, and Smith. ------------------------------- http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/06/airforce_helo_crash_identifications_061010w/ The Pentagon has named the four rescue airmen who were killed Wednesday when insurgents shot down their HH-60G Pave Hawk in southern Afghanistan. Three airmen also were injured in the Pave Hawk incident, which occurred on the deadliest day for Air Force personnel at war in more than five years. The four killed are: * 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Mich. * Staff Sgt. David C. Smith, 26, of Eight Mile, Ala. * Tech. Sgt. Michael P. Flores, 31, of San Antonio. * Senior Airman Benjamin D. White, 24, of Erwin, Tenn. Flores and White were assigned to the 48th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Gentz was assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Smith was assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis. The wounded airmen are members of the 66th Rescue Squadron. They are being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. The helicopter crashed as the airmen, assigned to 563rd Rescue Group, were performing a medical-evacuation mission in turbulent Helmand province. “Our Air Force was deeply saddened by the loss of four of our own,” Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said in a statement. “Faithful to the rescue motto ‘That others may live,’ these airmen were courageously and selflessly flying in support of their joint and coalition teammates. We grieve for our warriors and our thoughts and prayers are with their families, as well as with the airmen still recovering.” Col. Gary Henderson, the 23rd Wing commander said in a statement: “Our hearts go out to the families of these brave Americans, and we express our deepest condolences to them. All seven airmen involved in this incident embody the rescue motto, ‘These things we do, that others may live,’ and were on a life-saving mission. “These airmen and their other rescue teammates are highly trained to perform life-saving missions in various situations. Protecting our nation’s sons and daughters is a sacred trust and we take that responsibility seriously.” The last time four or more airmen died in a single day was May 30, 2005, when a prop plane crashed in Diyala province, Iraq. A fifth passenger, Iraqi Air Force Capt. Ali Abass, also died in that crash. It was the bloodiest day in Afghanistan for the Air Force since Nov. 23, 2003, when four airmen were killed in a helicopter crash in Parwan province, according toicasualties.org, a website that tracks coalition deaths overseas. The helicopter was providing support to British troops at the time of the attack, according to The New York Times. The newspaper, quoting a Taliban spokesman, said insurgents shot down the helicopter over the Sangin district bazaar with a rocket-propelled grenade. “It’s a big deal every time we lose someone,” Brig. Gen. Frderick B. Hodges, one of the top American commanders in southern Afghanistan, told The Washington Post. “But this is more of a jolt. The medevac crews are some of the bravest people in the world. Just by the nature of what they do, they’re always moving into danger.” Flores, a 32-year-old pararescueman, had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and deployed eight times during his 12 years in the service. White, a 24-year-old pararescueman, had served in the Air Force since July 2006 and was on his first deployment. Gentz, 25, a combat rescue officer, studied aerospace engineering at Purdue University and enrolled in ROTC because he wanted to be a pilot and perform combat recue, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Smith, 26, was a flight engineer who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during his nine-year career. Posted via email from blackfive's posterous
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Jun 11 2010, 08:59 AM
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BLACKFIVE