41st Rescue Squadron [41st RQS]

The 41st Rescue Squadron (41 RQS) is part of the 347th Rescue Group at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It operates HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft conducting search and rescue missions.

The 41st Rescue Squadron from Moody Air Force Base, GA is one of only four active duty rescue squadrons flying HH-60 helicopters. The other squadrons provide continual rescue support for Operation Northern Watch, and the Atlantic and Pacific regions.

The 41st Rescue Squadron was constituted 17 October 1952, activated 14 November 1952, and assigned to the 4th Air Rescue Group at Hamilton AFB, CA. The 41st operated from Hamilton until 18 March 1960, when it discontinued.

It remained out of service until its activation, again at Hamilton, on 29 December 1961, and its organization on 8 January 1962. On 8 January 1966, the squadron was redesignated the 41st Aerospace and Recovery Squadron, and on 1 August 1973 it moved to McClellan AFB, CA. It remained at McClellan until 30 September 1987, when it inactivated.

This time, its reactivation took place in Florida at Patrick AFB on 1 March 1989. The unit took its original name of Air Rescue Squadron on 1 June 1989, then took its current name of Rescue Squadron on 1 February 1993.

On 1 November 1996, the squadron relocated to Moody AFB, Georgia temporarily under Detachment 2. On 1 April 1997 the squadron became part of the 347th Composite Wing at Moody.

During its first activation (1952 - 1960), the 41RQS performed search and rescue (SAR) missions with SB-17, C-82, H-5, SA-16, and SH-19 aircraft. The SAR missions continued with the unit's second activation (1962 - 1987), but the aircraft changed to the SA/HU-16, SH/HH-19, HH-43, HC-130, CH/HH-53, and HH-3 as a result of the additional mission to recover high-altitude atmospheric sampling devices. Beginning in March 1989, the 41st also provided prelaunch security and safety surveillance of NASA launches and recovery/medical evacuation for space shuttle crew members.

The 41th RQS has been awarded nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards throughout its relatively short history.

The 41st Rescue Squadron is the most deployed CSAR unit in the Air Force. The 41st has been continuously deployed from July 1998 to March 2000. The deployments range from Noble Anvil in Italy to major rescue efforts to Atlas Response in Mozambique Africa, and the Bermuda Coast Guard rescue. The squadron also deploys to Operation Northern Watch in Incirlik AB, Turkey, and the many deployments to southwest Asia. It also participates in exercises in Red/Green Flag, Desert Rescue VIII.

The 41st Rescue Squadron returned home on March 10, 2002, from a deployment as part of the 41st Expeditionary Rescue Operations Squadron in support of Operation Northern Watch.

The 347^th Rescue Group is comprised of the 38^th Rescue Squadron (Pararescue), the 71^st Rescue Squadron (HC-130) and the 41^st Rescue Squadron (HH-60).