CAP cadets visit their Nellis heroes

Dick Benoit

Thursday, May 15, 2003 | 8:45 a.m.

The Nellis Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol recently visited the 66th Search and Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base and learned first-hand of the complexities, difficulties and dangers of combat search and rescue missions and the capabilities of their primary "ride," the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter.

The cadets took a tour of the flight line and one of the rescue helicopters of the 66th.

"They asked many questions," said Bob Conner, cadet squadron public affairs officer.

They were briefed by 2nd Lt Heather Hall, Senior Airman Jay Flynn and Staff Sgt. Rich Kelly of the 66th. Kelly explained his job aboard the Pave Hawk, that of door gunner.It's a serious job, but one Kelly "thoroughly enjoys," he said.

"We have a lot of protection. In fact, the HH-60 is capable of taking hits from projectiles as large as golf balls and remain in the air," he said. "The Pave Hawk is a very sturdy machine."

The historic 66th traces its roots to Royal Air Base in Manston, England. The unit was activated originally Nov. 14, 1952, deactivated in 1958 and reactivated again on March 1, 1991, as one of only four Air Force active-duty HH-60 combat rescue units.

Its primary mission is combat rescue. A secondary mission is to provide rescue support for air operations over the Nellis Range Complex and back-up rescue for civilian agencies locally and throughout the Southwest. A typical rescue crew includes a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two pararescuers, who are qualified as paramedics, scuba divers, parachutists, mountain climbers and survivalists.

The Air Force recently announced a change that will move the 66th and the 58th Rescue Squadrons at Nellis from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operations Command control beginning Oct. 1. The units will remain at Nellis under a planned AFSOC headquarters detachment, which will add 31 additional authorized positions at the base.

Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force auxiliary, is a nonprofit organization. It performs more than 85 percent of inland search and rescue missions in the continental United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to America's youth through CAP cadet programs.

For more information about Civil Air Patrol programs, call Nellis Cadet Squadron, (702) 207-2559 or e-mail bobconner@uhsinc.com

In brief

Judd and Torres began their training at 5 a.m., by running three miles and performing calisthenics. In addition to the physical conditioning program, they spent numerous hours in classroom and field assignments, which included learning first aid, uniform regulations, combat water survival, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat and assorted weapons training.

Antonio and Delosier completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, fire fighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety.