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| 48th Rescue Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Members of the 48th Rescue Squadron training in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season | |
| Active | 1952–1969; 1972–1976; 1985–1987; 1993–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Search and Rescue |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Davis–Monthan Air Force Base |
| Mottos | Valor and Honor, Night Riders (1994– )[1] |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 48th Rescue Squadron emblem[2] |  |
| 48th Air Rescue Squadron emblem(approved 19 May 1994)[1] |  |
| 48th Air Rescue Squadron emblem(approved 1 December 1953)[3] |  |
The48th Rescue Squadron is part of the563d Rescue Group atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. PJs/CROs fly onHH-60 Pave Hawk andHC-130 aircraft to conduct combat rescue andsearch and rescue missions.
The48th Rescue Squadron trains, equips, and employs combat-ready pararescuemen, combat rescue officers, and supporting personnel worldwide in support of U.S. national security interests. It provides survivor contact, treatment, and extraction during combat rescue operations, uses variousfixed androtary wing insertion and extraction assets. It employs by any means available to provide combat andhumanitarian search, rescue, and medical assistance in all environments.
Thesquadron was first activated as the48th Air Rescue Squadron in November 1952, whenAir Rescue Service expanded its existing rescue squadrons into groups. The 48th was established with the assets of Flight C of the 5th Air Rescue Squadron atMaxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. In January 1955, the squadron moved toEglin Air Force Base, Florida. At Maxwell and Eglin, the 48th flew search, rescue and recovery missions, mostly over water.[1] At Eglin, the squadron added the mission of training rescue aircrews. The squadron was inactivated in February 1969[1] and ite mission transferred to the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Training Center.[4]
The squadron, now the48th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron was reactivated atFairchild Air Force Base, Washington in September 1972. It supported the3636th Combat Crew Training Wing, which conducted the Air Force's advanced survival school at Fairchild, while continuing to flysearch and rescue (SAR) missions. The squadron was inactivated at Fairchild in August 1976.[1]
The squadron was again activated to support survival training in October 1985 atHomestead Air Force Base, Florida, where the USAF Water Survival School, run by a squadron of the 3636th Wing, was located. Again it flew SAR missions in addition to its training role. In addition, squadron personnel performed interdiction missions in support of theSouth Florida Drug Interdiction Task Force while at Homestead. In December 1987, the squadron was again inactivated.[1]
The 48th was reactivated atHolloman Air Force Base, New Mexico in 1993 and for the next six years flew combat search and rescue missions.[1] Its most recent activation atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona in 2004[1] was as a "guardian angel" squadron, providingpararescuemen, flying on the aircraft and helicopters of the other squadrons of the563d Rescue Group.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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