The 31st Rescue Squadron is part of the

18th Wing The United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force's largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force. The Wing's 18th ...

Kadena Air Base (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA: DNA, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: RODN) is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena, Okinawa, Kadena and Chatan, Okinawa, Chatan and the ...

, Japan. It trains, equips and employs combat-ready pararescue specialists.

History

The 31st Rescue Squadron was constituted as the 31st Air Rescue Squadron on 17 October 1952. They made combat rescues in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, 1965–1966 and also operated the Joint Rescue Coordination Center for

Thirteenth Air Force The Thirteenth Expeditionary Air Force (13 EAF) is a provisional numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam on the island of Oahu, ...

, Apr 1967 – July 1975. They took part in

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

missions in the Philippines between 16 and 31 July 1990. As a

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Special Operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

Squadron the 31st was forward deployed at

Osan Air Base Osan Air Base (K-55; ; Hanja: ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base located near Songtan station in the city of Pyeongtaek, South Korea, south of Seoul. Despite its name, Osan AB is not within Osan C ...

, Korea from 1992 to 2001, while its headquarters at the

353d Special Operations Group The 353rd Special Operations Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan. The group (military aviation unit), Wing's first predecessor was activated in 1944 as the ...

was stationed at

, Okinawa, Japan. Inactivated for a couple of years, in 2003 the squadron was redesignated the 31st Rescue Squadron under the

and stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 31st Air Rescue Squadron on 17 October 1952 : Activated on 14 November 1952 : Discontinued on 18 September 1960 * Organized on 8 July 1963 : Redesignated 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Inactivated on 1 July 1975 * Activated on 8 January 1981 : Redesignated 31st Special Operations Squadron on 6 April 1989 : Inactivated on 31 August 2001 * Redesignated 31st Rescue Squadron on 16 May 2003 : Activated on 31 July 2003

Assignments

* 2d Air Rescue Group, 14 November 1952 *

Air Rescue Service The United States Air Force Combat Rescue School (for most of its existence, either Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), was an organization of the United States Air Force. The school was established in 1946 as ''Air ...

, 24 June 1958 – 18 September 1960 * Air Rescue Service (later Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service), 8 July 1963 (attached to Pacific Air Rescue Center (later Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery) Center, until 31 March 1967) * Pacific Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Center (later 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing), 1 April 1967 – 1 July 1975 * 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, 8 January 1981 * 353d Special Operations Wing (later 353d Special Operations Group) 6 April 1989 – 31 August 2001 * 18th Operations Group, 31 July 2003 – present

Stations

Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base in Luzon, located west of Angeles City, and about northwest of Metro Manila. It was previously operated by the U.S. Air Force and, before that, the U.S. Army, from 1903 to 1991. The base cov ...

, Philippines, 14 November 1952 *

Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...

, Okinawa, 12–18 September 1960 * Clark Air Base, Philippines, 8 July 1963 – 1 July 1975 * Clark Air Base, Philippines, 8 January 1981 *

Ching Chuan Kang Air Base Ching Chuan Kang Air Base ( zh, t=清泉崗空軍基地, CCK) is a Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) base located in Taichung, Taiwan. It is the home to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, with three squadrons of AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo f ...

, Taiwan, 10 May 1965 – 31 May 1975 *

Marine Corps Air Station Futenma is a United States Marine Corps base located in Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan, northeast of Naha, on the island of Okinawa. It is home to approximately 3,000 Marines of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and other units, and has been a U.S. military a ...

, Okinawa, Japan, 29 June 1991 *

, South Korea, July 1992 – 31 August 2001 * Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan, 31 July 2003 – present

Aircraft

* Grumman SA-16 Albatross, 1952–1960 *

Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (company model number S-55) is a multi-purpose piston-engined helicopter that was used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwin ...

, 1952–1955 * Sikorsky SH-19 (later HH-19), 1955–1960, 1963–1964 * Douglas HC-54, 1964–1965 *

Kaman HH-43 Huskie The Kaman HH-43 Huskie is a helicopter developed and produced by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Kaman Aircraft. It is perhaps most distinctive for its use of twin intermeshing rotors, having been largely designed by the German aeronautical ...

, 1964–1970, 1971–1972 * Boeing HC-97, 1965–1966 * Lockheed HC-130 Hercules, 1966–1975 *

Sikorsky HH-3 The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (company designation S-61) is an American twin-engine anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engine ...

, 1968–1975, 1981–1990 * Sikorsky CH-3, 1981–1990 *

Sikorsky MH-53 The Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low series is a retired long-range special operations and combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter for the United States Air Force. The series was upgraded from the HH-53B/C, variants of the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stall ...

, 1990–2001 * Boeing MH-47 Chinook, 2001

References

External links

31st Special Operations Squadron History

The PAVE Cave (unofficial PAVE LOW website)
031 {{USAF-stub