Marines move an “injured” pilot onto a stretcher during a simulated re-
covery mission in March (below). A pararescueman from Nellis AFB, Nev., car-
ries a “survivor” during a search-and-rescue exercise in July 2007 (bottom).
learned that, as much as we want to
use our helos to do recoveries, that’s
not always going to work,” he says.
“Bad weather, low visibility, high
winds, severe rain, and heavy icing can
all impact a helicopter rescue. And if
a vengeful enemy puts up enough fi re,
no helicopter can survive that.”
Getting TRAPped
All CSAR teams fall under the Joint
Personnel Recovery Center, which
reports to the theater commander
and coordinates rescue efforts. Ma-
rine Corps rescues are mounted by
tactical recovery of aircraft and per-
sonnel (TRAP) teams, such as the one
with the Basher 52 rescue mission.
The search for O’Grady began al-
most immediately after his F-16 went
down during Operation Deny Flight,
an enforcement of a no-fl y zone es-
tablished over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
When radio contact fi nally was es-
tablished with the downed aviator,
a TRAP force from the 24th Marine
Expeditionary Unit based on the
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) already was
spring-loaded, having been placed
on alert as soon as word arrived of
O’Grady’s shoot down.
Early morning June 8, 1995, the
team lifted off from the Kearsarge, an
amphibious assault ship in the Adri-
atic Sea off the coast of Croatia. Com-
posed of two CH-53 Super Stallion
helicopters and two Cobra gunships,
the team was joined by F-15, F-16,
A-10, F/A-18, EF-111, AV-8, and EA-6
aircraft and eight fl ying fuel tankers.
The armada got to O’Grady’s posi-
tion without incident and helped him
by enemy troops, forcing them to hide paddled to safety, ending Hamble- aboard one of the Stallions. Soon, the
in bushes near the shore. ton’s 11-day ordeal. task force was skimming low over the
Norris called in an air strike, and Col. Darrel Whitcomb, USAFR- hills, heading back to the Kearsarge.
soon fi ve A-4 Skyhawks were pound- Ret., a former A-10 driver and author Suddenly a trio of shoulder-launched
ing the enemy positions with bombs of The Rescue of Bat 21 (Dell, 1999), SA-7 missiles erupted from below,
and rockets. With a cover of smoke says every mission is a lesson, and one just missing O’Grady’s helo. The
bombs from a fl ight of A-1s, the men Bat 21 Bravo was no different. “We’ve Super Stallion dipped to within 50
48 MILITARY OFFICER JULY 2009 PHOTOS: ABOVE, SENIOR AIRMAN CHRISTINA D.
PONTE, USAF; TOP, CPL. SHAWN M. SPITLER, USMC
JJul_Rescue.indd
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