Since the rescue of DUDE 44B there has been a ton of media coverage and speculation as to how, and perhaps even why, the Joint Force trains to such high-stakes rescue missions. Well the answer is, every day, and SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE!

This is a great article about exactly one of those training events involving C-130s, HH-60s, Air National Guard A-10s, PJs and, SOF teams. These fictional scenarios and training missions used to be exactly that, fiction. I doubt many of the pilots, operators and support team involved in this training mission in the windy high desert of Wyoming would have ever guessed that this exact mission would play out in the mountains of Western Iran years later.

That is the cooolest part about this job. The things that you do, the skill sets that you develop and the fictional scenarios that are presented to you may actually happen in real life. These lesson learned passed from instructor to student are meant to prepare you for the realities of this line of work, not as a haze.

As future AF pilots, take every opportunity to train. Take every opportunity to upgrade or go on TDY for a unique experience. At the time, it may feel like extra work, pulling you away from your priorities at home or at your airline job. However, one training exercise could be exactly the experience you and your squadron needs to succesfully execute the CSAR of a WSO trapped behind enemy lines!

SO OTHERS MAY LIVE!

taskandpurpose.com

A 2023 special ops exercise in Wyoming was a preview of the Iran rescue mission

On a highway in Wyoming, special ops planes delivered commandos and folded helicopters in search of a “missing pilot."