DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
41st RESCUE SQUADRON (ACC)
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE GEORGIA
12 May 09
MEMORANDUM FOR 41 RQS/CC
FROM: CAPT ANDREW SHAW
SUBJECT: Jolly Green Association Trip Report, 30 Apr – 2 May 09
1. PURPOSE: Attend the Jolly Green Association’s 40th reunion as professional development,
to show active duty support and to express our gratitude to all “Jolly Green” crewmembers, past
and present. Nine members attended the reunion in Fort Walton Beach, FL. The squadron
members also supported a combined 33d RQS (Kadena AB, Japan)/38th RQS (Moody AFB,
GA) HH-60G crew which was honored as the Jolly Green Association’s 2009 Rescue Mission of
the Year. The Mission of the Year’s Aircraft Commander, Capt Tom Harley, PCS’d from the
41st RQS a little over a year ago.
2. TRAVELERS:
Capt Joshua Shonkwiler
Capt Andrew Shaw
MSgt Rodney Plikat
TSgt Daniel Courson
SSgt David Lamica
SSgt Daniel Bogan
SSgt Jonathan Jett
SrA Joshua Poe
SrA Andrew Kelley
3. ITINERARY: With the exception of Capt Shonkwiler, all members departed Moody AFB
the morning of 30 Apr 09. Capt Shonkwiler departed Kirtland AFB, where he was TDY
attending the simulator. We attended a welcoming or “meet and greet” that afternoon and met
with one of the lead organizers, Mr. Lee Massey. The events continued on 1 May with informal
discussions. Many stories were swapped between association members and the nine squadron
members throughout the day. The evening was capped with an informal “social”, where we
were again greeted by numerous association members. The next day’s events began again with
informal discussions and an informal meeting with the guest speaker and famed author, Mr. Joe
Galloway. The reunion ended on a high note with a formal banquet and an award ceremony with
Mr. Galloway as the featured speaker. During the banquet, the nine of us were honored with a
tribute to all active duty CSAR members.
4. DISCUSSION: This was a fantastic experience. We had the opportunity to meet numerous
“legends” of the Jolly Green community, such as the first deployed commander in Southeast
Asia, Col (ret) Baylor Haynes. There were numerous stories being told at any one time; these
include combat and POW experiences, how CSAR was established, how the missions were
flown, and the reasons behind the decisions for CSAR operations during the Vietnam conflict. A
highlight for all nine attendees was meeting the people who planned and flew numerous rescue
missions, including the Son Tay Raid. The firsthand accounts of the rescue attempts of Bat 21,
rescuing a pilot stranded in enemy territory, and even picking up a fellow Jolly Green crew lost
Global Power for America
earlier that day, were all stories we listened to attentively. Bluntly put, the room was filled with
living heroes and we all became thirsty sponges. To be in the same room with the people who
started our noble tradition was simply an honor. In addition, the association members had many,
many questions about present day CSAR operations in the Afghanistan and Iraqi theaters. They
were also interested in our thoughts on the direction and future of CSAR.
5. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS: The only regret I have about attending the
reunion is not having an aircraft at Hurlburt/Eglin for the association members to see. Most of
the members flew on the original HH-3 “Jolly Green” and have not seen an HH-60G. To most
of the members, the HH-53 “Super Jolly Green” was the last aircraft to perform CSAR. In the
future, having a static display coordinated with the weekend events will be a huge plus for the
Jolly Green Association members. Another idea discussed with one of the lead association’s
planner was to have the 41st RQS make a good showing next year in honor of the “41st” annual
reunion. In addition, next year’s projected guest speaker is our current Chief of Staff, General
Schwartz, who tentatively agreed to attend to discuss the future of USAF CSAR. Simply put, the
association members loved having what they deemed “young blood” in attendance and they had
just as many questions about CSAR today as we did about CSAR of the past. In my humble
opinion, this is a worthwhile event and deserves our attendance in upcoming years.
//Signed/aws/12 May 09//
ANDREW W. SHAW, Capt, USAF
Safety Officer, 41st Rescue Squadron