106th Rescue Wing
The 106th Rescue Wing is a New York Air National Guard unit specializing in combat search and rescue, long-range rescue aviation, and emergency support missions.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 106th Rescue Wing is a unit of the New York Air National Guard based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base near Westhampton Beach, Long Island. It provides combat search and rescue capability for U.S. and allied forces and can be placed under the operational control of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command when federalized. Unlike a conventional consumer-facing brand, the wing is an institutional military identity associated with rescue aviation, pararescue expertise, emergency response, and the long operational history of New York’s Air National Guard. The wing’s operational structure centers on three flying and rescue elements. The 101st Rescue Squadron operates HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters, which are designed to recover personnel from difficult and hostile environments. The 102d Rescue Squadron operates HC-130J Combat King II aircraft, providing long-range transport, command-and-control, aerial refueling, and support for rescue operations. The 103d Rescue Squadron supplies Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers who deploy with the aircraft and conduct personnel recovery and medical or tactical rescue tasks. The wing also maintains operations support, aircraft maintenance, medical, security forces, civil engineering, logistics, communications, and force-support organizations. Its wartime mission is worldwide combat search and rescue. Typical operations may involve low-level flight, often at night and with night-vision equipment, aerial refueling of rescue helicopters, insertion or recovery of pararescue teams, and extraction of isolated or injured personnel. In peacetime, the wing supports maritime search and rescue in the waters around the northeastern United States, assists the U.S. Coast Guard when incidents exceed Coast Guard capabilities, and contributes to NASA-related rescue and contingency support. The organization draws on several historic lineages. The wing’s heritage includes the World War II 394th Bombardment Group, a B-26 Marauder unit that operated in the European theater, and the 102d Aero Squadron lineage, which dates to 1917 and is connected to an even older New York military aviation tradition. The postwar organization served in bombing, air defense, aeromedical transport, airlift, aerial refueling, and interceptor roles before becoming a dedicated rescue formation in the 1970s. Its identity is therefore based less on commercial positioning than on public service and specialized capability. The 106th is associated with rapid response, long-range maritime operations, aircraft and aircrew readiness, and the integration of pilots, maintainers, medical personnel, rescue specialists, and pararescuemen. The unit has also been connected with support for the U.S. space program after the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger accident, when it was designated to support subsequent shuttle launches. The wing remains an active New York Air National Guard organization with both domestic emergency-response responsibilities and the ability to deploy internationally.
History
The 106th Rescue Wing’s lineage combines several strands of American military aviation history. One major predecessor was the 394th Bombardment Group, constituted in February 1943 and activated the following month. Equipped with Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers, the group trained in the United States before moving to the European theater in 1944. Operating from bases in England and later on the European continent, it attacked bridges, transportation networks, ammunition facilities, strong points, and other targets in occupied France, the Low Countries, Germany, and areas connected with the Battle of the Bulge. Its bridge attacks led to the informal identity “Bridge Busters.” The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations during the Saint-Lô campaign in August 1944. During one of those missions, Captain Darrell R. Lindsey continued leading a bombing run after his aircraft was badly damaged; he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The 394th remained in Europe after the war and was inactivated in 1946. The wartime group was redesignated the 106th Bombardment Group and allotted to the National Guard in May 1946. It was organized at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and federally recognized in March 1947. Initially equipped with B-26 Invaders, the group trained for light-bomber operations as part of the postwar New York Air National Guard. In 1950, the Air National Guard adopted a wing-base organizational structure, and the 106th Bombardment Wing replaced the earlier arrangement. The Korean War produced a major interruption in the unit’s state-based routine. The wing was federalized in February 1951, while elements of its bombardment squadrons went to the Pacific theater. The wing itself moved without its normal equipment to March Air Force Base in California, where it received B-29 Superfortresses and trained replacement and reserve aircrews for the Korean conflict. The personnel and equipment at March were redesignated as the 320th Bombardment Wing in late 1952, after which the 106th returned to New York control. During the 1950s and 1960s, the organization changed missions repeatedly. It returned to B-26 operations, then entered the jet age as an air-defense unit equipped first with F-94B Starfire interceptors and later F-86D Sabres. The unit maintained increasingly continuous alert coverage over Long Island and New York City. In 1956, Lieutenant Colonel Norma Parsons became the first woman member of the National Guard and the first woman commissioned in the Air National Guard, marking an important milestone in the organization’s history. Fiscal pressures led to the inactivation of the 114th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1958, after which the New York organization accepted an aeromedical transport mission. The 106th subsequently operated specialized medical-evacuation aircraft and then C-97 Stratofreighter transports. In the 1960s it provided worldwide airlift in support of Military Air Transport Service, including scheduled missions to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. In 1969, after the closure of Suffolk County Air Force Base, the New York Air National Guard relocated there. The unit converted to KC-97L aerial tankers and supported Operation Creek Party, a continuing rotational aerial-refueling mission from Rhein-Main Air Base in West Germany. It later returned to an air-defense role with F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors, which remained in service until 1975. The decisive transformation came in 1975, when the 102d organization converted to aerospace rescue and recovery. It operated HH-3E rescue helicopters and HC-130 Hercules tankers, developing long-range over-water rescue capability through helicopter aerial refueling. Later modernization brought HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and associated rescue systems. The wing’s location on Long Island made it particularly suited to maritime response in the northeastern United States, while its federal mission required it to support combat search and rescue wherever assigned. After the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986, the wing was designated to support subsequent shuttle launches. Its peacetime responsibilities also included maritime rescues, assistance to the U.S. Coast Guard, and support for NASA. A 1991 incident involving an HH-60 and an HC-130 responding to a sailboat in distress illustrated the hazards of long-range rescue work. The aircraft encountered severe weather during the return flight, and the helicopter was forced to ditch in the Atlantic. The wing’s present structure reflects continued specialization in rescue aviation, with HH-60W helicopters, HC-130J aircraft, and pararescue and combat-rescue personnel operating alongside maintenance, medical, logistics, and mission-support units.
- 1986
Space Shuttle support designation
[1]The wing was assigned support responsibilities for Space Shuttle launches after the Challenger disaster.
- 1975
Rescue mission adopted
[1]The 102d organization converted to aerospace rescue and recovery, beginning the wing’s modern rescue identity.
- 1969
Aerial-refueling conversion
[1]The organization relocated after the closure of Suffolk County Air Force Base and converted to KC-97L aerial-refueling operations.
- 1956
Norma Parsons makes National Guard history
[1]Lieutenant Colonel Norma Parsons became the first woman member of the National Guard and the first woman commissioned in the Air National Guard.
- 1951
Korean War federalization
[1]The wing was federalized and moved to March Air Force Base to train B-29 replacement aircrews.
- 1947
New York Air National Guard recognition
[1]The 106th Bombardment Group received federal recognition as a New York Air National Guard organization.
- 1946
Wartime group inactivated
[1]The 394th Bombardment Group was inactivated after postwar service in Europe.
- 1944
European combat operations begin
[1]The 394th Bombardment Group deployed to England and began attacks against bridges and other targets in occupied Europe.
- 1943
394th Bombardment Group activated
[1]The predecessor 394th Bombardment Group was activated and began training with B-26 Marauder bombers.
Products and positioning
A specialized New York Air National Guard rescue organization combining combat search and rescue, maritime emergency response, long-range aviation, aerial refueling, and pararescue expertise.
Rescue helicopter
HH-60W Jolly Green II
The HH-60W is the wing’s modern combat-rescue helicopter. It is operated by the 101st Rescue Squadron and supports personnel recovery, medical evacuation, maritime rescue, and operations requiring long-range coordination with tanker aircraft and pararescue teams.
Rescue support aircraft
HC-130J Combat King II
The HC-130J is operated by the 102d Rescue Squadron. It provides long-range rescue support, command and control, transport, and aerial refueling for compatible rescue helicopters, allowing the wing to reach distant or remote objectives.
Military capability
Pararescue and combat rescue operations
The 103d Rescue Squadron includes Air Force Pararescuemen and Combat Rescue Officers. These specialists deploy with rescue aircraft to locate, stabilize, recover, and evacuate isolated or injured personnel in combat and emergency environments.
Brand decisions
1975
Conversion to aerospace rescue and recoveryStrategyBackground
After earlier bombing, air-defense, transport, and aerial-refueling roles, the organization adopted a dedicated rescue mission suited to its Long Island location and regional maritime-response responsibilities.
Action taken
The 102d organization transitioned to HH-3E rescue helicopters and HC-130 Hercules tanker aircraft, establishing the foundation of the modern rescue wing.
Aftermath
The unit developed long-range over-water rescue capability and later operated HH-60 Pave Hawks before moving to the current HH-60W and HC-130J fleet.
Sources2 sources
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