Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
"That Others May Live"
Front
who flew and maintained the H-43 and
the ones who made the supreme sacrifice
"That Others May Live"
And never let us take lightly the freedom for
which they died
18 Oct. 1961 An HH-43B attained an altitude of
32,840 ft.
Setting the World Record for Class E-1
helicopters.
In 1964 it was the first USAF Rescue Helicopter
deployed to Southeast Asia.
In 1963-1964 the aircraft and crews supported
the U.S. Mapping Mission in New Guinea and
1964-1966 in Ethiopia as it was the only helicopter
at the time able to work in the high altitudes.
The HH-43 helicopter was
manufactured by the Kaman Aircraft
Corporation of Bloomfield, CT.
bases with call signs such as
"Firebird" – "Rescue 1" – "Pedro"
The HH-43 helicopter and it's air and ground crews
maintained an alert status to aid aircrews who
were downed and some in burning aircraft.
At the sound of an alarm the aircrew would be
airborne within 2 minutes, hook up a special fire
suppression kit (FSK), which could produce 690
gallons of foam. This would allow the fire
fighters to remove the aircrews from a burning
aircraft.
For a downed air crew, the HH-43 alert crew would
coordinate with headquarters or King Bird, then
would depart on a set heading to make a pickup or
recovery.
The motto of the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery
Service is
"That Others May Live"
Left side
as reported by the
Air Force Times
1964 – 1972 in South East Asia more than
1880 persons were saved from certain
death or capture.
Pararescueman William H. (Pitts) Pitsenbarger was
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for
heroic actions on 11 April 1966. He was lowered
100 feet by hoist from the HH-43B rescue helicopter
to rescue wounded U.S. Army soldiers. He voluntarily
remained on the ground to treat and assist the
troops and was subsequently killed when their
position was overrun.
Erected by the Pedro Rescue Helicopter Association.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Heroes • War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is April 11, 1966.
Location. 32° 24.252′ N, 86° 14.956′ W. Marker is in Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Memorial can be reached from the intersection of McDonald Street and Avenue D. Located at the USAF Senior NCO Academy & Enlisted Heritage Hall (Building 1210) on Gunter AFB and requires base access. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 550 McDonald Street, Montgomery AL 36114, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Southwest Asia Service Medal (here, next to this marker); Khobar Towers Memorial (here, next to this marker); Korean Service Memorial & Medal (here, next to this marker); Award of Air Force Cross to William A. Robinson (a few steps from this marker); Operation Noble Eagle (a few steps from this marker); Award of Air Force Cross to William H. Pitsenbarger (a few steps from this marker); Army Air Corps Enlisted Pilots (a few steps from this marker); Award of Air Force Cross to Arthur N. Black (a few steps from this marker).
More about this marker. Monument designed by TSgt. James A. Taylor. PedroAFRescue.org
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 446 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 30, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.