[caption id="attachment_9548" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="LOUISVILLE, Ky--The Kentucky Air National Guard prepares to provide support in the wake of Hurricane Irene"]
Aug 28, 2011
From: Maj Dale Greer, 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs Officer, Kentucky Air National Guard; 1101 Grade Lane, Louisville, KY 40213
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Kentucky Air Guard troops deploying for potential water rescue missions
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Approximately 15 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Special Tactics Squadron are slated to deploy to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., on Sunday morning aboard two Kentucky Air Guard C-130 aircraft.
The deploying Airmen include pararescuemen who are specially trained in water rescue missions and emergency medical care, said Col Greg Nelson, commander of the the squadron's parent unit, the 123rd Airlift Wing. They will deploy with a range of dedicated rescue equipment like Zodiac motorboats and all-terrain vehicles in order to carry out a broad spectrum of operations.
The unit has been instrumental in hurricane recovery operations before, conducting rescue missions and operating a helicopter landing zone in New Orleans that airlifted more than 11,000 people to safety following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
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