Jan Fred Fuchs
Birth: | 1954 |
Death: | 1984 |
Inscription: IN MEMORY OF/ CAPT US AIR FORCE | |
Burial: Star of David Memorial Gardens North Lauderdale Broward County Florida, USA Plot: Tiberias Garden |
From http://www.10af.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123343394
Teammate, best friend remembers fallen Airmen
by Maj. Cathleen Snow
920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
4/7/2013 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Air
Force Reserve search and rescue professionals from the 920th Rescue Wing here
train in and around Patrick Air Force Base's lush maritime surroundings
regularly to be the best and uphold their motto, these things we do, that others
may live .
Two drop zones which come into regular use by them for jump training, Judy and
Ferreria DZ, are named after fallen pararescuemen whose passing took place 29
years ago.
A CH-3 helicopter crash off the coast of Patrick AFB took their lives along with
three other Airmen. Lost were: Capts. Jan F.
Fuchs and David Schaeffner, both with the Eastern Space and
Missile Center, and Tech. Sgt. Ronald Martinez, Staff Sgt. Mark R. Judy and
Airman 1st Class James Ferreria, all assigned to Detachment 15, 39th Aerospace
Rescue and Recovery Wing, here.
According to the Patrick Air Force base newspaper, The Missileer dated April 20,
1984, the helicopter crashed shortly after 2 a.m., Saturday, April 7, while
flying surface surveillance for the scheduled launch of a Trident 1 missile from
the USS Georgia.
"I was on the team," said Senior Master Sgt. Craig Kennedy, manpower technician,
920th RQW, who served as a pararescumen with Det. 15 long ago as part of
operation that night. He and several other PJs launched aboard a boat to serve
as a backup medical team should something go awry with the mission.
Sergeants Judy and Kennedy were best friends.
"When we returned from our mission, the hangar was lit up like broad daylight,"
said Sergeant Kennedy who said he was unaware of the crash until they saw the
increased activity and flurry of people including the director of operations who
explained the situation.
He and his team were sent to the crash site help.
"The helo was floating upside down," said Sergeant Kennedy when they arrived to
the crash site, 60 miles off the coas. "Then it sunk in 2,400 feet of (ocean)
water."
Three survivors had been recovered. They were: Capt. William Fizgerald and Lts.
James O'Hearn and Scott Schafer, all with Det. 15.
For five days, rescue crews continued to search for the five missing Airmen
logging nearly 200 flying hours and covering between 25-30,000 square miles
seeking any signs of life.
"We never did get the bodies," said Sergeant Kennedy, but later the helicopter
was found when looking for Space Shuttle Challenger after an accident caused it
to break apart shortly after liftoff January 28, 1986, which Sergeant Kennedy
witnessed while serving as rescue support for the astronauts that day.
The search was ended after five days on April 11 following extensive
consultations between Air Force and Coast Guard Officials.
These Airmen lived by the pararescue motto that wing Airmen continue to live,
train and deploy by today, these things we do that others may live.
The primary mission of the 920th RQW is a combat-search-and-rescue. The unit is
also tasked as the primary rescue force for NASA astronauts during lift off and
local civilian search and rescue, as well as humanitarian relief.
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