3.7   Greenville AFB, MS        -  3505th PTW     -      no assignment after 1960

 

Three H-43A aircraft were accepted at the Kaman, Bloomfield, CT facility :

58-1836 on 10 Jun 1959 , 58-1837 on 15 Jun 1959, and 58-1839 on 02 Jul 1959.

 

On 02 July 1959, Captain Clifford E. Brandon accepted H-43A 58-1839 at the Kaman facility in Bloomfield, CT, and flew it to Greenville AFB, MS.

In October of 1960 the entire unit was transferred to Williams AFB and the captain flew -839 to her new home. 

 (source : Kaman RotorTips issue  Oct-Nov64-page 14)

 

581836 MississippiRiverMS May60 DCouch12

58-1836

 

3.7.1   Darrel B.  Couch    (F-100D pilot , Maj. USAF, Ret.) 

The H-43A slides were taken at a weekend upper class survival training. The pictures are of us in class 60-H at Greenville, MS., being trained in how to use the one man life raft in the ejection seat survival kit and the proper way to use a helicopter lift sling. The location is between the Mississippi River and the flood control levy on the east side of the Mississippi River about a mile north of the US Highway 82 river bridge to Arkansas.

We would go out on Friday afternoon and return on Sunday afternoon. For supplies, we were given some parachute cloth for a tent, sleeping bags, a gallon bucket, some aluminum foil and about enough food for one meal. That food was to supplement any food you found to eat for that afternoon and the next 2 days This was May 1960 and yes, there were plenty of mosquitoes and a few ticks.

(source : Email  from Mr. Couch  16 March 2013) 

 

581836 MississippiRiverMS May60 DCouch13

H-43A  58-1836  3505th PTW   Mississippi River, MS   May 1960  -  photo by F-100D pilot   D. Couch

581836 MississippiRiverMS May60 DCouch14

H-43A  58-1836  3505th PTW   Mississippi River, MS   May 1960  -  photo by F-100D pilot   D. Couch 

581836 MississippiRiverMS May60 DCouch12

H-43A  58-1836  3505th PTW   Mississippi River, MS   May 1960  -  photo by F-100D pilot   D. Couch 

 

3.7.2  Known crewmembers who have been assigned to this H-43A unit :  TSgt Joseph W. Blaquiere  and  SSgt Forrest G. Holt 

 

3.7.3    Retirement H-43A   (from Greenville AFB, MS)

H-43A  58-1837 was re-assigned to Perrin AFB, TX on 27 Jan 1960.  

Both H-43A  58-1836 and 58-1839 were re-assigned to Williams AFB, AZ on 28 Oct 1960.

 

There was no RESCUE element based at Greenville AFB, MS after retirement of the H-43As.

 

 

 

 

last update 27/02/2019