Two U.S. Air Force rescue squadrons have been recognized with one of the rarest distinctions in American military history, the Presidential Unit Citation, for their extraordinary heroism during the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
These were not ordinary days for rescue Airmen, and what they accomplished stands shoulder to shoulder with some of America’s most storied battlefield legends.
The 66th and 58th Rescue Squadrons were at the heart of the Kabul evacuation as part of the 176-member Personnel Recovery Task Force.
In an impossible situation left behind by disastrous political decision-making in Washington, these airmen did what true warriors do, they adapted, fought the chaos, and saved lives.
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They helped create an “unconventional recovery network” that rescued more than 1,900 American citizens and at-risk Afghans, while providing safe passage for over 12,000 more during the frantic final weeks before the Taliban’s takeover.
The Presidential Unit Citation, rarer than most Americans realize, is the nation’s top collective combat honor.
It has been awarded to elite fighting outfits throughout our history, from the 2nd Ranger Battalion at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day, to the 1st Marine Division at the frozen Chosin Reservoir, and SEAL Team Six after delivering justice to Osama bin Laden in 2011.
It’s given only when entire units perform heroically under fire against overwhelming odds.
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For Air Force rescue units, built on the warrior creed “These Things We Do, That Others May Live,” this award cements their place in military history.
The citation was bestowed last month at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where current rescue squadrons, the 55th and 48th, received it on behalf of the now-deactivated 66th and 58th units.
Col. Jose Cabrera, commander of the 355th Wing, underscored the significance of this recognition. “Every couple of years, there’s something that happens that defines the next generation of rescue Airmen,” Cabrera said.
“Every generation has their time and I think we’re seeing that today – your defining moment. This will go down in Air Force history as one of the greatest accomplishments of the Air Force rescue community.”
As Kabul fell on August 15, 2021, these rescue teams faced scenes of mass panic and danger. The Taliban were advancing rapidly, civilians were flooding the airport, and operational security was hanging by a thread.
Yet the 66th Rescue Squadron kept its HH-60 helicopters airborne and ready for mission alerts, while simultaneously sending personnel into the chaos to locate, process, and evacuate those desperate to escape.
Lt. Col. Michael Dommer, commander of the 55th Rescue Squadron, described how the 66th “maintained a flying formation for the alert mission and also voluntarily assisted with locating and processing evacuees, while also monitoring ground and tower frequencies to track numbers of American citizens, Afghan refugees, and other country nationals being evacuated aboard each C-17.”
It was a total-force effort under the most uncertain circumstances imaginable.
The teamwork between the 66th’s flyers and the 58th’s pararescue jumpers (PJs) proved decisive. These Airmen had trained together for years, forming a bond that was tested and validated in Afghanistan’s final hours.
Their professionalism and grit allowed them to conduct search and rescue, medical support, and evacuation coordination all at once – the very definition of integrated mission success.
The 58th Rescue Squadron, which focused on PJ training at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, was later inactivated as part of the Air Force’s restructuring of Davis–Monthan into a central hub for special operations and rescue missions.
Even in retirement, their legacy is now etched permanently into U.S. military history.
It’s worth noting that other elite American units from the Afghan withdrawal also received this prestigious citation, including the 355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command, and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division's Joint Task Force 82.
These groups collectively represented the best of American military resolve during one of the most politically disastrous exits in modern times.
While Washington bureaucrats mishandled the withdrawal and tried to spin the embarrassment, these Airmen and their brothers-in-arms wrote a different story, one of selfless courage and professional excellence.
They didn’t get to choose the mission, but they made sure America’s word still meant something to the people lucky enough to be rescued.
As the nation looks ahead, these units remind us what true American exceptionalism looks like: commitment under pressure, valor in chaos, and readiness to act when leadership fails.
The citation isn’t just a medal, it’s a message. Even in the worst moments, America’s warriors remain the world’s best.
For the 66th and 58th Rescue Squadrons, their names will forever be spoken with the same respect reserved for the greatest combat units of the past.
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They proved again that when the Air Force rescue community answers the call, “That Others May Live” is more than a motto. It’s a mission fulfilled in blood, sweat, and absolute devotion to duty.
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