920th Rescue Wing hosts memorial to honour fallen rescue heroes
Master Sgt William Posch and Staff Sgt Carl Enis honoured during memorial service
Close to 1,500 people joined together to pay tribute to Master Sgt William Posch and Staff Sgt Carl Enis during a memorial service on 28 March at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. The pararescuemen assigned to the 308th Rescue Squadron were two of the seven Airmen killed in an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash in Anbar Province, Iraq, March 15, 2018.
“If I were stranded on a battlefield somewhere injured and I could pick the names of my rescuers, I would have chosen the crew of Jolly 51,” said Col. Kurt Matthews, 920th Rescue Wing commander. “They were that good. In fact, Bill and Carl were the best of the best. … Our obligation is to honour their lives by keeping them in our hearts and minds and endeavouring each day to make them proud of us because we are so grateful and so proud of them.”
As pararescuemen, Posch and Enis were highly trained rescue specialists, on and off the battlefield, providing life-saving trauma care and search and rescue as part of the 920th Rescue Wing – one of the most deployed units in the Air Force Reserve. Posch had been with the unit since 2008 and Enis since 2012.
Posch entered the Air Force in 2000 and graduated from the Pararescue Apprentice Course in 2003. He was a combat veteran who participated in numerous joint special operations missions and tactical deployments. He supported major military operations at home and abroad including Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Joint Task Force Katrina, JTF NASA Space Shuttle launch and recovery, and JTF Harvey, where he and his fellow rescue warriors saved 235 hurricane victims in Texas. In 2013, Sergeant Posch was named one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year.
US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jared Trimarchi