By Staff Sgt. Chad Padgett

USAFE News Service

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) –The 85th Group, stationed at Keflavik Air Station, Iceland, has only recently joined U.S. Air Forces in Europe, they proven they are ready for the challenge.

With its recent contributions, Keflavik has shown their capabilities during wartime operations.

Some of their most recent accomplishments include the 493rd and 94th Fighter Squadron, hosted by the 85th Operations Squadron, flying twice their normal amount of sorties.  The 85th Maintenance Squadron coordinated and executed the pre-deployment planning for the 493rd Fighter Squadron from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, in five days, a task normally taking 45 - 90 days.  While deployed, members of the 85th MXS supported 20 sorties and 52.5 hours with no mishaps during the 14-day deployment.  The 85th Security Forces Squadron also won the Air Combat Command's Best Small Security Forces Unit of 2002 and will go on to compete at the Air Force level.

Recently Crews from the 56th Rescue Squadron from Keflavik responded to a call of a fisherman in distress aboard a Lithuanian trawler more than 300 miles south of Iceland April 11.  The crews succeeded in retrieving the wounded fisherman and delivered him to the National Hospital in Reykjavík where he was treated for a broken leg with lacerations.

"I've been extremely proud of the way our group came together to support 3rd Air Forces request for force protection assistance," said Col. Bruce Rember, 85th GP commander.

U.S. forces first arrived in Iceland in 1941 when the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, part of the U.S. Army Air Forces, equipped with P-40 Warhawk fighters relieved British Forces of the job of protecting Iceland.  The 33rd, and the units that followed, operated the British bases at Raykjavik and the Kaldadames.  By 1943 two new stations, Meeks and Patterson Fields, housed the American troops.  When World War II ended, U.S. troops left Iceland and Meeks Field became Keflavik Airport.  Now Keflavik is making more history.

"Our unprecedented opportunity to deploy has been a great morale boost for the group, allowing us to contribute to Operation Iraqi Freedom in ways that we wouldn't have imagined," said Rember. 

The 85th GP overcame a lack of formal mobility training and infrastructure within the 85th GP to aid in the fight against the Iraqi regime.

"We rapidly stood up a deployment cell to get 2 HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and members of the 56th Rescue Squadron and 85th MXS to Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, within 48 hours of our official tasking," said Rember.  "One of our HH-60 pilots called various HC-130 to Keflavik within 24 hours, then quick-turning to support the deployment the following day.  Additionally we were able to use our TDY-assigned KC-135 to deploy our cargo and the remainder of our ops and maintenance personnel."

Despite continuing change, the 85th GP remains ready to deter aggression in the North Atlantic region, protect Iceland's airspace and support contingency operations through surveillance, air superiority and rescue forces.