DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- A former Chief of Staff of the Air Force visited Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Jan. 23 and 24, 2025.
Retired Gen. David L. Goldfein spoke at a fireside chat as the lead-up to the 2024 Maintenance Professional of the Year awards. During the awards, the 55th Rescue Generation Squadron unveiled the restored and now retired tail of the helicopter that was flown in the mission to rescue him to honor his attendance.
In 1999, while then-Lt. Col. Goldfein was leading a mission in support of Operation Allied Force, his F-16 was struck by a surface-to-air missile over Serbia. The last words he broadcast over his radio prior to ejecting were, “start finding me boys.” After ejecting from the aircraft, he landed in hostile territory.
“It’s a funny thing about our training,” said Goldfein, “I went through Survival Evasion Resistance Escape training in 1979 and I was shot down in 1999. All this training that I had had twenty years previously, had gotten parked somewhere in my brain. It’s sort of the way we do things in the Air Force.”
In a high-risk combat search and rescue operation, a 55th Special Operations Squadron HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter with six crew members and pararescuemen, supported by A-10s and other rescue assets, successfully recovered him under fire, exemplifying Air Force Rescue’s dedication to its personnel and the motto: "These Things We Do, That Others May Live."
“The C-130 landed and lowered its stairs, and I saw the most beautiful sight I had ever seen in my life. Dave walked down those stairs, a muddy mess,” said Mrs. Dawn Goldfein, General Goldfein’s wife, “It was truly amazing to see him.”
Goldfein’s attendance at the Maintenance Professional of the Year awards underscored the critical role maintainers play in mission success. It was also the first time since his rescue that he and the team of pararescuemen who saved him were all together in one place.
By sharing his experiences and recognizing the efforts of Airmen who ensure aircraft readiness, he reinforced the importance of their work in both peacetime and combat operations. His presence served as a testament to the life-saving impact of dedicated maintenance professionals who keep the Air Force’s fleet mission-ready.
“I didn’t save the general. Our team didn’t save the general.” said U.S. Air Force Ret. Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Hardy, one of the pararescuemen who saved Gen. Goldfein, “It was maintainers like you, and your predecessors, who make sure our aircraft are flight-ready, you own this rescue.