NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The 58th Rescue Squadron held an inactivation ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 18, 2025, commemorating more than two decades of personnel recovery and combat rescue operations worldwide.
The inactivation is part of the Air Force’s ongoing efforts to consolidate rescue assets and optimize mission execution. The 58th RQS, a Guardian Angel unit under the 563rd Rescue Group out of Davis-Monthan AFB, specialized in deploying pararescuemen to recover isolated personnel during both peacetime and combat operations.
“The legacy of the 58th has been one of mission readiness and the ability to just get things done at a moment’s notice, and we’ve been pretty successful at it,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff Edson, the 58th RQS’s final commander.
Since its activation in 2002, the 58th RQS has participated in every major combat operation of the post-9/11 era, from Operation Anaconda to the final evacuations of U.S. personnel during Operation Allies Refuge. Its Airmen have executed technical rescues in some of the world’s most challenging environments, using skill sets ranging from high-angle recovery and combat diving to casualty evacuation under fire.
“To me, the mission we executed to recover a fallen Airman in Red Rock Canyon embodies what I want to see in a rescue squadron: everybody came together to be a part of the mission and do what we needed to do,” Edson said. “It wasn’t just the [pararescuemen]; it was intel, comm, supply, even my [Command Support Staff] Airmen, all worked around the clock because they believed in the mission.”
The inactivation ceremony marked the end of an era for many, including Chief Master Sgt. Luis Garcia, 58th RQS senior enlisted leader, who began his Air Force career at the squadron in 2002.
“It’s kind of bittersweet to be here as my first duty station and now as a chief, actually getting it closed down,” Garcia said. “It feels nice to know that the place where I started is also the place I’m shutting down. It went full circle.”
While the 58th RQS is inactivating, its Airmen are not leaving the rescue mission behind. Personnel have been reassigned across the Air Force to continue supporting Guardian Angel operations at locations including Moody AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Kadena Air Base.
The inactivation ceremony also reinforces Davis-Monthan’s expanding role as a hub for rescue and special operations missions. As A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft continue to divest, and their associated squadrons close down, DM is expected to see an increase in rescue personnel and aircraft, positioning it as a major center for future personnel recovery operations.
The 58th RQS’s motto, “Courage and Honor,” will continue to echo through the broader rescue enterprise, even as the unit’s guidon is furled. The lives saved, missions executed and standards set by the 58th will remain a part of Air Force rescue’s commitment: That Others May Live.