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Show America In Action rescues at sea and in inaccessible land areas. Rescue squadrons are being activated acti-vated in every theater of operations where AAF personnel are stationed. They are under the direction of a unit equipment officer and each squadron is specially trained to meet local conditions. Some are in forward for-ward jungle bases and some are on posts in the Arctic. Medical men, navigators, radio technicians and persons familiar with the territory make up the squadrons. They have special equipment, equip-ment, such as sick bays, in vessels which go out to rescue crews forced down at sea. "It has been an excellent morale builder to AAF crews to know these trained squadrons are on the alert at the bases ready tt come to their ' aid if they crash or are shot down," Colonel whitehead said. Released by Western Newspaper Union. AAF Emergency Rescue Branch Seventy per cent of United States air crews and pilots forced down at sea by enemy action in one large theater of operations during September Sep-tember were rescued by specially trained squadrons, the war department depart-ment has announced. The squadrons are members of the recently organized emergency rescue res-cue branch of the army air forces and are commanded by Lieut. Col. Charles B. Whitehead. Air force commanders in other theaters where United States airmen air-men operate in climates ranging from below zero to blistering heat are also reporting an increase in the percentage of crews saved and returned re-turned to duty. Colonel Whitehead announced. The emergency rescue branch, created late in August, co-ordinates its activities with other military agencies to prevent duplication in its mission of expediting emergency |