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On June 8, 1995, a Marine Corps Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) team rescued Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady in Bosnia, where, for a full week, he had been evading the Serbian forces who had shot him down. The National Museum of the Marine Corps now has in its collection the Sikorsky CH-53E, BuNo 162001, that carried O’Grady to safety.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) initiated Operation Deny Flight in response to United Nations efforts to limit the fighting in the ongoing Bosnian War, which stemmed from the contentious breakup of Yugoslavia. Deny Flight, as its name implies, was intended to prevent any of the various factions in the Bosnian War from using air power in the conflict. Several NATO countries, including the United States, contributed to armed missions over Bosnia and Herzegovina to enforce the no-fly zone.
US Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady was flying his F-16 on one such mission on June 2, 1996, when Bosnian Serb forces succeeded in shooting him down with a surface-to-air missile. O’Grady’s wingman saw the plane catch fire and break up, but they had been flying through overcast skies and he did not see O’Grady’s parachute. O’Grady, however, had parachuted safely, though he landed in Serb-held territory. The Serbs were eager to capture western hostages for leverage against NATO, and O’Grady immediately began practicing what he had learned in USAF Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training.
As soon as the shoot-down was reported, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)), which was sailing in the Adriatic Sea just off the coast, was alerted and ordered to plan for a TRAP mission. The MEU immediately put a heavy TRAP package of forces on alert: CH-53Es, AH-1Ws, and AV-8Bs from the MEU’s Air Combat Element were fueled and armed for short-notice takeoff, while troops from the 3d Battalion, 8th Marines similarly drew weapons and ammunition in order to provide security while the force was on the ground and help retrieve O’Grady if necessary. Backups for each of these were similarly prepared, ready to substitute at a moment’s notice. All of these forces remained on alert 24 hours a day, ready to depart as soon as the order came through.
On June 7, NATO aircraft detected signals indicating that O’Grady was still alive. At 0230 local time on June 8, one of O’Grady’s squadron mates made radio contact with him to confirm that it was him and that he was not captured and being forced to make contact in order to draw more NATO aircraft into a trap. Upon confirmation that all was well, senior commanders ordered the TRAP forces into a “ready to launch” status while final planning commenced. Planners decided that additional US and NATO aircraft were needed in support, and those would be ready at 0515. Amphibious Squadron Eight (carrying the MEU) began moving closer to the Croatian coastline. Meanwhile, the additional NATO aircraft assembled: two EA-6Bs and two EF-111s for electronic warfare support, a pair of F/A-18s for top cover, a pair of A-10s for additional close air support, and an SH-60 helicopter from USS Ticonderoga for rescue in case any of the mission aircraft were forced down. All of these, and the TRAP aircraft, were coordinated by an RAF E-3 AWACS. Given the uncertainty of the situation on the ground, even more aircraft and ground troops were standing by on alert.
The TRAP package crossed the Croatian coast at 0549, flying a low and circuitous route to avoid Serb anti-aircraft sites. The AH-1W Cobras arrived on the scene first, searching for O’Grady and reconnoitering the area for any Serb forces that might be nearby. At about 0640, they made radio contact with O’Grady, located a nearby landing zone for the –53s, and marked it by dropping a smoke grenade out of a cockpit window. The first –53 landed through a low, heavy fog; its security Marines immediately debarking to set up a security perimeter. The second –53, BuNo 162001, initially landed on a fence, which prevented the rear ramp from opening. The pilot, Captain Paul Fortunato, quickly repositioned, and the Marines aboard his helicopter likewise prepared to exit. At this point, O’Grady suddenly appeared, running from the treeline towards Fortunato’s aircraft. The crew chief, Sergeant Scott Pfister, grabbed O’Grady and pushed him through the starboard side gunner’s door before the Marines could even get off through the ramp. All Marines were recalled and, following a quick head count, the two heavy helicopters took off for the return trip. The two aircraft had been on the ground less than seven minutes!
About ten minutes into the return trip, the force came under Serb ground fire. Shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and small arms fire were all directed at the aircraft, which had been flying only 20-30 feet off the ground at 150 knots to try to avoid such dangers. The missiles and heavier guns missed, though some of the small-arms fire did not. Fortunately, it did no serious damage, though one round spent itself against the canteen of one of the security team before falling to the floor of the helo. After this brief moment of danger, the force encountered no more problems on the return trip and landed O’Grady safely aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) at 0730 – a mere two-and-a-half hours after liftoff.
162001 had flown that day as part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM-)263 (Reinforced), but its permanent home was with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH-)464. But the history of 162001 is more than just O’Grady’s rescue. It was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91, Support/Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994, with the squadron making the first Marine landing in Haiti since the 1920s and an earlier deployment to the Adriatic Sea in support of Deny Flight. Following the rescue, in 1997 it supported Operation Joint Guard in the Adriatic (the stabilization of Bosnia-Herzegovina) as well as Southern Watch in Iraq. Then from October 1998 – November 1999, was part of Operation Noble Anvil/Shining Hope in Kosovo and provided humanitarian relief to Turkey following a big earthquake. Then from June 2001 – April 2002 it again deployed to the Middle East during which it supported the opening moves of Operation Enduring Freedom: 162001 may well have been one of the 6 CH-53s that made an historic 450+ statute mile flight in November 2001 from the Arabian Sea off the Pakistan coast to southern Afghanistan to establish Forward Operating Base Rhino.
In 2025, HMH-464 was transitioning from CH-53Es to the newer CH-53Ks. As part of this, 162001 was slated to be struck (retired). Fortunately, the squadron was able to deliver this historic aircraft to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in September where it is now part of the national collection.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) initiated Operation Deny Flight in response to United Nations efforts to limit the fighting in the ongoing Bosnian War, which stemmed from the contentious breakup of Yugoslavia. Deny Flight, as its name implies, was intended to prevent any of the various factions in the Bosnian War from using air power in the conflict. Several NATO countries, including the United States, contributed to armed missions over Bosnia and Herzegovina to enforce the no-fly zone.
US Air Force Captain Scott O’Grady was flying his F-16 on one such mission on June 2, 1996, when Bosnian Serb forces succeeded in shooting him down with a surface-to-air missile. O’Grady’s wingman saw the plane catch fire and break up, but they had been flying through overcast skies and he did not see O’Grady’s parachute. O’Grady, however, had parachuted safely, though he landed in Serb-held territory. The Serbs were eager to capture western hostages for leverage against NATO, and O’Grady immediately began practicing what he had learned in USAF Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training.
As soon as the shoot-down was reported, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)), which was sailing in the Adriatic Sea just off the coast, was alerted and ordered to plan for a TRAP mission. The MEU immediately put a heavy TRAP package of forces on alert: CH-53Es, AH-1Ws, and AV-8Bs from the MEU’s Air Combat Element were fueled and armed for short-notice takeoff, while troops from the 3d Battalion, 8th Marines similarly drew weapons and ammunition in order to provide security while the force was on the ground and help retrieve O’Grady if necessary. Backups for each of these were similarly prepared, ready to substitute at a moment’s notice. All of these forces remained on alert 24 hours a day, ready to depart as soon as the order came through.
On June 7, NATO aircraft detected signals indicating that O’Grady was still alive. At 0230 local time on June 8, one of O’Grady’s squadron mates made radio contact with him to confirm that it was him and that he was not captured and being forced to make contact in order to draw more NATO aircraft into a trap. Upon confirmation that all was well, senior commanders ordered the TRAP forces into a “ready to launch” status while final planning commenced. Planners decided that additional US and NATO aircraft were needed in support, and those would be ready at 0515. Amphibious Squadron Eight (carrying the MEU) began moving closer to the Croatian coastline. Meanwhile, the additional NATO aircraft assembled: two EA-6Bs and two EF-111s for electronic warfare support, a pair of F/A-18s for top cover, a pair of A-10s for additional close air support, and an SH-60 helicopter from USS Ticonderoga for rescue in case any of the mission aircraft were forced down. All of these, and the TRAP aircraft, were coordinated by an RAF E-3 AWACS. Given the uncertainty of the situation on the ground, even more aircraft and ground troops were standing by on alert.
The TRAP package crossed the Croatian coast at 0549, flying a low and circuitous route to avoid Serb anti-aircraft sites. The AH-1W Cobras arrived on the scene first, searching for O’Grady and reconnoitering the area for any Serb forces that might be nearby. At about 0640, they made radio contact with O’Grady, located a nearby landing zone for the –53s, and marked it by dropping a smoke grenade out of a cockpit window. The first –53 landed through a low, heavy fog; its security Marines immediately debarking to set up a security perimeter. The second –53, BuNo 162001, initially landed on a fence, which prevented the rear ramp from opening. The pilot, Captain Paul Fortunato, quickly repositioned, and the Marines aboard his helicopter likewise prepared to exit. At this point, O’Grady suddenly appeared, running from the treeline towards Fortunato’s aircraft. The crew chief, Sergeant Scott Pfister, grabbed O’Grady and pushed him through the starboard side gunner’s door before the Marines could even get off through the ramp. All Marines were recalled and, following a quick head count, the two heavy helicopters took off for the return trip. The two aircraft had been on the ground less than seven minutes!
About ten minutes into the return trip, the force came under Serb ground fire. Shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and small arms fire were all directed at the aircraft, which had been flying only 20-30 feet off the ground at 150 knots to try to avoid such dangers. The missiles and heavier guns missed, though some of the small-arms fire did not. Fortunately, it did no serious damage, though one round spent itself against the canteen of one of the security team before falling to the floor of the helo. After this brief moment of danger, the force encountered no more problems on the return trip and landed O’Grady safely aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) at 0730 – a mere two-and-a-half hours after liftoff.
162001 had flown that day as part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM-)263 (Reinforced), but its permanent home was with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH-)464. But the history of 162001 is more than just O’Grady’s rescue. It was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91, Support/Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994, with the squadron making the first Marine landing in Haiti since the 1920s and an earlier deployment to the Adriatic Sea in support of Deny Flight. Following the rescue, in 1997 it supported Operation Joint Guard in the Adriatic (the stabilization of Bosnia-Herzegovina) as well as Southern Watch in Iraq. Then from October 1998 – November 1999, was part of Operation Noble Anvil/Shining Hope in Kosovo and provided humanitarian relief to Turkey following a big earthquake. Then from June 2001 – April 2002 it again deployed to the Middle East during which it supported the opening moves of Operation Enduring Freedom: 162001 may well have been one of the 6 CH-53s that made an historic 450+ statute mile flight in November 2001 from the Arabian Sea off the Pakistan coast to southern Afghanistan to establish Forward Operating Base Rhino.
In 2025, HMH-464 was transitioning from CH-53Es to the newer CH-53Ks. As part of this, 162001 was slated to be struck (retired). Fortunately, the squadron was able to deliver this historic aircraft to the National Museum of the Marine Corps in September where it is now part of the national collection.
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