Assigned to the 37th ARRS at Da Nang AB, S Vietnam, this HH-3 flew with the call sign "Jolly Green 22" in the SE Asia War. In March 1968 it was one of two HH-3s rescuing the crew of a downed USMC F-4. By the time its 32 months of service in Vietnam was complete, it had rescued a total of 27 airmen with many awards for bravery earned by the crews. At the end of March 1979, in another daring rescue mission by '709, 28 sailors were saved from a Taiwanese freighter that had run aground in the Yellow Sea. Retired after Desert Storm in 1991, it was restored by the museum in 2010

The USAF developed the HH-3E 'Jolly Green Giant' to perform combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions to recover downed Airmen during the SE Asia War. The HH-3E was a highly modified version of the CH-3 transport helicopter, being the first air-refuelable helicopter and incorporating armour plating, defensive armament, self-sealing fuel tanks, a water-tight hull and a rescue hoist. This particular aircraft has earned her retirement at the National Museum of the USAF after long and distinguished service in Vietnam.