SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEWS
AFSOC Airmen Receive Sijan Award For Leadership
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - Three Air Force Special Operations Command Airmen at the tip of the spear received one of the Air Force's most prestigious awards, the 2012 Lance P. Sijan USAF leadership award. The award recognizes Airmen who exemplify the highest forms of leadership not only at work but in the community and their ... FULL STORY
Taking a Leap of Blind Faith
FORT BRAGG, NC – Some people would believe that being blind is a curse, that it is a condition that would leave you helpless and limit you to what you can accomplish. Others would look at this belief like it is an enemy, and fight back with everything ... FULL STORY
Romanian SOF Transfer Authority in Afghanistan
LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Romanian and other coalition SOF are partnered with Afghan Special Police Units (SPUs) in order to build and enhance sustainable and transferrable capabilities. They continue to build on an ever-growing foundation of the civil order security and high-risk arrests skills of the SPUs. Lt. Col. ... FULL STORY
BATCATS Earn Meritorious Unit Award
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - The 353rd Special Operations Group was awarded the Meritorious Unit Award Dec. 16 for their exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service from Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2012. Superior performance of the day-to-day mission alone does not satisfy the requirements needed to ... FULL STORY
SEAL Commander Dead in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Commander Job W. Price, 42, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, died December 22 of a non-combat related injury while supporting stability operations in Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan. Price was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval ... FULL STORY
Homecoming Honors Historic Squadron
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM - The 27th Special Operations Wing celebrated a momentous occasion when it welcomed home its last deployed AC-130H Spectre gunships on the flightline at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Dec. 20. Dozens of Air Commandos and joyful family members gathered outside the squadron eagerly waiting ... FULL STORY
CA, PSYOP: Keeping the Tradition Alive
FORT BRAGG, NC – This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Randy Oler Memorial Operation Toy Drop. But it wasn’t always called by that name. Operation Toy Drop was first launched in 1998 by a then-Staff Sgt. Randy Oler, a U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) soldier ... FULL STORY
MARSOC Marine Killed in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Pearl River, La., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif. Guillory has ... FULL STORY
Cannon Honors Latest Hero
CANNON AFB, NM - The 27th Special Operations Wing inducted its twenty-second member into the Hall of Heroes in the Landing Zone at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. on Dec. 12. The Hall of Heroes was established eight years ago by Cannon's own Airman Leadership School to recognize fellow service members. ... FULL STORY
Special Forces Soldier Killed in Training Accident
FORT BRAGG, NC – A U.S. Special Forces Soldier died Dec. 13, from injuries sustained during a military free fall training event in Eloy, Ariz. Sgt. 1st Class Bradley Keys, of Inman, S.C., was assigned to Headquarters, United States Army Special Forces Command (Airborne), at Fort Bragg, N.C. ... FULL STORY
Elite Snipers Unite For Competition
FORT BRAGG, NC – Thirty-two of the world’s best snipers met at Fort Bragg, N.C. to face off in the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Sniper Competition, Dec. 2-6. A two man team assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) emerged as ... FULL STORY
MARSOC Stands Up New Battalions
CAMP LEJEUNE, NC - U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command recently stood up two new battalions as part of a reorganization effort designed to accommodate its influx of combat support and combat service support personnel. The Marine Special Operations Logistics Battalion (MSOLB) and the Marine Special Operations Combat Support ... FULL STORY
Special Operator Killed During Hostage Rescue
WASHINGTON, DC – President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today paid tribute to the special operations service member killed in the rescue of an American in eastern Afghanistan yesterday. The Taliban abducted the man Dec. 5 near the Sarobi district of Afghanistan’s Kabul province. His name is being withheld. Marine Corps ... FULL STORY
Hungarian SOF Assume Role in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – Soldiers from the Hungarian Army’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) arrived here recently to assume responsibility for operations in Nangarhar and Kunar Provinces. The specially-trained Hungarian soldiers will work with a multi-national, SOF Task Force, with whom they have previously served here in Regional Command East (RC-E). ... FULL STORY
Past, Present SOWTs Shape Elite Career Field
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - The Special Operations Weather Team is one of the newest career fields in the Air Force, officially created just three years ago. However, this grey beret-wearing unit has been around since 1963, originally known as the Commando Combat Weather Team stationed here at Hurlburt Field, Fla. ... FULL STORY
1SOW: No More Blues
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - Effective immediately, 1st Special Operations Wing Airmen are no longer required to wear the Air Force blue service uniform (Class B) on Mondays. Utility uniforms, such as ABU's and Flight Suits, are authorized to be worn every day of the week, regardless of duty assignment. ... FULL STORY
UDT-SEAL Museum Hosts 27th Annual Muster
FORT PIERCE, FL - The National UDT-SEAL museum in Fort Pierce, Fla., hosted the 27th Annual Muster honoring former and current Underwater Demolition Teams and Navy SEAL operators, Nov. 11-12.More than 10,000 people attended the two-day event which featured a capabilities demonstration by an East-Coast based SEAL(Sea, Air, Land) Team and guest speakers including Adm. ... FULL STORY
Cannon Behind The Scenes: Fierce Flying Force
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, NM - It's a true video gamer's fantasy. A giant military aircraft simulator sits in a room complete with navigation and combat capabilities awaiting pilots in training and those refreshing skills to sit down and fire up the console.The simulator is outfitted with a CV-22 Osprey cockpit that houses several monitors ... FULL STORY
From the Beginning: Learning To Give Everything
FOB SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan – ‘We better die for something than live for nothing,’ this motto, claimed by a little known unit, has defined its soldier’s lives throughout numerous combat and peace-keeping operations.“It means try to do your best and give everything for something,” said a team sergeant with the Eagle Five Contingent of the ... FULL STORY
NDU Honors Special Operations Community
WASHINGTON, DC – During a dinner gala here Nov. 15, the National Defense University Foundation honored members of U.S. Special Operations Command for their service and sacrifice in the war against terrorism. The American Patriot Award, according to the NDU foundation, recognizes exceptional Americans who have demonstrated a profound and abiding love ... FULL STORY
Former CSAF Nominated For The Order of the Sword
HURLBURT FIELD, FL - With no stars, bars, eagles or oak leafs among their multitude of stripes, the enlisted force of the Air Force Special Operations Command nominated their former Chief of Staff of the Air Force for his induction into The Order of the Sword at Hurlburt Field Nov. 15. ... FULL STORY
Operation Iron Thunder Honors Fallen CA Soldiers
Fort Bragg, NC –The ceremony itself lasted no more than seven minutes, but it was a fitting tribute at the turn-around point for motorcycle drivers participating in 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne)’s first brigade-wide motorcycle mentorship ride on Nov. 8. Fifty eight bikers from its headquarters staff ... FULL STORY
Rangers Receive Awards For Bravery in Afghanistan
HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GA - Rangers from the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stood proudly at an awards ceremony in front of the Ranger Memorial at Hunter Army Airfield, Oct. 26, as Gen. Raymond Odierno, chief of staff for the United States Army, gave remarks. Afterwards, in ... FULL STORY
SOTF-West Returns From Deployment
CAMP PENDLETON, CA - Marines with the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command returned recently from a demanding nine-month deployment, where as the Special Operations Task Force – West, they commanded three companies of U.S. Special Operations Forces and oversaw one of Afghanistan’s bloodiest ... FULL STORY
CA Fields AN/PRC-152
FORT BRAGG, NC – They may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but in the radio world of the foot Soldier, the Harris ... FULL STORY
