Hornets stay "Semper Paratus" for past 30 years
by
Jamie Haig
16th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT
FLD, Fla. -- Jan.1, 2006 marked the 30th anniversary of the
20th Special Operations Squadron.
Thirty years ago, the 20th
Special Operations Squadron was re-activated here with only one
helicopter, a shared trailer, the motto "Semper Paratus" -
always prepared, and an opportunity to follow in their forefather’s
footsteps. The “20th” designation brought with it a
prestigious history, including successful combat missions and
humanitarian aid during the Vietnam War and the presentation of the
Medal of Honor to one of its members.
Originally established
as the 20th Observation Squadron in 1942, it changed designations and
names several times during World War II and was deactivated in
November 1945. The “20th” was active as
the 20th Helicopter Squadron from 1956 to 1960. The 20th
HES was reactivated in 1965 as the need arose for helicopter support
during the Vietnam War.
Between their joining the 20th
Helicopter Squadron in 1967 and the deactivation of the squadron in
1972, the ‘Green Hornets’ were used for both conventional
and unconventional warfare missions. It was on a 20th
Helicopter Squadron mission that 1st Lt. James Fleming earned the
Medal of Honor for heroism during combat.
After
reactivation in 1976 as the 20th SOS, it lacked the necessary
manpower and equipment.
“We had to share a trailer with the
combat controllers,” said retired Col. Robert Mayo, the inew
commander of the 20th SOS. “We were at half our strength and
had one helicopter, a CH-3, to our name. We used to stand on the
flight line for our turn to fly.”
As the new commander, he
sent the instructor pilots to the Reserve special operations squadron
at Luke Air Force Base to be trained on the CH-3 Jolly Green Giant
and the UH-1 Huey.
One of the original Hueys assigned to the 20th
SOS, tail number 69-6654, is currently in use at the 6th SOS at
Hurlburt Field.
“We had to go to the Panama Canal
for our check rides,” said Colonel Mayo. “We were
trying to get realistic training without an accident, and that was
hard to do.” As the pilots were trained, more helicopters found
their way to Hurlburt Field. By the summer of 1976, they were able to
fly the first four-ship formation at night.
“What put
the 20th SOS on the drawing board was the Joint Counter Attack
program exercise,” said Colonel Mayo. “We played the part
of the Russians and even painted the helicopters in their color
scheme.”
A Russian helicopter pilot trained the crews
in tactics and procedures. During the exercise, held at Fort Rucker,
Ala., the helicopters went up against fixed-wing aircraft. Every hit
was recorded, and by the end of the exercise, the 20th SOS had
proven, by a five-to-one ratio, that the helicopters were better at
defeating almost all other aircraft. Only A-10’s, which had a
one-to-one ratio of hits, were considered competition for the
helicopters. It was during this exercise that the infamous red
scarf became a part of the 20th SOS flight suit. While at Fort
Rucker, one of the crew chiefs found a bag of rags with red
tablecloths inside.
“He stuck the tablecloth on the end
of a stick as a flag on the flightline truck, to get our students to
follow him,” said retired Maj. John Grove, a former member of
the 20th SOS. “The rest were cut up for crew scarves. Since we
were playing the part of the Russians, it worked.”
Another
milestone for the squadron was the initiation of night-vision
goggles. Introduced to the 20th SOS in the late 70’s, they were
the first squadron in the Air Force to use NVG’s in flight. The
crews were taught to practice walking at night with the goggles and
then riding bicycles.
“After that, we used them
full-blown in the cockpit,” said Colonel Mayo. “We always
carried a roll of tape with us to cover up the panel lights in the
cockpit, leaving only the ‘danger’ lights visible.”
Significant changes kept the young squadron learning as the years
passed. In May 1980, eight HH-53H PAVE LOW helicopters found a
temporary home at the 20th SOS, providing the squadron with a
heavy-lift, long-range helicopter.
According to the
squadrons’ history, within a month’s time following the
devastating Operation Eagle Claw mission, where five members of the
8th SOS were killed in an accident during the Iran hostage rescue, a
decision was made that the long-range capability of the PAVE LOW
would be needed if a second rescue attempt was to be successful.
Orders to move the PAVE LOW helicopters from the air rescue
squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., were received on a Friday
and by Monday morning, personnel and equipment had been transferred
to Hurlburt Field. Due to the release of the hostages, a second
rescue attempt was never done, but the helicopters stayed here. It
wasn’t until 1987 that the squadron replaced the HH-53 PAVE LOW
with the MH-53 PAVE LOW, the only helicopter used by the squadron
today.
The squadron continued to perform a variety of
missions, working with other agencies both domestically and
internationally.
In April, 1981, while training at Kirtland
AFB, they were called upon to aid with rescue attempts during
devastating hotel fire in Las Vegas. Their job was to transport the
fire, medical and rescue personnel to the roof, to assist an
already-taxed local police department.
Also during the
1980’s, the 20th SOS was to support Operation Bahamas, Antilles
and Turks, a drug enforcement task force. Using the UH-1, they
supported the OPBAT mission for two years, snagging one of the
largest drug busts in history in 1985 – more than 1, 800 pounds
of cocaine, valuing $300 million dollars at the time.
Gen.
Norman Schwarzkopf stated in 1991 that “the 20th SOS had the
distinction of starting the war (Desert Storm).” Using a
concept and tactics that had never been used before, the PAVE LOW led
eight AH-64 Apache attack helicopters into Iraq to destroy the
early warning systems.
It was also during this time that the 20th
SOS did the first combat search and rescue since the Vietnam War,
rescuing Navy Lt. Devon Jones.
On Sept. 11, 2001, the 20th
SOS was training in North Carolina. The squadron was able to quickly
respond to assist with initial recovery efforts in New York and
Washington, D.C.
Since then, the 20th SOS has supported
operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
"Watching
our guys in Iraq; seeing their professionalism and mission focus is
what I'm most proud of," said Lt. Col. Scott Howell, 20th SOS
commander. "They maintain a great attitude despite being
deployed all the time."
Today, the 20th SOS is the
second most deployed unit in Air Force Special Operations Command.
"We responded within 24 hours after Sept. 11 and that
continued until Aug 2004 without a break," said Colonel Howell.
"After a four-month reconstitution period that was interrupted
by Hurricane Ivan, we were back on the road in CENTCOM in January
2005. Even with our deployments, we were still able to assist after
Hurricanes Ivan, Charley and most recently Hurricane Katrina."
Operations weren’t the only thing the 20th did well. Their
people were considered a more valuable asset.
Col. Tommy
Hull, former 20th SOS commander, said the moment he will remember the
most was returning Navy Lt. John Alvarez to flying status, after he
lost his leg as the result of a crash. Lieutenant Alvarez received an
athletic prosthesis that would enable him to manipulate the controls
of a helicopter.
One year later, he did his first re-qualifying
flight. Since Navy Lieutenant Alvarez was the first-ever Navy
exchange pilot with AFSOC, an inter-service transfer was arranged so
he could stay on permanently with the 20th SOS as Capt. Alvarez, U.S.
Air Force.
“I held a commander’s call in the
20th auditorium,” said Colonel Hull. “I told them about
John’s status and that he was back. The doors opened, and in
walked John. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
“The
teamwork, the brotherhood and the support from the 20th is what made
it possible for me to come back,” said now Lt. Col. Alvarez,
6th SOS commander.
Colonel Alvarez also said, “What we
did then is nothing compared to what they do now. Tactical helicopter
practices were developed and honed by the 20th SOS.”
The
20th SOS has participated in humanitarian efforts throughout their
history — from assisting the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office in
locating and capturing a bank robber 1993 to rescuing 1,395 people
from flooded areas after Hurricane Katrina.
The squadron
history books reflect accomplishments of the 20th SOS are too
numerous to mention but its dedication to the mission and each other
is evident in everything they do.
One special tactics
officer, Capt. Frank Rodriguez, 720th Operations Support Squadron
Advance Skills Training commander, has worked with the 20th SOS many
times. He shared a journal entry that best describes the relationship
the 20th SOS has with other units.
Dec. 5, 2001
War
reared its ugly face today, a day I will never forget. As the (MH)
53s arrived, the scene was what one would expect accompanies the plot
of war: gruesome, horrid and painful.
As I approached the
helicopter, I was greeted by one of the pararescuemen, I gave him a
heads up on the EVAC (evacuation) plan. The back of the bird was
carpeted with bodies; blood stains soaked through all the bandages
and blankets. The U.S. flag drew and commanded your attention, draped
over one of the killed in action. The flag was only red and blue, as
the white had been overcome by the blood.
Amidst the chaos, a
sense of pride came over me, because as the madness enveloped the
situation, special tactics combat controllers, pararescuemen and
AFSOC aviation forces held it together and answered the call making
sense out of madness.’
The 20th SOS had once
again lived up to its motto, “Semper Paratus,” always
prepared.