Category: Special Operations

Executing difficult missions is hard; training and qualifying the best aviators and crew members in the world to perform those missions is essential.

On February 26, 1981 while participating in Special Warfare Exercise 81 (SPECWAREX), an MC-130E Combat Talon I (callsign STRAY59) from the 1st Special Operations Squadron crashed into the ocean shortly after departing NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines on a predawn mission. Eight of the nine crewmembers and 15 special operators perished upon impact with […]

In a repeat of history, the US Navy is poised to re-learn hard lessons from the past. The Department of the Navy has recently ordered the only two naval helicopter squadrons dedicated to Special Warfare support, HSC-84 and HSC-85, to prepare for decommissioning by the end of FY-15 (September 30, 2015). The ‘Red Wolves’ of […]

My 9/11 story is a little different than many. For me, it wasn’t a morning story. I was based in Germany at the time; the first plane’s impact didn’t even occur until mid-afternoon, and it was nearly dinner time before the full enormity was evident. I was far away from family, sharing the events unfolding […]