1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
1973: Combat Talon Moves
to Rhein Main Air Base
The first three months of 1973 were extremely
busy, with the squadron meeting all commitments
while preparing for the move to Rhein Main AB.
Hard work by the plans section the previous fall
paid off with the deployment to Spain in January
in support of Spanish airborne forces. During the
deployment of the 31 sorties flown in Spain, 17
were flown low level for a total of 43.3 hours. The
excellent weather in January and the challenging
terrain provided valuable TF training on the
MOD-70 aircraft. The deployment was based out
of Torrejon AB, from where 235 Spanish and
American paratroopers were dropped. 63
Effective 31 January 1973, the 7th SOS was
reassigned to the 86th TFW until the squadron
relocated to Rhein Main AB on 15 March. At that
time, the squadron was reassigned to the 322d
Tactical Airlift Wing. One Combat Talon deployed
to Greece during February and flew 16 sorties
and 34.7 hours supporting the Greek Hellenic
Raiding Forces. Also during the Greek deployment,
all remaining crew members completed
MOD-70 conversion training. 64
Movement Order 23, dated 5 December 1972,
directed that the 7th SOS move to Rhein Main AB
and to be in place there no later than 15 March.
On 12 and 13 March the squadron moved its
equipment and personnel, and by 15 March it was
operationally ready at its new location. 65 On 20
March Colonel Reeder relinquished command to
the acting commander, Lt Col Lincoln A. Perry,
who remained as the acting commander until Col
Ralph W. Haymaker arrived in May. 66 The 7th
SOS closed out a significant part of its history
with its move to Rhein Main AB. Both the C-47
and UH-1N flights remained at Ramstein AB and
were assigned to the squadron as a flight detachment.
By the summer of 1973, however, only the
Combat Talons (64-0523, 64-0551, 64-0555, and
64-0566) stationed at Rhein Main AB remained in
Europe. All other SOF assets had been either decommissioned
or returned to the United States.
Rhein Main Air Base and the 322d TAW
With the reassignment of the C-47 and UH-1N
flights and their associated administrative support,
the squadron that moved to Rhein Main AB was
far different from the one that had operated out of
Ramstein AB. Although the squadron continued
to maintain its operational status in the Combat
Talon, the unit faced the immediate challenge of
an ORI from the USAFE/IG. The 322d TAW was
due an ORI in the April–May time frame. Due to
the turmoil associated with the move and the major
reorganization of the squadron, Colonel Perry
wasted no time in documenting the unit’s shortfalls
and requesting postponement of the ORI until
the July period. In his 11 April letter to the
322d TAW/commander, Colonel Perry noted that
unit plans and regulations had to be rewritten to
align them with the 322d TAW. He also noted
that the unit was committed to Alpine Friendship
in southern Germany and would have to be restructured
internally immediately after the exercise.
He pointed out that the combat control team
and the loadmaster, flight engineer, and rigging
and life support sections were still in the process
of moving to Rhein Main AB. More than 45 families
still lived at Ramstein AB, and squadron personnel
returned there during weekends, thus
making regular off-duty time normally used for
ORI preparation unavailable to squadron leadership.
Colonel Perry proposed an alternate date of
15 July, which would allow the squadron time to
settle into its new location and give the new commander
time to get his feet on the ground after
his June arrival. The USAFE/IG approved Colonel
Perry’s request on 18 April, and the new date
was set for sometime after 15 July. 67 With the
ORI postponed by USAFE, the 322d TAW set
about to “fix” the squadron’s shortfalls outlined in
Colonel Perry’s letter.
The first “help” that the squadron received
was a combined 322d TAW operations/safety inspection,
which was conducted from 15 to 18
May. Without the proper time and opportunity to
organize and prepare for the inspection, the final
result was just as Colonel Perry predicted. Training
and standardization/evaluation were rated
unsatisfactory. Virtually every area of the squadron
that was inspected either received an unsatisfactory
or a marginal rating. 68 Effective 1 June
1973, Colonel Haymaker assumed command of
the squadron and vowed to correct the documented
deficiencies. As Colonel Haymaker’s operations
officer, Colonel Perry was quite familiar
with squadron operations, so the two formed a
team and went immediately to work. In the next
45 days, the squadron was reorganized, and defi -
ciencies identified in the May visit were corrected.
By mid-July the squadron was somewhat
ready for the pending ORI.
On 16 July the USAFE/IG hit the base, with
the 322d TAW, from the commander on down, predicting
another disaster for the special operations
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