1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
area. He suffered a punctured lung and a broken
hip. En route to the hospital aboard a medical
evacuation helicopter, US Army medics performed
an unsuccessful tracheotomy that resulted
in the death of SFC Strickland. His death was
eventually classified as an Army accident, with
the USAF identified as a contributing factor. 49 Because
of the fatality, all live Fulton STARS were
suspended, and the system was restricted to the
recovery of training bundles and equipment only.
(There were no additional live pickups performed
after the Flintlock 82 accident. In 1997 the last
Fulton training mission was flown, and the system
was retired from operational use.)
While the 7th and 8th SOS were deployed to
Flintlock 82, the 1st SOS was participating in
Team Spirit 82. After return from the exercise,
the squadron spent the remainder of the spring
maintaining aircrew proficiency and improving
the unit’s facilities at Clark AB. In April and
again in June, the squadron participated in a local
operational readiness exercise conducted by
the 3d TFW. During June and July, the squadron
deployed to SEA twice for exchange training in
Thailand. The rich training environment found in
Thailand had become a valued addition to the
unit’s local training program. Ulchi Focus Lens
and Foal Eagle 82, both held in Korea during the
late summer and fall, finished out a busy year for
the squadron. For Foal Eagle the 1st SOW deployed
one MC-130E from the 8th SOS and two
Pave Low helicopters from the 20th SOS. The 1st
SOW deployment to Korea was the first since Desert
One and marked the wing’s return to Northeast
Asia. 50 The 8th SOS Combat Talon island-hopped
across the Pacific, making stops in Hawaii, Kwa -
jalein Island, and Guam en route to Korea. All
missions were designed around an unconventional
warfare scenario and involved low-level
flight operations, infiltrations, exfiltrations, personnel
and resupply airdrops, and in-flight refueling
operations with KC-135 tankers. During exfiltration
missions NVGs were used to land on
blacked-out and minimally lighted runways. 51
In the Caribbean, Exercise Ocean Venture 82
was held from 26 April to 17 May and included
one 8th SOS Combat Talon operating out of
Hurlburt Field under the operational control of
the Air Force Forces Joint Unconventional Warfare
Task Force Atlantic (AFFORJUWTFA).
Twelve sorties out of 13 scheduled were flown,
including infiltrations, resupplies, exfiltrations,
and one photoreconnaissance mission. In all 32.9
hours were dedicated to the exercise. 52 The Ocean
Venture exercise was deemed highly successful by
Colonel Drohan, the commander of AFFOR-
JUWTFA, since most exercise objectives were met
while his staff gained excellent training in managing
the joint operation. 53
* * * * * *
By 1982 the new joint command at Fort Bragg
had matured into an efficient organization dedicated
to combating the growing terrorist threat.
Tactics and capabilities developed during the
preparation for Desert One and during Honey
Badger were maintained by the new command.
The quarterly exercises were dedicated to maintaining
these unique capabilities. From 4 to 23
June, a 7th SOS Combat Talon, along with an
augmented crew, deployed from Rhein Main AB to
Hunter AAF, Georgia, to participate for the first
time in a quarterly exercise (Castle Tower). Utilizing
IFR for a long-range, nonstop deployment from
Europe, the 7th SOS arrived in Georgia on schedule.
Once at Hunter AAF, the crew flew low-level
missions and practiced communications-out refueling
procedures. Precision airborne radar approaches
and heavy-equipment drops not available
in Germany were also accomplished. During the
three-week deployment, the crew flew 63.8 hours,
dropped 60 personnel, and airlanded 314 others.
The squadron also dropped 1,000 pounds of cargo
and airlanded another 154,000 pounds. 54 The exercise
was beneficial to the 7th SOS and enabled the
squadron to increase its proficiency in new capa -
bilities that had been developed by the other two
Combat Talon units since Desert One.
On 8 July 1982, Lt Col William E. Hudspeth
assumed command of the 7th SOS from Walt
Schmidt. The following month the squadron deployed
two aircraft, three crews, and a support
element to Hellenikon AB, Greece, for Zeus 82,
which was the Greek subexercise of Flintlock 82.
An Air Force Special Operations Facility (AF-
SOF) was activated at Hellenikon AB, and a 7th
SOS communications team established connectivity
between the AFSOF and SOTFE’s Unconventional
Warfare Task Force located at Rendina,
Greece. From 27 August to 17 September, mis -
sions were flown in support of US Army Special
Forces and US Navy SEALs. A few days into the
exercise, all USAF C-130E aircraft were placed
on flight restrictions for weight and stress due to
cracks found in the wings of some aircraft. For
Combat Talon , the restrictions eliminated lowlevel
operations for the exercise. The Combat
Talon worldwide fleet remained on restrictions
262