1 - The Black Vault

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for five Combat Talons, Hobson and his staff formed the following five mission crews, plus one additional spare crew.* 113 Crew 1 (Talon 64-0562) Foxtrot 33 Crew 2 (Talon 64-0572) Foxtrot 34 Crew 3 (Talon 64-0568) Foxtrot 35 Crew 4 (Talon 64-0567) Foxtrot 40 Tindall Bach Hobson Miles Marshall Baker Helm Thompson McMath Stephenson Hale McManus DeMocko Owens Sharkany Hill McBride Honaker James Schwartz Smith Mosley Dredla Gentry Hess Thommen Garrett Newberry Plitt Gingerich Davis Rinehart Beattie Fowler Doyle Blazek Painter Metherell McClain Strollo Crew 5 (Talon 64-0551) Foxtrot 41 Davenport Warr Barragy Dykes Kelly Fiel Folley Latona Duffie Holloman Stephenson Katz Spare Crew (Talon 64-0561) With Hobson finalizing the selection of his mission crews, 1st SOW/DOS deployed planners to Fort Bragg to refine the contingency plan. Details of the operation had to be worked out between 1st SOW planners, rangers, and other special operations forces. It quickly became apparent to the 1st SOW/DOS planners that there were many more questions than answers. The most pressing question regarded the defenses at Point Salines. Current and accurate intelligence available on the airfield was extremely sketchy and was totally inadequate to plan a combat mission. Working on an assumption that the Cubans were actually construction workers and that the Grenadian army had little capability to mount an air defense at the airfield, planning proceeded at a torrid pace. Dill Moon Sammons Weiler Rohling Nolan Sanchez The Plan FROM DESERT ONE TO POINT SALINES By 23 October Admiral McDonald’s staff had revised USLANTCOM’s concept of operations and had expanded it to satisfy CJCS Vessey’s guidance. McDonald flew to Washington to brief the JCS on the new concept, titled “Evacuation of US Citizens from Grenada.” The operational concept had four phases. Phase I was titled “Transit,” and in this phase the USS Independence CBG would close to a position 55 miles northwest of Grenada, while MARG 1-84 closed to a position 40 miles due north of the island. At H minus six hours, five Combat Talons would launch from Hunter AAF, Georgia, loaded with rangers and, concurrently, seven SOLL C-130s would launch from Pope AFB, North Carolina, with JSOC and 82d Airborne soldiers. One hour later 10 additional C-130 aircraft would launch from Pope AFB loaded with additional 82d Airborne soldiers. 114 Phase II of the plan was titled “Insertion” and began with helicopter and seaborne infiltration of special operations forces several hours before the main force arrived over the island. The objective of the early infiltration missions was to collect intelligence at Point Salines and Pearls airfields and to conduct direct-action missions aimed at the Grenadian police and other military installa - tions in St. George’s. An additional mission assigned to the initial infiltration teams was to move to Governor-General Scoon’s residence and protect him from harm. At H hour (scheduled for 0400 local time on 25 October), the five MC-130E Combat Talons and seven SOLL C-130s would begin airlanding rangers at Point Salines, with an airdrop planned as a backup if the runway was blocked. At precisely the same time, Marines from MARG 1-84 would assault and secure Pearls airfields. AC-130H gunships would be in position over the two airfields to provide on-call fire support. If the assault force encountered resistance from the Grenadian army or from the Cubans, it was to take whatever action necessary to neutralize them and secure the island. As a reserve force, the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg would go on full alert at H minus three hours and would be available to reinforce the initial assault, if tasked. 115 After the initial assault had secured the two airfields and other key military and government installations, Phase III, titled “Stabilization/ __________ *Only five 8th SOS Combat Talons were available for the operation. Aircraft 64-0561 was flown from Rhein Main AB to Hurlburt Field for the operation, arriving at 0500 on the morning of 24 October. To provide a spare aircraft for t he mission, the 7th SOS Talon was flown to Hunter AAF a few hours later by an 8th SOS crew. The aircraft was not required for the operation and was subsequently returned to the 7th SOS crew waiting at Hurlburt Field. A few days after the commencement of Operation Urgent Fury, the 7th SOS crew flew the Talon back to Europe. 277
PRAETORIAN STARSHIP USAF Photo Foxtrot 33 Crew. Standing left to right: Tindall, Beattie, Plitt, Hess, Smith, McBride, DeMocko. Kneeling left to right: Painter, Marshall, and McMath. USAF Photo Foxtrot 34 Crew. Left to right: Gingerich, Thommen, Stephenson, Metherell, Bach, Mosley, Baker, Fowler, and Owens. Not pictured: Honaker. 278
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i\1 -■-'^^.■■--y^lEil^peD
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The Praetorian STARShip The Untold
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This book is dedicated to all Speci
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Contents Chapter Page DISCLAIMER .
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Figure Page 13 Template Shift Due t
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Page Col Don Britton, First Command
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Page Aircraft 74-1683 Crashes onto
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Foreword As a young lieutenant flyi
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About the Author USAF Photo Col Jer
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The third factor driving approval o
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A Word from the Commander We in Air
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was changed forever. The US Army Wa
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Introduction Welcome to the world o
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system, the following three chapter
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move was partially driven by the Ai
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Chapter 1 Establishment of Combat T
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON coloc
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON Two d
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON immed
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON Life
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON condu
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON Precu
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON were
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ESTABLISHMENT OF COMBAT TALON SOG h
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Chapter 2 The Combat Talon Weapons
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although the early Fulton modificat
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM tri
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM Lt
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM as
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM mis
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM F^C
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM The
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM ./
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■ ■-:'■-:;■ ■■..kFTn \
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equipment malfunctioned, the more t
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM top
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM it
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM TEP
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM CRu
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Yank aircraft operating in the Paci
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM Fig
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM ly
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TYPICAl TANKER ORBIT PATTERN THE CO
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THE COMBAT TALON WEAPONS SYSTEM Not
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Once the Stray
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP 1968: The Estab
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP ridgeline. John
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP that it was a t
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP terrain followi
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP to intercept th
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP assigned to the
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP making multiple
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Chapter 4 Combat Spear (The Vietnam
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COMBAT SPEAR quarters and were prov
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COMBAT SPEAR f -fpadc khi ai b6 phr
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COMBAT SPEAR The study cited the fo
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COMBAT SPEAR rn nilMirif Piti.r,,!
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COMBAT SPEAR proper crew rest could
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COMBAT SPEAR proper people. Moreove
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COMBAT SPEAR we never intended to e
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COMBAT SPEAR Christmas spirit and j
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COMBAT SPEAR ■ IBDCITI |«'4llH^
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COMBAT SPEAR with good radar target
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COMBAT SPEAR two loadmasters, and t
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COMBAT SPEAR was given up. The crew
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COMBAT SPEAR killed, and 187 were w
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COMBAT SPEAR volunteers shortly aft
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COMBAT SPEAR were provided to SOG b
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COMBAT SPEAR early as January 1970.
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COMBAT SPEAR r esources resulted. A
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COMBAT SPEAR live surface-to-air pi
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served as the squadron’s administ
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COMBAT SPEAR Korean government. 139
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COMBAT SPEAR marked the beginning o
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COMBAT SPEAR 76. History, 14th Spec
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Sembach AB to R
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Combat Talon de
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP June also saw t
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP prisoners of wa
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP and presenting
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP 1973: Combat Ta
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP experienced wit
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Chapter 6 The Son Tay Prisoner of W
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID On
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID cr
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID Tr
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID al
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID th
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID RT
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID se
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID ob
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THE SON TAY PRISONER OF WAR RAID se
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Chapter 7 Between the Wars (1975-79
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BETWEEN THE WARS Tentatively, the p
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BETWEEN THE WARS be undertaken in M
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BETWEEN THE WARS was established as
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BETWEEN THE WARS From 28 March to 1
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BETWEEN THE WARS The 7575th OG exer
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BETWEEN THE WARS The last half of t
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BETWEEN THE WARS during 1978 the sq
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BETWEEN THE WARS Italy for the firs
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BETWEEN THE WARS SOW CCT member lin
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Chapter 8 The Iranian Rescue Missio
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION shah had
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION were oth
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The 1st SOW maintained the four gun
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION Crew 1 C
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION large ru
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION helicopt
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION or barra
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION Since th
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executing the mission. Kyle had jus
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION addition
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION where he
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION the resc
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equired eight and one-half hours of
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The prototype Benson tank was opera
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NVG landings. Because of the short
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION the 1st
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION of the C
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION transmis
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION Photo co
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION Photo co
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION Fleming
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION had land
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THE IRANIAN RESCUE MISSION outside
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Page 262 and 263: Chapter 9 Project Honey Badger and
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Page 278 and 279: Chapter 10 From Desert One to Point
Page 280 and 281: Talon community. 8 The IFR modifica
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Page 298 and 299: plan, Colonel Hudspeth arrived in t
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP spacing between
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP vegetation grow
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Task Force Blac
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP JTF-South force
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP 21. Ibid. 22. I
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Cope Thunder Wi
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP the first night
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Within days of
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP SOW forces lean
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP was “not bad.
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP --7^*—1^, ■
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP USAF Photo Crew
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP ready for testi
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP start of the ai
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Orrell had depl
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP 16 January the
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP Saudi Arabia. H
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PRAETORIAN STARSHIP experts destroy
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Chapter 14 Mount Pinatubo to Operat
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MOUNT PINATUBO TO OPERATION JOINT E
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major eruption occurred. Seismograp
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headquarters. For AFSOC McPeak’s
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culmination of years of hard work b
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flew a SOCEUR assessment team into
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Early in the spring of 1993, all th
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Chapter 15 Operation Assured Respon
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OPERATION ASSURED RESPONSE TO THE N
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fuel available at the new location
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Epilogue 2000 and Beyond: A Combat
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surface will be covered by layers o
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Live Fulton STARS Made by Combat Ta
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Person Date Location Recovery Pilot
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Partial Summary of Upgrades, MOD-90
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—X Band Receiver/Transmitter: On
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Glossary AAA AAF ABCCC ABW ACS AD A
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CTJTF CTMR CTW CV DCS DCSO DIA DMZ
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MATS MC MCAS MCM MEU MFF MFP MIA MO
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SKE SLOG SMM SOAR SOCCENT SOCCT SOC
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Index Aircraft B-17: 2-4, 15, 17, 2
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Far East Command (FECOM): 5-8 Fulto
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