1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
The 8th SOS would continue to be assigned to the
1st SOW.
On 3 April 1992 Headquarters AFSOC sent a
message to PACAF and USAFE announcing that
the CSAF and CINCSOC had approved AFSOC’s
objective wing structure in principle. In the message
General Fister, the commander of AFSOC,
stated, “Our theater CINCs can expect and will
receive the same high level of support as in the
past. While all AFSOC units will reorganize, they
will remain independent, tenant units at bases
around the world.” General Fister also announced
the new designations for the overseas groups and
established effective dates of 1 October 1992 for
the 1st SOW and 1 December 1992 for the overseas
groups. 47
With the basic structure of the AFSOC objective
wing approved, the difficult task of determining
the implementing details fell to the 1st SOW.
On 8 May Johnson convened the first of a series of
steering group meetings, and he appointed Colonel
Clark (a former 7th SOS MC-130E pilot and
plans officer) to head the effort. Johnson stressed
to the steering group the need for the full support
by all involved and directed that a phased approach
be followed during the conversion. He
called for early agreement on wing staff manning,
for early stand-up of the operations and logistics
group structures, and a step-by-step move of the
on-aircraft maintenance function into the opera -
tional squadrons. The 20th SOS was designated
the first squadron to transition to the new structure,
with the fixed-wing squadrons following soon
afterwards. Over the next four months, the steering
group would establish milestones and meet
regularly to review the wing’s progress towards
attaining the objective wing structure. On 15 July
the 20th SOS assumed control of its maintenance
function, followed by the 16th SOS on 15 August.
On 9 September Headquarters USAF advised
Headquarters AFSOC by letter that its 17 April
reorganization plan was approved and cleared the
1st SOW to fully implement its objective wing
structure effective 1 October 1992. Five days later
the 8th SOS assumed its on-aircraft maintenance
responsibilities. 48
Actions identified by Clark AB’s steering committee
contin ued to take place during September,
and by the 22d of the month, the wing was functioning
as an objective wing. On 1 October a formal
low-key ceremony was conducted, with Headquarters
AFSOC publishing Special Order GA-014, effective
on that date. The special order identified the
actions taken as a first stage objective wing. The 1st
SOG and the 1st Special Operations Logistics
Group (SOLG) were activated and assigned to the
1st SOW. 49 Colonel Schwartz (formerly assigned to
the 8th SOS and the incumbent director of operations
under the old organizational structure) became
the 1st SOG commander, while Colonel Gross
(the incumbent director of maintenance) became the
commander of the SOLG.
The 8th SOS Establishes
CT I and CT II Flights
As the 1st SOW worked through the develop -
ment of its objective wing structure, Beres and his
8th SOS staff were busy training aircrews for CT
II and preparing the squadron for the assignment
of maintenance personnel. With 13 aircraft assigned,
the squadron had doubled in size from the
summer of 1991 to the summer of 1992. On 29
May 1992 Colonel Murdock was appointed the
new squadron commander to succeed Beres, who
departed the squadron to attend the National
War College in Washington, D.C. Murdock had
served as the squadron operations officer under
Beres during Operation Desert Storm and had
been a flight examiner and instructor pilot in the
squadron during the mid-1980s. The difficult task
of completing the squadron reorganization process
and supporting the stand-up of the new CT II unit
would fall on Murdock’s shoulders. 50 In June the
8th SOS celebrated its 75th birthday and was recognized
as the second oldest continuously active
duty squadron in the Air Force.
After the end of the ground war in Southwest
Asia, the 8th SOS had returned to Hurlburt Field
to prepare for the arrival of the CT II. During
1992 the squadron remained at home station, supporting
local training missions and participating
in JRT events at Hunter and Lawson Army Air
Fields in Georgia. The squadron also deployed to
Pope AFB for a large-scale Capex and provided
one aircraft and crew for JCS Exercise Ocean Venture
92. 51 The workload associated with dividing
the squadron into independent CT I and CT II
units, while at the same time developing a maintenance
capability for both squadrons, took up most of
the squadron leadership’s time. Assisting Murdock
in this undertaking were two exceptional officers
(Colonels Poole and Saier) who served as Murdock’s
CT I and CT II operations officers. When
the 8th SOS was assigned its own maintainers on
15 September, the transition went relatively
smooth with few problems. Two weeks later the
15th SOS was officially activated with its own
maintainers assigned. The two events marked the
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