1 - The Black Vault

PRAETORIAN STARSHIP
Bosnia. In Italy maintenance personnel battled
the continuous rain and cold to produce missionready
aircraft, even though working conditions on
the flight line were miserable. After the initial
peacekeeping force was delivered to its assigned
areas, the 8th SOS mission reverted to CSAR
alert. At year’s end Poole and his Combat Talons
were still deployed to Italy in support of Operation
Joint Endeavor . 163
Back at Hurlburt Field the 8th SOS participated
in the third annual Operation Christmas
Wish by delivering more than $40,000 in medical
supplies, food, books, bicycles, and toys to the
needy orphans and poor children of Honduras. In
1992 the squadron had unofficially adopted the
La Cieba orphanage, located just outside the
Golosan Honduran AB. Since that time the
squadron had provided the 235 children there
with toys and other essentials donated by the
local Fort Walton Beach community during the
Christmas season. The amount delivered in
1995 was characteristic of the generosity of con -
cerned citizens for the welfare of the children of
Honduras. The year 1995 had been a busy and
rewarding one. At year’s end the squadron had
142 personnel assigned and possessed five MC-
130E aircraft, including 64-0551, 64-0559, 64-
0562, 64-0566, and 64-0568. 164
The 15th SOS Completes Its
First Full Year of Tasking
For the 15th SOS, 1995 marked the first full
year that the squadron was subjected to both exercise
and contingency taskings. The squadron
had used 1993 and most of 1994 to season its
young crew force and to mature its maintenance
capability. With Operation Uphold Democracy in
the fall of 1994, the squadron validated its mission
capable status and soon increased its participation
in the JCS exercise program. In the last
half of 1995, the 15th SOS participated in an average
of seven exercises each month. These events
included joint readiness exercises (JRX), joint
readiness training center activities, multiple bilateral
training exercise, and higher headquarters
tasked static displays and crew proficiency training.
Along with participation in the rigorous exercise
program, the unit also upgraded the MC-
130H terrain-following radar system, integrated
the GPS into the onboard navigation system, and
incorporated mission computer high-altitude release
point calculations into the system. 165
From 29 November to 15 December, the squadron
was a key player in JRX 95-5 (Javelin Steel).
The exercise called for six MC-130H Combat Talons
to fly in night low-level formation to a personnel
drop. Three of the Talons then proceeded inbound
to a nearby airfield and executed
blacked-out landings to infiltrate the remaining
personnel and equipment. As soon as the assault
force was off-loaded, the CT IIs departed the airfield
and established a holding pattern until
called back to extract the ground force. After receiving
the call to return to the airfield, the three
Combat Talons again made blacked-out landings
and successfully extracted all exercise personnel.
Throughout the exercise the 15th SOS made all of
its TOTs with split second accuracy and with all
paratroopers landing on the DZ. At the close of
1995, the squadron had 132 personnel assigned
along with 10 CT II aircraft, 83-1212, 84-0475,
85-0012, 87-0024, 89-0280, 89-0281, 89-0282, 89-
0283, 90-0161, and 90-0162. Aircraft 85-0011 was
loaned to Kirtland AFB on 12 October 1995. 166
Combat Talon I Moves to the
Air Force Reserves at Duke Field
Efforts by Headquarters AFSOC to gain approval
of Commando Vision during the last half of
1994 and the first half of 1995 had not been met
with total success. Opposition to the drastic reduction
in the size of the overseas special operations
groups, especially the 353d SOG in the Pacific,
had proved too great a challenge. By
mid-1995 the concept of a West Coast wing had
been shelved and was all but abandoned. The effort
to retain the AC-130H gunship on active
duty, however, had continued. The 711th SOS, a
USAF Reserve unit located at Duke Field, Florida,
and assigned to the 919th SOW, had flown the
AC-130A since the Vietnam War era. The pre-
Commando Vision plan was to transfer the AC-
130H to the 711th SOS when the squadron’s A-model
gunships were retired from service. Commando Vision
retained the AC-130H on active duty at Hurlburt
Field and transferred eight Combat Talon Is
to the 711th SOS. Throughout 1995 the 711th
SOS prepared for the Combat Talon I, and on 28
September the squadron’s gunship mission was
officially terminated. On 6 October Combat Talons
64-0571 and 64-0572 arrived at Duke Field
from the 1st SOS at Kadena AB, and the era of
Combat Talons in the 711th SOS began. On 8
November Combat Talon 63-7785 was transferred
from Hurlburt Field and became the third aircraft
to be assigned to the unit. 167
Aircrews trained for months in preparation for
the arrival of the first aircraft. By year’s end two
408