1 - The Black Vault

fuel available at the new location because it had been
diverted for the air show. The aircrew had to fly 30
minutes to another airfield to obtain fuel and then fly
two more hours to onload the US Army Special
Forces team and host-nation exercise participants.
The squadron did not receive the expected training
value, although aircrew and maintainers alike
learned more about operating the sophisticated MC-
130H in an austere environment. 33
Also in April the 353d SOG underwent another
major reorganization when the on-aircraft
maintenance function was moved from the fixedwing
squadrons (the 1st SOS and 17th SOS) to
the 353d Maintenance Squadron. The move reduced
each flying squadron by 50 personnel and
eliminated the first sergeant position in both
squadrons. The action created turmoil once again
in the 353d SOG, a state that had become almost
normal since Mount Pinatubo. Beres vehemently
objected to the reorganization, communicating
back to General Hobson that his unit organiza -
tion was not broken and that the reorganization
would create undue stress and turmoil in his
group. He particularly objected to the loss of the
two first sergeant positions. Over the next several
months, he continued to work with AFSOC
manpower and eventually received one authorization
for a first sergeant. The position was assigned
to the group headquarters with responsibility
for the welfare of enlisted personnel in both
the 1st SOS and 17th SOS. 34
From 12 April to 6 May, the 1st SOS participated
in JCET Vector Flash Action 96-2 with
two MC-130H aircraft and more than 100 group
personnel. Along with the 353d SOG-assigned
units, US Navy SEALs and the Australian Special
Air Service Regiment participated in the largest
JCET in recent history. Exercise participants
were based out of Swanborne, Keanie College,
Royal Australian Air Force, Pearce AB (Perth)
and Bidoon, Western Australia. The 1st SOS’s
primary training objectives centered on low-level
flight operations, including NVG low-level and
airborne intercept training with the Royal Australian
Air Force. The exercise proved to be the best
yet for the 1st SOS, with all pre-exercise objectives
being met. The CT II again performed near
flawlessly. 35
In May the 1st SOS participated in JCS Exercise
Cobra Gold in Thailand. The squadron flew
59.1 hours and completed eight tasked missions
during the exercise. Throughout the first six
months of 1996, the CT II continued to perform in
OPERATION ASSURED RESPONSE TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM
an excellent manner. The only problem with the
new aircraft was a continued shortage of radar
spares that regularly impacted its operational
status. Aircraft 88-1803 also experienced a “pulling
to the left” during taxi operations, but after a
depot maintenance team inspected the aircraft at
Kadena AB, no defective part could be found. The
team recommended switching the number 1 and
number 4 propellers, which maintenance did, and
the problem was eliminated. The other four aircraft
had no major problems. The transition of the 1st
SOS to the CT II had been a smooth one, and the
squadron was operating the aircraft throughout the
Western Pacific. 36
The 1st SOS deployed two Combat Talons to
the Philippines from 16 July to 4 August for the
second Balance Piston (93-3) JCET of the year.
This exercise staged out of Subic International
Airport, Clark International Airport, and Mactan
AB (Cebu).* Although the exercise was planned to
accommodate both US and Philippine military ob -
jectives, misunderstandings on low-level approval
and unseasonably severe weather reduced the
training value for the event. During the course of
the exercise, more than 35 inches of rain was
dumped on the exercise area by two typhoons.
Eight missions were canceled due to the bad
weather. The CT II aircraft did, however, perform
well, given the bad weather experienced throughout
the exercise. 37
Colonel Garlington led a Headquarters AFSOC
ASET visit to the 353d SOG from 22 July to 2
August. As had been the case the previous year,
the group did well on the evaluation. Garlington
lauded the group and its squadrons for making
significant progress in all deficient areas identified
in the February 1995 visit. Tech Sergeant
Eubanks of the 1st SOS was recognized for his
widely acclaimed MC-130H flight engineer newsletter,
which provided vital information on the
new weapons system to crew members in the
squadron. 38
On 25 September the Koror Babelthaup Bridge
in the Palau Islands (located southeast of the Philippines
and just north of New Guinea) collapsed.
The 257-yard long two-lane concrete structure
linked vital utilities and the local airport, located
on the main island of Babelthaup, to the popula -
tion and business center of Koror. Two people were
killed, and the water lifeline for 10,000 residents
was severed. Five days later the 353d SOG was
tasked by COMSOCPAC to provide airlift support
to deliver water purification equipment and
__________
*NAS Cubi Point had been renamed Subic International Airport, and Clark AB had been renamed Clark International Airport earlier in the year.
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