Posted on 05/17/2016 5:45:40 AM PDT by w1n1
The United States Air Force is a unique service for a multitude of reasons. It was the first branch of the service to allow women into combat roles (security police) and has an entire career field dedicated to protecting air bases, aircraft, Air Force personnel and nuclear weapons. All of the other services require individual units to provide security for themselves, i.e. an Army aviation unit’s members, including her mechanics, are armed and trained as riflemen.
Chuck Norris started his martial arts training when he was an air policeman in Korea. Besides Norris, the “Sky Cops” have a storied past full of unsung heroes, hard-fought battles and the distinction that not a single air base was ever overrun during the Vietnam War – and not for lack of trying on the North Vietnamese’s part either. It has taken nearly 70 years for this career field to gain its true identity. Here is that story.
Post World War II
In 1947 when the Air Force was officially separated from the Army, the need to protect not only the aircraft but now a cache of nuclear weapons became paramount. The old-time bomber pilot and commander Curtis LeMay saw the need for a unit to function like the infantry, but on Air Force bases. These airmen needed to be versed in the use of small arms, crew-served weapons, and squad- (fire team in the Air Force), platoon- (called a flight) and company- (called a squadron) level tactics. These units needed to be highly specialized in the deterrence and detection of unauthorized people or groups attempting to access a base (especially ones with nuclear missions) or missile field. The Strategic Air Command led the way in developing their APs into highly trained soldier airmen, known unofficially as "SAC Trained Killers."
During the Korean War, very few air bases came under attack. The APs were basically law enforcement on the base and guarded aircraft. No tactical plans had been implemented, let alone training for a base attack. The Air Force was lucky, but their luck would be tested mightily in the next go-around. The SAC model wasn’t followed by units in Korea, as the nuclear weapons were kept stateside.
VIETNAM
As the Vietnam War ramped up in the 1960s, so did the need for the Air Force’s presence in and around America’s ally in Southeast Asia. The U.S. focused most of its air bases in South Vietnam and Thailand, with others further away in places like Guam and the Philippines. Those bases located on the mainland endured the greatest risk of attack, as they sat close to enemy forces. Amazingly enough, few of the Air Force bases came under attack in the beginning years of the war. The tactics and mindset were still very Korean War-oriented. Many APs arrived at bases in Southeast Asia to find no weapons had been sent for them to use. Other bases had WWII leftovers – Browning Automatic Rifles (BARs), .30-caliber Browning machineguns, grease guns, Colt .45 ACP 1911s and M1 Carbines.
I spoke with Senior Master Sergeant Pete Piazza (retired) at length about what the Sky Cops (as they were lovingly dubbed) endured from 1966-72. Piazza served three tours of duty in Vietnam as an AP and then as a SP. He witnessed firsthand the Air Force go from no real idea of how to defend a base to being awarded the Silver Star for his actions at Bien Hoa Air Base on Jan. 31, 1968, during the Tet Offensive.
MODERN-DAY WAR ON TERROR
The USAF’s modern-day Security Forces function even more like infantry units than the cops in the past. They have all the weapons of the infantry – the M240, M249B, M4, M9, M203, 81mm mortars and M24 sniper systems. They are the first service to deploy "female snipers" and have now trained multiple women in this role.
The Air Force's cops continue to become a “high speed, low drag” group. They have a squadron that is airborne qualified, stationed in Georgia. This group of cops even made a combat jump with the Army into Iraq. Air Mobility Command has also developed a group called the Ravens. Read the rest of the Sky Cops story here, where they undertake new roles.
Interestingly, the only airmen who go into Security Forces are those who volunteer and those whose scores are too low for anything else. True story.
Colonel, USAFR (ret)
In the early 80’s I was arrested and hand cuffed by the security police at George AFB. The day shift of the Security police forgot to tell the night shift I was supposed to be there.
Ever hear of Operation Safeside?
A good friend was an Air Force Security Police, who left Mogadishu about a month before the ‘Black Hawk Down’ incident. He said that was the scariest place he’d ever been.
“The USAF’s modern-day Security Forces function even more like infantry units than the cops in the past” No, they function NOTHING like the Infantry!
The US Marine Infantry Squad Mission is: Locate, Close With and Destroy the Enemy by Fire and Maneuver and Repel the Enemy’s Attack by Fire and Close Combat!
I remember a brief stint at Robins AFB, Georgia before being shipped overseas in 1969. The 19th Bomb Wing of SAC was based there at the time. That was a part of the base you didn’t want to be caught anywhere near a B-52. You could always tell the ones that had nukes on them. Each plane had guards and when they started to taxi out on the aprons, they were escorted on foot by at least 4 APs with automatic weapons until they got to takeoff.
About the only thing they are good at is harassing unarmed civilians or other U.S. military personnel.
And their future officer leadership at the AF Academy are more interested in transgendered acceptance than combat roles. They are part of the most politically correct branch of our military, the service that led the way in banning Jesus from prayers, building a pagan worship facility near the academy, doing all they can to destroy the fabric of the AF, our military and our country. Put them back into the Army where they can be watched and controlled.
Most of JTAC and SAR are former Marines or Special Forces. Their SAR Blackhawks struting 50 cal M2s are quite a sight compared to the Army’s M240B.
If I asked the asshats once, I asked them a thousand time NOT to dry fire my bolt action Remington. You think they'd listen? NOOOO. They had to scrape up the muzzle putting it in the concrete lined safety drum and dry fire it until the striker firing pin broke.
nothing can stop the army air corps
The way the the Air Force is now I doubt they could have lasted in WWII. All the pilots would have been fleeing to Switzerland or Sweden.
The Mayaguez Incident. One of many operations that went to crap that was led by the Air Force. If the Air Force is in charge of an operation do your best to try and get out out of it.
We are proud to have served our country in the Air Force. We also have great admiration for this who served in the Marines, Army, Navy and Coast Guard.
Thank you to all of our country's veteran's and current active duty for sacrificing portions of their private lives to serve our country. And to the memory of all those who gave up their lives in service of our country we thank them and their families for their ultimate sacrifice.
We are blessed in America to have such unselfish people to help keep our country and its citizens safe and secure in what is still the greatest country on the face of the earth.
Go Air Force!
***The APs (Air Police)were basically law enforcement on the base and guarded aircraft. ***
And everyone in the USAF back in 1966 referred to them as APES.
Then came the name change to Security Police. By 1969 they were called SPs.
I remember that! Also remember Jimmy Carter's disastrous “rescue” attempt with the Iranian hostages.
U.S. Casualties
Casualties during the operation were 10 U.S. Marines, two Navy corpsmen, and an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 31; an Air Force crewman killed in the crash of Knife 21; one Marine killed in action on the West Beach; and three Marines missing in action and presumed dead. Fifty were wounded including thirty-five Marines and six airmen. In addition a CH-53 crashed due to mechanical failure on the way to U-Tapao airfield, killing eighteen USAF Security Police and five flight crew.
Between 1991 and 1999, U.S. and Cambodian investigators conducted seven joint investigations, led by the Joint Task Force-Full Accounting. On three occasions Cambodian authorities unilaterally turned over remains believed to be those of American servicemen. In October and November 1995, U.S. and Cambodian specialists conducted an underwater recovery of the Knife 31 crash site where they located numerous remains, personal effects and aircraft debris associated with the loss. The USS Brunswick, a Navy salvage vessel, enabled the specialists to conduct their excavation offshore. In addition to the support provided by the Cambodian government, the Government of Vietnam also interviewed two Vietnamese informants in Ho Chi Minh City who turned over remains that were later positively identified. As a result of these investigations the remains of 2LT Richard Vandegeer, LCPL Gregory S Copenhaver, LCPL Andres Garcia, PFC Lynn Blessing, PFC Walter Boyd, PFC Antonio R Sandoval and PFC Kelton R. Turner were identified. In 2012 the remains of PFC James Jacques, PFC Richard W Rivenburgh and PFC James Maxwell were identified.
Air Force SPs repelling Tet Offensive attack on Ton Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon.
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