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HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- The first AC-130J Ghostrider landed here July 29, making it Air Force Special Operations Command’s first AC-130J. After completing the initial developmental test and evaluation by the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, the aircraft will be flown by the 1st Special Operations Group Detachment 2 and maintained by the 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron during its initial operational tests and evaluations at Hurlburt Field. “Putting it through these tests will allow us to wring out the AC-130J in a simulated combat environment, instead of the more rigid flight profiles...

Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Shea sensed no danger as he stood with his .50 caliber machine gun ready at the open ramp of his CV-22 Osprey coming in to land on a small, rutted airstrip in Bor, South Sudan. A crowd of up to 10,000 people milled about a United Nations compound 200 feet below, where 30 U.S. citizens were waiting that sunny Sunday morning for the Ospreys to evacuate them from a country slipping into civil war. The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) crews and 21 Navy SEALs on board to protect the operation had been told...

A desperate mission to rescue 53 American hostages from Iran ended in failure and the deaths of eight servicemen, but it is being remembered 25 years later as a turning point for U.S. special operations forces that eventually led to successes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo and elsewhere. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force veterans of Operation Eagle Claw, families of those who lost their lives and a support group are gathering this weekend for an anniversary reunion and remembrance in the Florida Panhandle. Mere failure turned into fiery disaster when a helicopter collided with a transport plane at...

‘Quiet Professionals’ praised by AFSOC commander FORT BLISS, Texas -- An HH-60 Pave Hawk from the 55th Rescue Squadron circles overhead searching for a "survivor" during a combat search and rescue exercise at Biggs Army Air Field here. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rebecca Garland) Download HiRes Related Fact Sheets • Air Force Special Operations Command Related Biographies • LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL W. WOOLEY by Master Sgt. Chuck RobertsAir Force Print News 10/25/2004 - SAN ANTONIO  -- The leader of the “Quiet Professionals” had plenty to say about the contributions Air Force Special Operations Command’s nearly 20,000 Airmen have made to the...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), as part of the broader build-up of US special operations forces to combat terrorism worldwide, intends to acquire 10 additional MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft to augment its existing fleet of 22 aircraft. To meet this requirement, the command intends to convert 10 air force C-130H cargo aircraft to the special operations configuration under an initiative called the 'Mod 10 Combat Talon II' programme. The project will likely start in Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05), perhaps sooner, said US defence officials.They added that the 10 aircraft would ease the burgeoning demand on the...