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In June 2014, Combat Controllers were deployed to [[Iraq]] as part of the contingent of U.S. military advisors ordered to the country by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]] in the military effort against the [[2014 military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://welcomehomeblog.com/2014/09/30/air-force-combat-controller-surprises-girlfriend/ |title=Air Force Combat Controller Surprises Girlfriend {{!}} Welcome Home Blog }}</ref>
In June 2014, Combat Controllers were deployed to [[Iraq]] as part of the contingent of U.S. military advisors ordered to the country by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]] in the military effort against the [[2014 military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://welcomehomeblog.com/2014/09/30/air-force-combat-controller-surprises-girlfriend/ |title=Air Force Combat Controller Surprises Girlfriend {{!}} Welcome Home Blog }}</ref>


Former commander of [[United States Special Operations Command]], General [[Bryan D. Brown]], commented on Combat Controllers in a May 2011 interview with the publication, ''The Year in Special Operations 2011-2012 Edition'', stating: "During this kind of warfare[Global War on Terror] the USAF combat controller [CCT/TAC-P] guys really carried an incredible load. During the opening days in Afghanistan, we deployed some SF teams without a CCT, and the difference between those that had controllers and those that didn't was dramatic. Quite frankly no one wants to go to war without them. They are admired, capable, and requested at a rate far greater than we could ever provide. Their efforts were critical in the early days of OEF and still are. Here is another force [whose] true impact on the battlefields around the world will never be known or appreciated. They are absolutely phenomenal."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/a-warrior%E2%80%99s-life-an-interview-with-gen-bryan-%E2%80%9Cdoug%E2%80%9D-brown-usa-ret/ |title=A Warrior's Life: An Interview with Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, USA (Ret.) |publisher=Defense Media Network |date=2011-05-31 |accessdate=2013-05-11| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130513100200/http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/a-warrior%e2%80%99s-life-an-interview-with-gen-bryan-%e2%80%9cdoug%e2%80%9d-brown-usa-ret/ | archivedate = 2013-05-13| deadurl=no}}</ref>
Former commander of [[United States Special Operations Command]], General [[Bryan D. Brown]], commented on Combat Controllers in a May 2011 interview with the publication, ''The Year in Special Operations 2011-2012 Edition'', stating: "During this kind of warfare[Global War on Terror] the USAF combat controller [CCT/TAC-P] guys really carried an incredible load. During the opening days in Afghanistan, we deployed some SF teams without a CCT, and the difference between those that had controllers and those that didn't was dramatic. Quite frankly no one wants to go to war without them. They are admired, capable, and requested at a rate far greater than we could ever provide. Their efforts were critical in the early days of OEF and still are. Here is another force [whose] true impact on the battlefields around the world will never be known or appreciated. They are absolutely phenomenal."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/a-warrior%E2%80%99s-life-an-interview-with-gen-bryan-%E2%80%9Cdoug%E2%80%9D-brown-usa-ret/ |title=A Warrior's Life: An Interview with Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, USA (Ret.) |publisher=Defense Media Network |date=2011-05-31 |accessdate=2013-05-11| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130513100200/http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/a-warrior%e2%80%99s-life-an-interview-with-gen-bryan-%e2%80%9cdoug%e2%80%9d-brown-usa-ret/ | archivedate = 2013-05-13| deadurl=no}}</ref> During Senate testimony in 2019, the Deputy Secretary of Defense [[Mick Mulroy]] stated that nothing would give a ground combat advisor more confidence when with Iraqi forces fighting against [[ISIS]] then the [[United States Air Force]] above you and a TAC-P beside you. <ref>https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/iraq-a-crossroads-of-us-policy-071619</ref>


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Revision as of 20:04, 20 July 2019

U.S. Air Force Combat Control Team
Invasion of Panama
Gulf War
Operation Gothic Serpent
Afghanistan War
Iraq War
Insignia
Combat Controller scarlet beret with beret flash

United States Air Force Combat Control Teams, singular Combat Controller (CCT) (AFSC 1C2X1), are American special operations forces (specifically known as "special tactics operators") who specialize in all aspects of air-ground communication, including air traffic control, fire support (including fixed and rotary wing close air support), and command, control, and communications in covert, forward, or austere environments.[2][3]

Assigned to

Navy SEAL, and Delta Force teams to provide expert airfield seizure, airstrike control, and communications capabilities.[4]

Combat Controllers are

Global War on Terror
started in 2001, five have been awarded to Combat Controllers for extraordinary heroism in combat.

Motto

CCT Motto: "First There", which reaffirms the Combat Controller's commitment to undertaking the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines by leading the way for other forces to follow.[2]

Mission

Air Force Special Operations Command's Combat Controllers are battlefield airmen assigned to special tactics squadrons. They are trained special operations forces and certified Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers.[2][3][6] The mission of a Combat Controller is to deploy undetected into combat and hostile environments to conduct special reconnaissance, establish assault zones or airfields, while simultaneously conducting

counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, humanitarian assistance, and combat search and rescue. Combat Controllers employ all-terrain vehicles, amphibious vehicles, weapons and demolitions in pursuit of their objectives, which may include obstacle destruction.[2][3]

Training

Combat Controller training, which is nearly two years long, is among the most rigorous in the US military. The CCT pipeline has a wash out rate upwards of 90–95%, mostly due to self-eliminations, injuries sustained during training, and academic failures. The Air Force is working to lower the washout rate through proper education, testing and rigorous pre-pipeline training.[7][8]

Combat Controllers maintain air traffic controller qualification skills throughout their career in addition to other special operations skills. Many qualify and maintain proficiency as joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs). Their 35-week initial training and unique mission skills earn them the right to wear the scarlet beret and their 3 skill level (apprentice). From that point they attend a 12–15-month advanced skill training course to obtain their 5 skill level (journeyman). Once they complete AST their training pipeline is finished and they are mission-ready Combat Controllers.[2][6]

Initial training

MOUT
training.

The first course Combat Controller trainees attend after the 8.5-week

Basic Military Training is the two-week-long Combat Control Selection Course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The selection course focuses on sports physiology, nutrition, basic exercises, combat control history and fundamentals.[2][6]

The second course in the CCT pipeline is the Combat Control Operator Course located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. The Operator course is 15.5 weeks long. The Operator course teaches aircraft recognition and performance, air navigation aids, weather, airport traffic control, flight assistance service, communication procedures, conventional approach control, radar procedures and air traffic rules.[2][6]

After the Operator course the trainee attends the

Fort Benning, Georgia. In the three-week course the trainees learn basic parachuting skills required to infiltrate an objective area by static line airdrop.[2][6]

The next course after Airborne School is the

Washington. SERE School lasts three weeks. The course teaches techniques for survival in remote areas. Instruction includes principles, procedures, equipment and techniques that enable individuals to survive, regardless of climatic conditions or unfriendly environments, and return alive.[2][6]

The last course in the Combat Control pipeline is the Combat Control School located at

3-skill level (apprentice) on their Air Force Specialty Code, scarlet beret and CCT flash.[2][6]
The Benini Heritage Center Fund Raising effort supports education and training at the Combat Control School.

Advanced training

After the Combat Controller gains their three level they attend Special Tactics Advanced Skills Training for 12 to 15 months as part of the

Special Operations Weather Technicians. AST produces mission-ready operators for Air Force Special Operations Command and United States Special Operations Command. The AST schedule is broken down into four phases: water, ground, employment and full mission profile. The course tests the trainee's personal limits through demanding mental and physical training.[2][6]

During Advanced Skills Training Combat Controllers (along with SOWT) attend two more advanced courses. Army Military Free Fall Parachutist School at

Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona for five weeks. The course instructs free fall parachuting procedures. It also provides wind tunnel training, in-air instruction focusing on student stability, aerial maneuvers, air sense, parachute opening procedures and parachute canopy control.[2][6] They also attend Air Force Combat Diver School which is hosted at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center, Naval Support Activity Panama City, Florida. Combat Diver School is six weeks long. After completion of Combat Diver School trainees become combat divers, learning to use scuba and closed circuit diving equipment to covertly infiltrate denied areas. The course provides training to depths of 130 feet, stressing development of maximum underwater mobility under various operating conditions.[2][6] A class of CCTs and PJs at the Air Force Combat Diver School was covered by Discovery Channel's program Surviving the Cut
during season two, which originally aired 25 July 2011.

Assigned units

Once Combat Controllers complete advanced training they are assigned to Special Tactics Squadrons across Air Force Special Operations Command.[2]

Active Duty
units
Air National Guard units

History

Pathfinders during World War II

See also: Pathfinder (military) § United States
Emblem of the USAAF 1st Air Commando Group

paratroopers were still able to hinder the German counterattack to allow for the allies' amphibious assault to gain a foothold on the beach.[10]

General

Normandy invasion pathfinders jumped in prior to the main airborne assault force and guided 13,000 paratroopers to their designated drop zones. Pathfinders were used during Operation Market Garden to secure several key bridges required for advancing allied ground units. During the Battle of the Bulge pathfinders enabled an aerial resupply of the 101st Airborne Division.[10][11]

In a history of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion's wartime actions titled Stand in the Door! The Wartime History of the 509th Parachute Infantry, authors and 509th veterans Charles H. Doyle and Terrell Stewart provided an alternative history on how the first U.S. Army pathfinder unit was formed.

[General James] Gavin likes to claim credit for "inventing" Pathfinders, pointing to bad drops in Sicily as the cause. Let us set the record straight: The 509th, the world's most experienced bad drop specialists, first saw the need for them. Pathfinders were separate teams of "advance men" who jumped in ahead of main forces to set up beacons and other guides to incoming aircraft.

The 509th's Scout Company was the first specialized Pathfinder group. In the U.S. Army, it started the training and experimentation necessary to develop the concept at Oujda. With fragments of practical knowledge from the British Airborne, company commander Captain Howland and his XO 1st Lt. Fred E. Perry worked hard to develop usable techniques. Perry recalls: "Everyone knew through hard experience that the Air Corps needed help to drop us on the correct drop zone. We organized the Scout Company for this purpose. This was later made into a Scout Platoon under my command, consisting of 10 enlisted and myself. We were equipped with a British homing radio and U.S. Navy Aldis lamps, which radiated a beam to guide planes. We trained on this procedure until the invasion at Salerno.

In the meantime, the

82d Airborne Division arrived from the States on May 10 and camped near the 509th at Oujda
. We were attached to them. The 82d would not buy our Scout Platoon idea, but they sure found out in a hurry after Sicily that we really had something that was needed.

At the time, Major General Matthew Ridgway and his "All-American" staff thought they knew it all. Impressed with themselves, although they were not jumpers or experienced glider troopers, they airily dismissed the 509th and its fresh combat experiences, as well as any nonstandard/Limey concept. They would learn the hard way.[12]

The pathfinders in the Pacific campaign operated slightly differently than their European pathfinder counterparts and pioneered a number of military "firsts". President

Hap Arnold. Arnold chose Colonel John R. Alison and Colonel Philip Cochran as co-commanders of the Air Commando Group.[14][15]

Combat Controllers in Vietnam featured on the cover of a 1968 issue of Airman Magazine.

In 1944 the strategy decided upon by the allied forces for the Burma Campaign consisted of fortified compounds inside Japanese territory due to increasing large Japanese patrols along the border.

medevacing wounded by air. When the Burma road was reopened in January 1945 the Air Commandos were inactivated in preparation for the invasion of mainland Japan.[15]

The term "Combat Control Team" comes from

18th Airborne Corps infiltrated German lines. They established forward airfields where they supported resupply operations and provided airfield control.[10]

Korean War and birth of USAF CCTs

When the U.S. Air Force became a separate service in 1947, Air Force pathfinders were assigned to a provisional Pathfinder Squadron. The Air Force looked for ways to get rid of pathfinders, believing that electronic navigation aids could replace them and the pathfinders role became increasingly neglected by the Air Force. During the Korean War pathfinders were only used in the three main airdrops early in the war. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the Air Force and Army leadership were at odds about which service would have ownership of the pathfinder mission. The Department of Defense eventually sided with the Air Force having full control of all air traffic control duties. Despite the resolution the Army never inactivated their pathfinder units which has subsequently become more specialized towards helicopters. After the DOD sided with the Air Force being chosen for the pathfinder mission they expected six teams of pathfinders to be formed from Army-to-Air Force transfers but only got eleven men, enough to form one team. In 1953 the Pathfinder Squadron was discontinued and the pathfinder team was assigned to the 1st Aerial Port Squadron and officially designated a Combat Control Team.[20]

The Army and Air Force remained at odds regarding pathfinder and CCT roles. In August 1953 the

10th Special Forces Group refused to allow CCTs to join in their joint tactical missions held at Dobbins AFB, Georgia. As a result, Tactical Air Command stopped all Army airlift missions until the Army allowed the CCTs to take part.[20]

While the career field was still young and lacking in manpower from so few Army pathfinder transfers, Air Force headquarters solicited from the radio maintenance career field for more Combat Controllers. It was also stipulated that Combat Controllers would have to attend air traffic control school if they would be controlling aircraft from the ground. Because of their job, Combat Controllers had to have either an air traffic control AFSC or a radio maintenance AFSC in addition to jump school to become a Combat Controller. This gave rise to blousing trousers and wearing paratrooper boots, a tradition that still exists to the present.[20]

The first time a Combat Control Team was utilized was during the 1958 Lebanon crisis to combat communist expansion and bolster the pro-Western Lebanese government.

Vietnam War

See also:
Forward air controllers in the Vietnam War and Laotian Civil War

In the

covert forward air control for U.S. and allied aircraft performing interdiction missions against Communist troops and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh trail
.

As tactical air strikes began to be used in Laos, it became apparent that for the safety of noncombatants, some means of control was necessary.[21] Beginning at least as early as July 1964, the absence of a close air support control system caused a variety of enterprising individuals to improvise procedures for marking bombing targets. At various times, ground markers (including bamboo arrows) and dropped smoke grenades were used. While some of these individuals had military training, such as the American Army Attaché, others had little or no specialized training in close air support. They varied in nationality, being Thai, Lao, or Hmong, as well as American.[22] Both Continental Air Services, Inc and Air America pilots would sometimes serve as ad hoc forward air controllers.[23]

Butterflies

To begin an operation of great secrecy, the U. S. Air Force originally forwarded four sergeants from Combat Control Teams in 1963. These sergeants turned in their uniforms and military identification and were supplied with false identification so they could work in civilian clothing. This process was designed to preserve the fiction of American non-involvement dubbed

Pilatus Porters. They were often accompanied by a Lao or Thai interpreter in the back seat. The Air Commando sergeants directed the air strikes according to U. S. Air Force doctrine, using the radio call sign Butterfly.[citation needed
]

Two of the Butterfly

William Momyer discovered that enlisted men were in charge of air strikes; at that point, he ordered their replacement with rated fighter pilots. By that time, the number of Butterflies had escalated to three pairs.[26] Both the impromptu strike controlling and the Butterfly effort ended with General Momyer's tirade in April 1966.[27]

Development of rules of engagement by the Embassy also threw more reliance on increased control over the in-country close air support. So did the introduction of an integrated close air support system for Southeast Asia in April 1966.[28] Also, beginning in April 1966, part of its effort to better direct air strikes, the U. S. Air Force installed four tactical air navigation systems in Laos to guide U. S. air strikes. One of these was emplaced on a mountain top at Lima Site 85, aimed across the border at Hanoi.[29]


There were four Combat Controllers killed in action in Vietnam members of 8th Aerial Port Squadron Combat Control Team 3, Element C. Msgt Charles A.Paradise, TSgt Frederick L. Thrower, Airman 1st Class Gerard Louis Gauthier Jr, Airman 1st Class, William E Jerkins.[30]

A1C ANDRE R. GUILLET, 1966,as a "Butterfly" forward air controller MIA – Laos[31]


Cold War era

As a result of the Iran hostage crisis, US President Jimmy Carter ordered a rescue mission of the 52 diplomats held captive at the embassy of the United States, Tehran. The rescue mission was deemed Operation Eagle Claw and took place on 24 April 1980. Its failure, and the humiliating public debacle that ensued, damaged US prestige worldwide.[32] The operation encountered many obstacles and was eventually aborted.

On 1 April 1980, three weeks before

airstrip. Despite their casual approach to the mission, Carney successfully surveyed the airstrip, installed remotely operated infrared lights and a strobe to outline a landing pattern for pilots, and took soil samples to determine the load-bearing properties of the desert surface. At that time, the floor was hard-packed sand, but in the ensuing three weeks, an ankle-deep layer of powdery sand was deposited by sandstorms.[33][Note 1]

25 October 1983, Combat Controllers jumped into Point Saline's, Grenada, in Operation Urgent Fury. They were key to opening the airway for 1st Battalion & 2nd Battalion, 75th Rangers in taking the unfinished airport.

Modern era

C-130
taking off from a remote airfield.
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
in 2001.

In 2004 Secretary of Defense

Global War on Terror started in 2001, all three occurred while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom
.

On 6 October 2009 12 Combat Controllers and

ruck sacks. The march was just completed ten days later.[34]

Combat Controllers directing air traffic from a card table at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince.

Within 24 hours of the

Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2010 due to their efforts.[36][38]

Again in late 2011 18 CCTs and PJs made the trek from Lackland AFB to Hurlburt Field after losing three airman when their

ruck sacks, by the end of the trip the average airman had marched 144 miles.[40]

In June 2014, Combat Controllers were deployed to

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[41]

Former commander of

ISIS then the United States Air Force above you and a TAC-P beside you. [43]

Notable Combat Controllers

U.S. Army Special Forces. Based on his experience, in 1963 he was assigned to Hurlburt Field
to write the field manual on forward air control while expanding the Combat Controller curriculum.

MV TSgt John A. Chapman (T-AK-323) in honor of him.[46]

Congressional Medal of Honor from his actions in this battle after a later review.[50]

Staff Sergeant Robert Gutierrez received the Air Force Cross in 2011 for his actions on 5 October 2009 during a battle in

airstrikes. He was credited with saving the lives of nearly 30 American and Afghan forces.[51] He was also present at the Battle of Shok Valley with Zachary Rhyner albeit with a different Special Forces team and said reportedly, "If it wasn't for Zach, I wouldn't be here."[52] Gutierrez was a 2012 inductee for the Air Command and Staff College's Gathering of Eagles Program.[53]

Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2010 due to his team's efforts in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake which devastated much of Haiti.[36] He took part in the first Tim Davis/Special Tactics Memorial March from San Antonio, Texas to Fort Walton Beach, Florida.[34]

Staff Sergeant

Top Shot during its second season.[54] He also took part in the first Tim Davis/Special Tactics Memorial March.[34]

Staff Sergeant Scott Sather, a member of the

Camp Sather, a U.S. Air Force base on the west side of Baghdad International Airport was named after him.[55]

  • TSgt John Chapman in Afghanistan
    TSgt John Chapman in Afghanistan
  • SrA Zachary Rhyner on patrol with an Army Special Forces team in Afghanistan.
    SrA Zachary Rhyner on patrol with an
    Army Special Forces team
    in Afghanistan.
  • SSgt Robert Gutierrez in Afghanistan.
    SSgt Robert Gutierrez in Afghanistan.
  • Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis in 2010
    Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis in 2010
  • SSgt Ashley Spurlin receiving a Bronze Star in 2009
    SSgt Ashley Spurlin receiving a Bronze Star in 2009

CCT in popular culture

In the Transformers film franchise Tyrese Gibson plays a U.S. Air Force Combat Controller named Robert Epps. To play his part he was coached by Master Sergeant Ray Bolinger, a Combat Controller from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron.[56]

A class consisting of CCTs and PJs at the Air Force Combat Diver School was covered by Discovery Channel's program Surviving the Cut during season two, which originally aired 25 July 2011.

In 2012

Men's Health magazine featured an article titled The Special Operators you've never heard of where the author commented on the lack of public knowledge regarding Combat Controllers, "Let us face reality: the Navy SEALs get all the ink, the Army Rangers all the glory, the Marine Recons all the babes. Conversely, to the average guy on the street the mention of U.S. Air Force Special Operators inevitably elicits a look of bewilderment. The Air Force has those guys?"[57]

In author Marko Kloos' Frontlines series of military science fiction books, the protagonist is a combat controller specializing in providing ground troops with space-based air support.

See also

References

  1. ^ The "box four and one" pattern acted like a gun sight, with the distant fifth light at the end of the runway lined up in the center of the near four lights positioned at the approach end. The box provided a touchdown area and the far light marked the end of the rollout area.[33]
  1. ^ Donna Miles. "Combat controllers play key role in war on terror". Af.mil. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Combat Control Fact Sheet". Air Force Special Operations Command. United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c "Combat Control career description". Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Combat Controllers Overview". SOFREP. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c Donna Miles (23 April 2004). "Combat Controllers Play Key Role in Terror War". American Forces Press Service. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "CCT Training". Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Hardest Air Force Jobs". Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Michelle Tan (14 May 2010). "AETC aims to lower war-zone job washouts". Air Force Times. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  9. ^ Hoyt (2007), p. 21
  10. ^ a b c "US Air Force Combat Control Teams – A Unique History". Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "PathFinders Born". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Charles H. Doyle and Terrell Stewart. Stand in the Door!: The Wartime History of the 509th Parachute Infantry. Phillips Publications, Williamstown, NJ.
  13. ^ p.176 Busch, Bryan Cooper Bunker Hill to Bastogne: Elite Forces and American Society 2006 Brasseys
  14. ^ "95 Year Old Air Commando Legend Shares History with Today's Special Operators". Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b "The Pacific Theatre". Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b Slim, p. 219
  17. ^ Alison, John (Maj. Gen.), Phil Cochran, The Most Unforgettable Character I've Met Archived 2 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Masters, p. 172
  19. ^ Masters, pp. 146–147
  20. ^ a b c "The 1950's – A long, hard gestation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Classified Secret: Controlling Air Strikes in the Clandestine War in Laos. pp. xvi–xvii, 3.
  22. ^ Classified Secret: Controlling Air Strikes in the Clandestine War in Laos. pp. 28, 37, 55, 80.
  23. ^ Classified Secret: Controlling Air Strikes in the Clandestine War in Laos. pp. 103, 121.
  24. ^ Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia. p. 29.
  25. ^ The Ravens: The Men Who Flew in America's Secret War in Laos. p. 109.
  26. ^ Hit My Smoke: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia. p. 29; 113–114.
  27. ^ Classified Secret: Controlling Air Strikes in the Clandestine War in Laos. pp. 2, 3.
  28. ^ Classified Secret: Controlling Air Strikes in the Clandestine War in Laos. p. 5.
  29. ^ One Day Too Long: Top Secret Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam. pp. 26–27.
  30. ^ "South Viet Nam pre-1975 Aircraft Accident report".
  31. ^ "USAF Special Tactics Memorial".
  32. ^ "Jimmy Carter: Iran hostage rescue should have worked". USA Today. 17 September 2010.
  33. ^ a b Bottoms (2007), pp 26-31
  34. ^ a b c "SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARRIOR FOUNDATION Tim Davis/Special Tactics Memorial March". 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ a b Colonel Buck Elton. "Haiti: Boots on the Ground Perspective" (PDF). Small Wars Journal. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  36. ^
    Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help
    )
  37. ^ "Chief Master Sergeant Tony Travis". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ Maj. David Small (29 April 2010). "TIME magazine recognizes Airman in top 100". National Media Outreach Office. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  39. ^ "Special tactics Airmen march to honor fallen comrades". 19 October 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  40. ^ "111016-F-PV498-070". Archived from the original on 22 February 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Air Force Combat Controller Surprises Girlfriend | Welcome Home Blog".
  42. ^ "A Warrior's Life: An Interview with Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, USA (Ret.)". Defense Media Network. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  43. ^ https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/iraq-a-crossroads-of-us-policy-071619
  44. ^ a b "Obituary", Charles Larimore Jones, Ft Walton Beach: Emerald Coast Funeral Home, 2006, retrieved 22 September 2015.
  45. ^ "Report: Fallen Air Force Tech Sgt. Approved for Medal of Honor". Military.com. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  46. US Air Force
    . Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  47. ^ "Hall of Valor: Zachary Rhyner". Military Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ "Combat controller receives Air Force Cross, Purple Heart". 11 March 2009. Archived from the original on 16 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ Gina Cavallaro (15 December 2008). "Valor of combat cameraman earns him Silver Star". Army Times. Retrieved 17 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  50. ^ /publisher=Army Website "Medal of Honor: Staff Sergeant Ronald J Shurer II". Retrieved 17 June 2019. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  51. ^ Michael Auslin (19 September 2011). "An Air Force Hero in Action – Staff Sergeant Robert Gutierrez". Fox News. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  52. ^ Capt. Laura Ropelis (24 December 2008). "Airman saves lives in Afghanistan". Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  53. ^ "Eagle Biography: Robert Gutierrez, Jr". Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  54. ^ "Bronze Star Recipient and Top Shot Competitor Ashley Spurlin". 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ "Scott Sather - strived for excellence, influenced many > Air Education and Training Command > Display". Aetc.af.mil. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  56. ^ "Airman trains Hollywood actors for 'Transformers' movie". 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  57. Men's Health. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help
    )

External links

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