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  • A member of the Pope Army Airfield Base Honor Guard salutes an American Flag to mark Chief Master Sgt. Marshall Farris’, Headquarters Air Force combat control functional manager, retirement during a ceremony at the Combat Control School on Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Aug. 5, 2016. As the combat control functional manager, Farris was responsible for the leadership and training of more than 600 combat control Airmen -- managing force structure, manning programs and recruiting to ensure CCT forces were available and mission ready. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Combat control chief comes full circle

    The combat control functional manager for the Air Force --the Airman who shaped combat controllers’ futures-- retired Aug. 5, at the Combat Control Schoolhouse here. Chief Master Sgt. Marshall Farris joined the Air Force Sept. 5, 1986, an 18-year-old patriot with ambitions to become an air traffic controller.Going into Basic Military Training, he
  • An ROTC cadet swims during a physical training competition --called a "monster mash"-- at a Special Tactics orientation course at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 29, 2016. Run twice a summer by the 24th Special Operations Wing, 48 cadets spent a week learning what it takes to become a Special Tactics officer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Future officers forfeit summer to train with Special Tactics

    During the summer, most college students are enjoying a much-needed break from their studies or working a part-time job to pay for school. Instead, nearly 50 Air Force ROTC cadets across the nation chose to push through grueling workouts and leadership challenges during a week-long Special Tactics orientation course here. Run twice a summer by the
  • Special Tactics officer candidates pull a Zodiac boat to the shore during a selection at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Oct. 21, 2014. Special Tactics career field training pipelines are some of the most physically and psychologically challenging in the Air Force. To ensure the correct individuals are on the battlefield, a group of Special Tactics Airmen weed out the cross-training candidates who don’t meet the high standards, putting them through a week-long selection process to select only the best-qualified individuals. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Katrina Cheesman)

    Policy changes allow Airmen to retrain into special operations

    In a move to meet the high-demand signal for the Air Force’s Battlefield Airmen (BA), the service announced changes to retraining and cross-flow, outlined in a policy memorandum dated April 25.The changes allow Airmen to be released from their current jobs in the Air Force to cross-train into the Special Tactics career fields, should they be
  • A Junior ROTC cadet puts on safety gear before rappelling down a tower normally used for training on rescue and infiltration techniques at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 20, 2016. Special Tactics Airmen partnered with 60 cadets from five local high schools for a week-long Summer Leadership Course, teaching leadership, teamwork and self-confidence. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Pick)

    JROTC partners with Special Tactics for leadership school

    Special Tactics Airmen partnered with 60 cadets from five local high schools for a week-long Summer Leadership Course, teaching leadership, teamwork and self-confidence.JROTC cadets rappelled down a 40-foot wall normally used for training on recue and infiltration techniques under the close supervision of Special Tactics Training Squadron
  • Senior Airman John Campbell, Special Operations Weather Team student assigned to the Special Tactics Training Squadron, accepts the first Lt. Col. William Schroeder Memorial Award from Abby Schroeder, Schoeder's widow, , and John Farris, a SOWT instructor with STTS, at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 21, 2016. Schroeder served as a special operations weather officer and previously commanded the 10th Combat Weather Squadron here. He sacrificed his life when he was fatally shot protecting coworkers from a workplace violence incident at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Legacy of fallen Airman continued in SOWT graduates

    To honor the legacy and devotion to a fallen brother-in-arms, an award was dedicated to the life of Lt. Col. William “Bill” Schroeder and given to a Special Operations Weather Team training pipeline graduate here July 21.Schroeder served as a special operations weather officer and previously commanded the 10th Combat Weather Squadron here. He
  • The Hurlburt Field Honor Guard fold an American Flag during Chief Master Sgt. Sean Gleffe’s, combat control functional manager for Air Force Special Operations Command, retirement ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 15, 2016. Gleffe retired after 30 years as a Special Tactics combat controller. Throughout his Special Tactics career, Gleffe was certified a static line jump master, military freefall jump master and military dive supervisor. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Overcoming the odds: 30 years of active duty Special Tactics service

    One percent of the U.S. population is eligible for military service and voluntarily enlists in the armed forces.Out of that, one percent of enlisted Air Force personnel achieve the rank of chief master sergeant.Chief Master Sgt. Sean T. Gleffe has accomplished both, retiring after 30 years of active duty service as a combat controller here July
  • A combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron watches as Army Special Forces and Marine Raiders board a CH-47 Chinook after a multi-aircraft, joint airborne operation with special operations assets and conventional forces from all four branches of the U.S. Armed Forces as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016 to strengthen their relationships and interoperability with their partners, Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, July 14, 2016. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.(U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Jaclyn Pienkowski/Released)

    Joint Airborne Operation a success for 353rd SOG

    "One, two, three...five, six, seven...I see seven chutes," said an Air Force combat controller with the 353rd Special Operations Group, radioing back to the aircrew in the MC-130J Commando II that all jumpers were accounted for.The jumpers followed the lowest man to the ground and in about seven minutes, one after another, they landed in soft grass
  • Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the 24th Special Operations Wing guidon to Col. Michael Martin during the 24th SOW assumption of command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 14, 2016. The 24th SOW, previously commanded by Col. Matthew Davidson, boasts a unique ground operations mission set and approximately 1,500 of the 2,500 Special Tactics members in the Air Force. Martin previously served as the deputy commander of Special Operations Command-Africa in Stuttgart, Germany. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Special Tactics wing changes command

    For the third time since its activation in 2012, the 24th Special Operations Wing welcomed a new commander during an assumption of command ceremony here July 14.Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presided over the ceremony, where Col. Michael Martin assumed command of the sole Special Tactics wing in the Air
  • An Air Force combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron coordinates with a UH-60 Blackhawk for take off during a humanitarian assistance and disaster response scenario as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016, Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, July 10, 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.(U.S. Air Force photo by 2nd Lt. Jaclyn Pienkowski/Released)

    Revive, rescue, repeat: Marine Recon and Air Force special operators hone humanitarian skills

    Air Commandos of the 353rd Special Operations Group teamed with specially-trained U.S. Marines during a humanitarian assistance and disaster response exercise July 8-9 in Hawaii. Joint operations, like this, can be the difference between life and death with American forces ready to respond when confronted with the next calamity.
  • The Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component – Afghanistan senior enlisted leader and a Special Tactics Airman uncover the dedication memorial for Capt. Matthew D. Roland and Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley. Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component - Afghanistan dedicated a building to the heroes in honor of their service and sacrifice. Both Airmen were killed while deployed in Afghanistan Aug. 26, 2015. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyrona Lawson)

    CJSOAC dedicate headquarters to fallen Special Tactics Airmen

    The Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component named their headquarters building in honor of two fallen Special Tactics Airmen during a memorial-naming ceremony at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, June 29.The headquarters was dedicated to Capt. Matthew Roland, 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, and Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley,
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