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  • Tech. Sgt. Zachary Rhyner medically retired Aug. 21, 2015, due to wounds in sustained in combat that prevented mobility below the knee. Rhyner is an Air Force Cross recipient and Special Tactics combat controller attached to the 24th Special Operations Command. Rhyner served 11 years, resulting in three Purple Hearts and six deployments. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo/Released)

    Air Force Cross recipient retires due to combat wounds

    After 11 years, six deployments, three Purple Hearts and one Air Force Cross, Tech. Sgt. Zachary J. Rhyner, Special Tactics combat controller, medically retired due to injuries sustained in battle, Aug. 21, 2015.“Your retirement is well deserved, but your selfless contributions will be sorely missed,” Chief Master Sgt. James A. Cody, Chief Master
  • Tech. Sgt. Timothy Officer Jr., a Tactical Air Control Party Airman from the 720th Operations Support Squadron, died Aug. 3, 2015, from a military freefall training accident on Eglin Range.

    Wing releases names of fatally injured Special Tactics Airmen

    Two Special Tactics Airmen have died from injuries sustained in an accident on Eglin Range during military freefall training, Aug. 3, 2015. Both Airmen were initially injured in the same accident and were rushed to local hospitals where they later died. Tech. Sgt. Timothy A. Officer, Jr., 32, was a Tactical Air Control Party Airman assigned to the
  • Aircrew from the 1st Special Operations Squadron and Special Tactics operators from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, conduct mission planning for the opening of Wake Island while enroute to Andersen Air Base, Guam, July 18, 2015. Members from the 353rd Special Operations Group worked with the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen Air Base, Guam, to open Wake Island air field after Typhoon Halola passed through the island. (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Matthew Sharp)

    Special Tactics Airmen open airfield after Wake Island typhoon

    Members from the 353rd Special Operations Group deployed to Andersen Air Base, Guam, July 18, 2015 to support the 36th Crisis Response Group with the opening of Wake Island airfield after a typhoon hit the island.Prior to Typhoon Halola’s arrival, more than 125 Department of Defense members were evacuated July 15, 2015 leaving the island vacant.
  • A special tactics combat controller from the 320th Special Tactics Squadron talks to his team during a personnel recovery mission during exercise Talisman Sabre in Northern Territory, Australia, July 10, 2015. Credible, ready maritime forces help to preserve peace and prevent conflict. Talisman Sabre participants have the opportunity to further enhance their ability to respond to crises as part of a joint or combined effort. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Stephen G. Eigel)

    Special Tactics Airmen bring in 485 infantrymen

  • The second team from Gold Thunder 2.0 arrives at their forward operating location on Camp Hansen, Japan, June 23, 2015 during the water navigation portion of the exercise. Gold Thunder 2.0 is a humanitarian assistance disaster relief scenario exercise put together to train the combat mission support personnel in land and water navigation, establishing a special tactics operations center and a forward operating supply point along with other skills such as quad qualification training, Krav Maga training and exfiltration capabilities with rotary wing aircraft. (Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Matthew Sharp)

    Gold Thunder 2.0 prepares ST combat mission support team for real world ops

    To meet the unique deployed demands levied upon the combat mission support team the 320th Special Tactics Squadron created a program that gives their combat mission support specialists, known as Gold Team, the training needed to ensure the operators get the support they need in real world operations.Members from 320th Special Tactics Squadron Gold
  • U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 17 Special Tactics Squadron out of Fort Benning, Georgia, control airspace operations, during Exercise Jaded Thunder Oct. 29, 2014 in Salina, Kansas. Joint special operations forces, including the U.S. Air Force's 17th Special Tactics Squadron, are training together in Exercise Jaded Thunder to ensure high proficiency for deployment requirements. The 17th STS of the 24th Special Operations Wing provides precision air strikes for join ground special operation forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Richardson)(Not Reviewed)

    5,000 days of war: Any time, anywhere, all the time

    It’s been 5,000 days of struggle, rugged landscapes, blood and sweat.It’s been 5,000 days of exhaustion, injuries, and long separations from family, friends and home.On June 27, the 17th Special Tactics Squadron will mark 5,000 days of unremitting war.Their 5,000-day epoch began in October, one month after the terror attacks on 9/11, when the 17th
  • A combat controller, deployed with a U.S. Army Special Forces team in Afghanistan, searches for targets to provide close air support during an engagement with insurgents. A special tactics combat controller integrates air power into ground special operations for mission success, deploying into forward hostile areas to control offensive airstrike operations (also known as joint terminal attack control), as well as establish assault zones and provide air traffic control capability. (U.S. Air Force photo)

    USAF Weapons School JTAC graduates to receive hallowed patches

    When the first five graduates of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School’s Joint Terminal Attack Controller Weapons Instructor Course receive their diplomas during the school’s class 15-A graduation June 27, they will also be awarded the coveted graduate patch of the USAFWS and enter into an elite group of “patch wearer” brethren.
  • Special Tactics Airmen from the 24th Special Operations Wing perform high-altitude, low-opening jumps into the Santa Rosa Sound during a Monster Mash training event on Eglin Range, Fla., June 11, 2015. Monster Mash is a long-standing special tactics training tradition, consisting of an obstacle course where special operators complete timed scenarios at different stations of core mission training. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jeff Parkinson)

    Special Tactics Airmen crush ‘Monster Mash’

    Specials Tactics Airmen from the 24th Special Operations Wing endured a grueling ‘Monster Mash’ training event, June 11, 2015, on Spectre Island on Eglin Range, Fla. Monster Mash is a long-standing special tactics training tradition, consisting of an obstacle course where special operators complete timed scenarios at different stations of core
  • A member of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron completes pull-ups with a 25-pound vest during a physical fitness standards study, May 5, 2015, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. The results of this study will help the Air Force Fitness Unit develop and validate recommendations for occupationally-specific, operationally-relevant, and gender-neutral physical tests and standards. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Eboni Reece)

    26th STS members participate in fitness standards study

    Nearly two dozen members of the 26th Special Tactics Squadron participated in a physical fitness study that analyzes mission requirements for Battlefield Airmen.The physical fitness tests are part of an in-depth study to scientifically measure Battlefield Airmen’s operational mission requirements. This study aims to better correlate operational

  • 9 Special Tactics Airmen commended for reaction to Hwy 98 car accident

    Nine Airmen received Community Service Awards May 20 from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department. The commendations were for their selfless reaction of rendering aid following a multi-car accident on a major thoroughfare in west Okaloosa County. A significant crash March 3, 2015, blocked all lanes of Hwy 98 near Hurlburt Field. A crash in this
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