6 Dec 2018

Fallen Special Tactics operator remembered during hometown memorial

Hundreds of Special Tactics Airmen, family and friends gathered to commemorate a fallen teammate, son, fiancé, and warrior during a memorial service, Dec. 6, 2018, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The memorial honored the life and legacy of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, a Special Tactics combat controller assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, who was killed Nov. 27, 2018, when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb while deployed in support of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.

30 Nov 2018

Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin honored in dignifed transfer Nov. 30

A U.S. Air Force carry team transfers the remains of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin of Hookstown, Pa., Nov. 30, 2018, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Elchin was assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.

28 Nov 2018

Special Tactics Airman killed in action in Afghanistan

A Special Tactics Airman was killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 27, 2018. Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, 25, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, was deployed in support of OPERATION Freedom’s Sentinel.

5 Nov 2018

CSAF, family unveil recent MOH recipient's name on Special Tactics Memorial

Sunlight shed for the first time on a well-known, but newly-engraved name under the recently installed Medal of Honor recipient display at the Special Tactics Memorial in the airpark Oct. 27. Hundreds of Air Commandos, family members and distinguished visitors gathered at the airpark to watch as U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. John Chapman’s family, along with Air Force and 24th Special Operations Wing leadership, unveil the newest addition to the MOH-recipient display, “Tech. Sgt. John Chapman” permanently inscribed within. Chapman was a Special Tactics combat controller who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of his teammates, according to his MOH citation.

19 Oct 2018

30-year ST ‘giant’ dons beret one last time

As a teenager, he grew up like most, listening and learning from his grandfather, an Air Force maintenance officer of 25 years. The talks shaped him and ultimately decided his future at an early age – he would join the U.S. Air Force. Thirty years later, at the finishing line of an extensive and rewarding career, Chief Master Sgt. Michael West, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 24th Special Operations Wing, is donning his scarlet beret for the last time during his retirement ceremony at the Special Tactics Training Squadron, here, Oct. 19.

18 Oct 2018

23rd STS hands off Hurricane Michael airfield operations to 821st CRG at Tyndall AFB

When Hurricane Michael began devastating much of the Florida panhandle with upwards of 150 mph gusts and rain on Oct. 10, it left many with uncertainty of what their community would look like when they returned home. For a portion of that area, a ghosted and devastated Tyndall Air Force Base, it didn’t take long for support to start flowing in to aid. One day after Hurricane Michael hit the area, a Special Tactics troop with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron was flown in on two CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron to assess, and if possible, open the airfield.

16 Oct 2018

23rd STS guides Airpower into Tyndall AFB

Special Tactics Airmen with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron facilitate aircraft traffic at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Oct. 14, 2018. Special Tactics Airmen were transported to Tyndall to assess, open, and control the airfield, and facilitate humanitarian relief efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Michael. (U.S. Air Force photo by

12 Oct 2018

Special Tactics Airmen open Tyndall Air Force Base airfield for operations

Air Force Special Tactics Airmen with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron assessed, opened and controlled air traffic at Tyndall Air Force Base, Oct. 11. Special Tactics Airmen have the ability to assess, open, and control major airfields to clandestine dirt strips in any environment, including those that have been impacted by a natural disaster.

2 Oct 2018

Special Tactics Airmen train alongside conventional Army forces at NTC 18-10

For 10 solid days from Aug. 30 to Sept. 9, the Special Tactics Airmen teamed up with the U.S. Army 3rd Special Forces Group, also from Fort Bragg, and the 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas, for NTC 18-10. A simulated conflict where conventional forces wage war against one another, NTC 18-10 was an intense, realistic and complex training scenario to validate their interoperability in the world’s largest force-on-force training at the National Training Center on Fort Irwin, California.

1 Oct 2018

Master Sgt. John Chapman immortalized at hometown commemoration

The town of Windsor Locks is relatively small, totaling 12,500 residents, but is home to an international airport, the 1965 Little League World Series championship and most recently a recipient of the nation’s highest decoration for valor. The hometown of Master Sgt. John Chapman commemorated the life of the Special Tactics combat controller, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor a few months ago for his valorous efforts during the Battle of Takur Ghar in 2002.