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24th Special Tactics Squadron
Squadron members complete fast rope and hoisting training during exercise Advanced Guard
Active1941–1944; 1987–present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
TypeSpecial Mission Unit
RoleSpecial Operations
Part ofAir Force Special Operations Command
Garrison/HQPope Field, North Carolina
EngagementsOperation Eagle Claw
Operation Urgent Fury
TWA Flight 847 Hijacking
Achille Lauro hijacking
Operation Just Cause
Operation Desert Storm
Somali Civil War

Global War on Terrorism

DecorationsAir Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device
Gallant Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1]
Insignia
24th Special Tactics Squadron emblem (approved 22 June 1990)[1]

The 24th Special Tactics Squadron is one of the Special Tactics units of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). It is the U.S. Air Force component to Joint Special Operations Command.[2][3] It is garrisoned at Pope Field, North Carolina.

Mission[edit]

The 24th STS provides Special Tactics Teams, including Combat Control Teams, Special Operations Weather Technicians, Pararescuemen, and Tactical Air Control Party personnel for JSOC operations. Twenty-fourth STS members are highly trained to conduct highly classified and clandestine operations such as direct action, antiterrorism, counter-insurgency, hostage rescue, and special reconnaissance. They are the Air Force's Tier One unit, equivalent to the Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (a.k.a. Delta Force) and the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU (a.k.a. SEAL Team 6).[4]

History[edit]

World War II[edit]

The first predecessor of the squadron was activated at Hamilton Field in October 1941 to be the director unit for the 24th Pursuit Group, which was formed simultaneously at Clark Field, Philippines as the headquarters for pursuit squadrons of the Philippine Department Air Force. After completing training, the squadron sailed on the USAT President Garfield on 6 December 1941. However, due to the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and Clark Field, the President Garfield returned to port on 10 December and the squadron returned to Hamilton Field.

Although nominally assigned to the 24th Group from January though October of 1942, the squadron served with air defense forces on the Pacific coast until it was disbanded on 31 March 1944 when the Army Air Forces converted its units in the US from rigid table of organization units to more flexible base units. Its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 411th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Wing) at Berkeley, California.

1970s[edit]

While the 24th Special Tactics Squadron was formally activated as the 1724 Combat Control Squadron in 1987, it was founded a decade earlier in 1977 by Captain John "Coach" Carney. After his Combat Control Team receiving a perfect rating on their annual inspection Military Airlift Command tasked Carney to create a unit of Combat Controllers to deploy with other highly classified special counterterrorism units, and he was only allowed six to seventeen personnel slots assigned to him at any given time. However, Carney was told that his team would not be a permanent unit, have no home station, would not be named, and that he would have to pull Combat Controllers from existing units on a temporary basis. The unit would go on to be called BRAND X in an unofficial capacity. Carney was able to pull together a core of 18 men that he hand picked, and that would rotate in and out of the unit. After two years of ad hoc status, Major Carney finally had permanently assigned combat controllers to his team which only consisted of seven individuals.[5]

1980s[edit]

In 1980 the unit participated in the failed hostage rescue in Iran, dubbed Operation Eagle Claw. Three weeks prior to the Operation commencing Carney flew into Iran with two CIA pilots to conduct reconnaissance on the proposed landing site for the airplanes and helicopters, dubbed Desert One. Once they landed in the remote desert Carney had one hour to prepare the landing site with infrared strobes, gather core samples and soil composition samples. To speed up the process Carney had a dirt bike to transport himself and the gear quickly across the landing site. Once the operation was underway, at Desert One the team of seven combat controllers setup two landing strips on site, setup various air control systems and navigation beacons and directed air traffic. However, due to multiple factors the mission was a failure and resulted in loss of life and equipment. Shortly thereafter Joint Special Operations Command was established and BRAND X was the Air Force contribution to the new command. Also in 1980, BRAND X was officially named "Det 1 MACOS" which stood for Detachment One, Military Airlift Command Operations Staff.[6] In 1983 the unit participated in the United States invasion of Grenada.


In 1985 it was renamed "Det 4 NAFCOS" which stood for Detachment four, Numbered Air Force Combat Operations Staff.[6] In 1985 four members of the unit accompanied SEAL Team Six and Delta Force as part of the U.S. response to the Achille Lauro hijacking.[6] It also participated in the U.S. response to the TWA Flight 847 Hijacking in 1985.[6] In 1987 it was formally activated as the 1724 Combat Control Squadron. Colonel Carney, now Director of Combat Control and Pararescue Operations at Scott AFB ordered the integration of Pararescuemen into the unit. Therefore it was redesignated that same year as the 1724th Special Tactics Squadron.[7]

1990s[edit]

The 1724th Special Tactics Squadron participated in the United States invasion of Panama in 1989.[1] Three years later the unit's name changed again, to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, and it has remained the same ever since. The 24th STS deployed 11 personnel including the unit commander, Lt Col Jim Oeser, as part of JSOC's Task Force Ranger during Operation Restore Hope in 1993.[8] Due to their actions during the Battle of Mogadishu multiple decorations were awarded to the airmen. Pararescueman (PJ) TSgt Tim Wilkinson received the Air Force Cross and fellow PJ MSgt Scott Fales received the Silver Star, both for providing lifesaving medical care to wounded soldiers.[9] Combat Controller (CCT) SSgt. Jeffrey W. Bray also received the Silver Star for coordinating helicopter attack runs throughout the night around their positions.[9][10][11]

2000 to present[edit]

From 15 to 20 September 2000 the 24th STS with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron took part in the annual Canadian military exercise, Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX). This was the first time Special Tactics units took part in SAREX.[12][13]

In recent years the squadron has been heavily involved in combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan where the unit was part of the JSOC groupings Task Force 121, Task Force 6-26 and Task Force 145.[14] In 2003 members of the unit were involved in two combat jumps in the initial phases of the Iraq War alongside the 3rd Ranger Battalion. The first combat jump was on 24 March 2003 near the Syrian border in the Iraqi town of Al Qaim where they secured a small desert landing strip to allow follow-on coalition forces into the area. The second combat jump was two days later near Haditha, Iraq, where they secured the Haditha Dam.[15]

On 8 April 2003 Combat Controller Scott Sather, a member of the 24th STS,[16] became the first airman killed in combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom near Tikrit, Iraq.[17] He was attached to a small team from the 75th Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (RRD). The RRD team and Sather were operating alongside Delta Force, under Lieutenant Colonel Pete Blaber, west of Baghdad. They were tasked with deceiving the Iraqi army into believing the main U.S. invasion was coming from the west in order to prevent Saddam Hussein from escaping into Syria.[18] Sather Air Base was named after him.[19]

The 24th STS was a part of JSOC's Task Force 145 which was a provisional grouping specifically charged with hunting down high-value al-Qaeda and Iraqi leadership including Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in June 2006.[20]

The squadron lost three members – PJs John Brown and Daniel Zerbe and CCT Andrew Harvell – in 2011 when the Chinook in which they were flying was shot down in Afghanistan.[21] To honor the three 24th STS members who died in the 2011 Chinook shootdown, 18 members of AFSOC marched 800 miles from Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio Texas to Hurlburt Field, Florida in their memory.[22]

Notable members[edit]

Colon-Lopez in Afghanistan in 2004 while a member of the 24th STS.
  • Colonel John "Coach" Carney founded the unit and was it's first commanding officer. He retired after Operation Urgent Fury in 1983 over frustrations with the mission's execution. However the Air Force called him back to active duty a few months later to command a separate CCT unit. In 1987 as Director, Combat Control and Pararescue Operations at Scott AFB Carney integrated PJs into the 1724th Combat Control Squadron, and renaming it the 1724th Special Tactics Squadron. Also in 1987 Congress re-orgnized special operations across the U.S. military, which saw all combat controllers and pararescuemen organized under the 1720th Special Tactics Group (later 720th Special Tactics Group), and he was hand picked as the unit's new commander. Carney retired again in 1991 after Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield/Provide Comfort.[7]
  • PJ Ramon Colon-Lopez was a member of the 24th STS twice. From February 1999 – January 2005 Colon-Lopez was a Special Tactics Element Leader and April 2009 – April 2011 he was the Squadron's Senior Enlisted Advisor.[28] In 2007 Colon-Lopez was one of the first six recipients of the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal.[29] He was awarded the AFCAM for a 2004 operation in Afghanistan during which he led an Advance Force Operations Team.[30]

Lineage[edit]

24th Fighter Control Squadron
  • Constituted as the 24th Air Corps Interceptor Control Squadron on 14 October 1941
Activated on 21 October 1941
  • Redesignated 24th Fighter Control Squadron on 15 May 1942
  • Disbanded on 31 March 1944
  • Reconstituted and consolidated with the 1724th Special Tactics Squadron on 1 March 1992[1]
24th Special Tactics Squadron
  • Designated as the 1724th Combat Control Squadron on 1 May 1987
  • Redesignated 1724th Special Tactics Squadron on 1 October 1987
  • Consolidated with the 24th Fighter Control Squadron on 1 March 1992
  • Redesignated 24th Special Tactics Squadron on 31 March 1992[1]

Assignments[edit]

Stations[edit]

  • Hamilton Field, California , 21 October 1941 (aboard the USAT President Garfield, 6–10 December 1941
  • Berkeley, California, 7 October 1943 – 31 March 1944
  • Pope Air Force Base (later Pope Army Airfield), North Carolina, 1 May 1987 – present[1]

Unit Awards[edit]

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device 18 December 1989 – 16 January 1990 [1]Operation Just Cause
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device 16 August – 7 November 1993 [1]Battle of Mogadishu
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device 1 September 2001 – 31 August 2003 [1]
Air Force Gallant Unit Citation 1 January 2006 – 31 December 2007 [1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 8 November 1993 – 31 July 1995 [1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 August 1995 – 31 Jul 1997 [1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 5 August 1997 – 31 July 1999 [1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 September 1999 – 31 August 2001 [1]
Other
  • Air Commando Association 2012 AFSOC Squadron of the Year[31]

Commanders[edit]

  • July 2003 – July 2005, Lt. Col. Mark F. Stratton[32]
  • June 2005 – June 2007, Lt. Col. Robert G. Armfield - Previous 24th STS assignments: Director of Operations (January 1998 – July 2002)[33]
  • June 2009 – April 2011, Lt. Col. Matthew Wolfe Davidson - Previous 24th STS assignments: Flight Commander (August 1998 – January 2002), Deputy Commander (June 2008 – June 2009)[34]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cite error: The named reference 24STSfacts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Priest, Dana (2 September 2011). "'Top Secret America': A look at the military's Joint Special Operations Command – Washington Post". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  3. ^ "The Secret US War in Pakistan". The Nation. 23 November 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  4. ^ "In high demand, Air Force commandos must find new ways to cope with stress of duty". The Gaffney Ledger. 9 May 2005. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ Col John T. Carney Jr.; Benjamin F. Schemmer (2003). No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran To Afghanistan. Presidio Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0345453358.
  6. ^ a b c d Naylor, Sean (2015). Relentless Strike, the Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command. St. Martin's Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-250-01454-2. Cite error: The named reference "Relentless Strike" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b "Gathering of Eagles Foundation Biography John Carney". Gathering of Eagles Foundation. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  8. ^ Haulman, Daniel L. (12 November 2015). "The United States Air Force in Somalia, 1992-1995" (PDF). pp. 11, 13.
  9. ^ a b Oliveri, Frank (June 1992). "Heroes at Mogadishu". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Awards of the Silver Star for Conspicuous Gallantry in Action During Operation Restore Hope in Somalia(1993)". Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  11. ^ Gertz, Bill (3 October 1993). "The Fast Pace of Special Ops". Airforcemag.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  12. ^ Groen, Ken (2001). "413 Squadron wins Diamond Trophy at SAREX" (PDF). SARSCENE. p. 8. ISSN 1183-5036. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  13. ^ John Pike. "23rd Special Tactics Squadron [23rd STS]". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  14. ^ Naylor, Sean (2006). Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda. Berkeley: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-19609-7.
  15. ^ John Pike. "United States Combat Jumps". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Air Force Staff Sgt. Scott D. Sather". Projects.militarytimes.com. 8 April 2003. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  17. ^ Michael Robert Patterson. "Scott D. Sather, Staff Sergeant, United States Air Force". Arlingtoncemetery.net. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Our Fallen Heroes: Scott Sather". SOFREP. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  19. ^ "DVIDS – News – Sather Air Base welcomes new commander". Dvidshub.net. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  20. ^ "OTS Foundation Portal – The hunt ends". Air Force OTS. 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  21. ^ "Pentagon releases names of 30 Americans killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash". New York Post. 11 August 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Airmen to walk 800 miles in memorial march for fallen from Bragg" (PDF). Fayobserver.com. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lampe was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ "The Air Force Cross For Actions in Somalia in 1993". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  25. ^ "Ty Burrell, left,... – Ty Burrell and Jeremy Piven in 'Black Hawk Down'". Courant.com. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  26. ^ "The Air Force Cross in the Global War on Terrorism". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  27. ^ LaRaia, Becky J.; McKeown, Lisa Terry (8 April 2005). "Ship takes heroic legacy to the fight". 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 15 January 2010.
  28. ^ "USAF Biography: Chief Master Sergeant Ramon Colon-Lopez". Kadena Air Base. January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  29. ^ Burgess, Lisa (13 June 2007). "Officials honor first recipients of Air Force Combat Action Medal". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  30. ^ Randolph, Monique (12 June 2007). "Air Force Awards First Combat Action Medals". American Forces Press Services. Archived from the original on 14 July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  31. ^ Martin, Mike (16 October 2012). "AFSOC Airmen past, present recognized at 2012 Air Commando Association banquet". Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Colonel Marc F. Stratton". United States Air Force. July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  33. ^ "Colonel Robert G. Armfield". Air Force Special Operations Command. May 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
  34. ^ "Colonel Matthew Wolfe Davidson". 24th Special Operations Wing. September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2017.

Bibliography[edit]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Further reading[edit]

  • Col John T. Carney Jr.; Benjamin F. Schemmer (2003). No Room for Error: The Covert Operations of America's Special Tactics Units from Iran To Afghanistan. Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0345453358.
  • Naylor, Sean (2015). Relentless Strike, the Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-01454-2.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 24th Special Tactics Squadron.
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