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SCUBAPRO Sunday – Navy Seawolves Task Force 116 Vietnam “Rowell’s Rats”

Sunday, November 20th, 2022

You have heard of the Seawolves if you have ever read any stories about the SEALs or The Brown Water Navy in Vietnam. The Navy Seawolves became the most decorated HELO squadron in the Vietnam war. The Navy Seawolves were stood up overseas, and they were decommissioned overseas. They were set up to provide air support for Navy units fighting in the Rung Sat Special Zone, to support the SEAL Teams and Boat Units. They provide insertion and extraction platforms, close air support, medevac, and taxis from base to base. They did it all. They used hand me down aircraft from the Army and turned them into Navy Seawolves Helicopters. I love learning about the history of units like this, there will never be a movie about them, but the man that made up the Seawolves are the backbone of the U.S. and our military history.

Retired Army Major General Carl McNair, who commanded the 121st Assault Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War, once recalled a story about Army General Creighton Abrams—commander of all military forces in Vietnam—visiting an airbase for an awards ceremony for Army aviation personnel. Riding as a passenger in a jeep along what passed as a flight line, he noted a young man not wearing a cover and ordered his driver to pull over. Abrams had served under General George S. Patton during World War II, so he was tough. Questioning what he thought was a soldier out of uniform, he received a response that went something like: “Sir, I am not a soldier. I am a sailor and a Seawolf, and in the Navy, we don’t wear covers on the flight line.” Abrams responded, “Very well, carry on,” and proceeded on his way. There is nothing better than a General having no idea who you are.

www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/june/i-am-sailor-and-seawolf

video.kpbs.org/video/scramble-the-seawolves-yacuzi

Posted in Advertiser, Aviation, Guest Post, History, Navy | Comments Off on SCUBAPRO Sunday – Navy Seawolves Task Force 116 Vietnam “Rowell’s Rats”

Airmen Compete in Joint Global Radio Contest Noble Skywave

Sunday, November 20th, 2022

U.S. ARMY GARRISON BAUMHOLDER, Germany (AFNS) —

Military units from around the world recently participated in Noble Skywave, a global cyber contest, at U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder.

Noble Skywave is a multi-national high-frequency radio contest hosted by the Canadian Armed Forces.

This year’s competition brought together 429 military units from across 13 nations competing to determine who can most efficiently utilize high-frequency radio technology.

Each team was placed into one of three categories based on the amount of transmitting power their radio station has.

During the contest, teams set up a fully functioning radio station and utilized their skills to connect with other radio stations, some being thousands of miles away.

“There is a set number of stations playing in this contest, and our objective is to contact as many of them as possible,” said Airman 1st Class Matthew Recchia, 1st Combat Communication Squadron cyber infrastructure technician. “Whoever contacts the most stations, wins.”

High-frequency radio technology and its operators are crucial to the U.S. military, allies and partners as it is not reliant on conventional ways of communications technology, such as satellites or cell phone towers which are vulnerable to weather conditions or an attack from an adversary.

If conventional ways of communication were to ever go down or become inoperable, that is where high-frequency radio comes in. The technology works by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere, a layer in the atmosphere that is electrically charged by the sun, allowing communication between people that are a vast distance apart.

“Last year, our farthest link was 11,700 kilometers away,” said Senior Airman Kelley Jay, 1st CBCS radio frequency transmission systems technician. “We communicated with a radio station in Peru from Germany by using this radio technology.”

In this year’s competition, the longest connection the 1st CBCS made was with New Zealand, at approximately 18,000 kilometers away.

Most importantly, by using high-frequency technology, one can send documents, emails, orders or anything else needed to ensure mission success.

Though it is a contest, Noble Skywave provides the opportunity for military partners to come together to enhance their skills for a common goal of defending the NATO alliance.

“The purpose of the contest is to keep our high-frequency radio skills sharp,” Jay said. “But it also ensures the international communications community is interoperable and ready to respond effectively if the need arises.”

U.S. forces in Europe live, train and operate with allies and partners from strategic locations across the continent to ensure a timely and coordinated response during peacetime and crisis.

Within their category, 1st CBCS came in third place with a total of 200 connections made with other radio stations around the world using high-frequency radio.

By Airman 1st Class Jared Lovett, 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Comms, Guest Post | 2 Comments »

First Team Participates in Project Convergence 2022

Saturday, November 19th, 2022

FORT IRWIN, Calif. — The 1st Cavalry Division recently participated in Project Convergence 2022 from Sep. 29 to Nov. 9 at Fort Irwin. Project Convergence is an Army-led experiment offering opportunities to access future warfighting strategies, including how the all-service and multinational force can work together to detect and defeat threats.

The First Team’s primary mission during the experiment consisted of forming attack positions each morning while moving to a landing departure zone in the M113 Tracked Armored Personnel Carrier, M1A2 SEP v3 Abrams Tank, M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle while fighting the opposing forces. Each day new technology was added to the mission to test its success and practicality when used in a lifelike scenario.

Electronic assets allowed the unit to conduct reconnaissance and bring out the enemy without endangering Troopers, preserve combat power of larger platforms, scan the battlefield in a minimal amount of time and allowed the commander to make decisions with less risk.

The assets also provided rapid communications with allied partners across the spectrum of operations, reducing the time needed for decision making and allowing for more rapid target engagement by the 1st Cav artillery.

The 1st Cav is transforming by integrating these new technologies across the formation to enhance their ability to compete globally, deter adversaries and win on all-domain battlefields.

“I firmly believe that everything we do here is something that we’ll see throughout the Army over the next 60 years,” said Lt. Col. Brennan Speakes, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment commanding officer. “This is the equivalent of the Army moving from the horse drawn cavalry to the armored formations we know today.”

Army Futures Command established Project Convergence in 2020 as an opportunity for collaboration, experimentation and a way of informing how we fight, how we organize, the talent we need and what we fight with.

“1-7 Cav is going to be the best trained squadron in the Army by next summer,” said Maj. Gen. John B. Richardson IV, 1st Cavalry Division commanding general. “You are building an incredible reputation right now across the Army.”

Project Convergence is designed to aggressively advance and integrate the Army’s contributions to the joint and multinational force and ensure that the Army, as part of that force, can rapidly and continuously converge effects across all domains including air, land, sea, space and cyberspace, to overmatch our adversaries, increase operational tempo and generate decision advantage over our adversaries.

Convergence — the namesake of the project — refers to integrating efforts across all echelons, from the tactical to the strategic level, to deliver optimal lethal and non-lethal effects across all domains.

“Project Convergence 2022 is good for not only the training value for the squadron, but to learn the use and capabilities of this new technology,” said Sgt. Kyler Tackett, a Bradley gunner with 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. “Hopefully PC22 will help with the further development of these vehicles, and to help solve problems for the future of the Army.”

Through Project Convergence, the Army is demonstrating new technologies continuously throughout the year to ensure we can fight and win as one team by framing objectives within the Joint Warfighting Concept and Joint All-Domain Command and Control network.

These experiment demonstrations and future modernization capabilities inform Army emerging technologies, future concepts and future formations.

“Hopefully we leave our mark as a contributor to future technologies that are going to help the Army fight our future wars,” said Cpt. Rannie Lintag, a human resources officer with 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

Looking to Project Convergence 2023 and beyond, the Army will continue to expand its alliances and demonstrate the impact modernization will have in various theaters of our geographic combatant commands.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the team that’s out here,” said Speakes. “This team is making things happen, and I’ve seen a stark improvement in not only their capabilities, but also their leadership potential.”

By SGT Brayton Daniel

Posted in Army, Forces Focus, Guest Post | Comments Off on First Team Participates in Project Convergence 2022

PDW Guide Half Zip Sweater

Friday, November 18th, 2022

Modern Classic Made for the Mountain and Knit with Premium Merino Yarns

Prometheus Design Werx introduces their Guide Half Zip Sweater for Fall/Winter 2022. Inspired by classic alpinist and mountaineering guide sweaters, this style has been updated with soft, yet hearty, premium merino yarns and expertly knit in a substantial weight with a 2×2 rib. Other details include a reverse coil YKK half front zipper for easy core venting, 4-way stretch nylon twill fabric reinforcements on the shoulders and elbows, turnback type cuffs with thumbholes and zips up to a high neck height. To bring this highest caliber performance sweater to market, PDW partnered up with an Italian knitting mill that has been making extra fine knitwear for generations. With the rugged Dolomites as their backyard, this factory knows a thing of two about crafting world class sweaters for expert alpinists, mountaineers, and skiers.

The Guide Half Zip Sweater is a part of Prometheus Design Werx’s PRO-Line of technical apparel. Available in Charcoal Heather Gray with Black accents.

The Design and R&D Team at PDW states:

“Following up to last year’s CWO Sweater, the Guide Half Zip is directly inspired by classic alpinist and mountaineering guide sweaters before the age of polyester fleece. While the originals were also made with wool, they used standard yarns and were simply not nearly as comfortable as ours. We used extra fine, Italian merino yarns in 18.5 microns, which is soft yet rugged, insulates when damp/wet, no melt and no drip. Like the CWO we used over 2lbs of this premium yarn per sweater for a substantial weight to keep the user warm in cold weather conditions. From there it was refining and updating the additional details that went into this sweater. We used a reverse coil nylon YKK zipper, 4-way stretch nylon twill fabric reinforcements on the shoulders and elbows that would move as the sweater would move, and included turnback cuffs with thumbholes. The Guide Sweater is a style we created using uncompromising materials and old world craftsmanship, upgraded in meaningful ways, and inherently possesses the look of classic cold weather mountaineering wear. As in all of our apparel styles, it is the attention to details, premium materials, functional design considerations, and excellent quality of make that goes into everything we produce. This sweater is for those who set their sights for themselves and what they use to a higher standard.”

The Guide Half Zip Sweater is available now for purchase at $229.00 via their website, prometheusdesignwerx.com.

Posted in Advertiser, Clothing, Guest Post | 1 Comment »

FirstSpear Friday Focus: Wool ACM-WARM 600

Friday, November 18th, 2022

This week, we’re featuring our warmest Merino Wool line in ACM-WARM 600.

The ACM-WARM 600 is FirstSpear’s heaviest weight Merino Wool and provides the greatest standalone warmth. Pair with ACM-BASE 100 and ACM-MID 400 to create an extremely warm and comfortable system to beat the elements.

The Everyday Vest (EDV) is a great addition to the FirstSpear wool line. It utilizes an extremely lightweight 50/50 blend of our American Merino Wool and Polyester and is fully Berry Compliant. This is a heavyweight Merino Wool vest with a soft, brushed fleece interior, designed for the coldest temperatures.

The sleeveless design of the Stalker Vest is a unique feature in the FirstSpear American Wool line with an important benefit. The Stalker Vest has been designed for wear under plate carriers and can be removed without taking the carrier off. Simply open the sides of the Stalker Vest and slide it over your head. With the exclusive design of the Stalker Vest, you can easily adjust body heat retention. Too hot, one the sides for ventilation. Too cold, close the sides. Way too hot, remove the whole vest. All without removing your carrier.

The FirstSpear Woobie’s are 100% Made in America and include the Woobie Full Zip, Woobie 1/4 Zip and the advanced Technical Woobie. Each have their own unique style while remaining the absolute warmest American Merino Wool that FirstSpear offers. If you’re looking for technical apparel thats both warm and functional, a FirstSpear Woobie is definitely the way to go.

Visit FirstSpear to find all the gear and apparel for America’s War Fighter.

Posted in Advertiser, Clothing, FS Friday Focus, Guest Post, Materials | Comments Off on FirstSpear Friday Focus: Wool ACM-WARM 600

The Saint and Ten Sinners

Friday, November 18th, 2022

ZAGAN, Poland — Capt. Robert Stanley, the brigade assistant intelligence officer assigned to the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division always had an interest in history, and after learning of his great-uncle’s involvement in WWII, he was inspired to research it more.

“I love history, for me, all the sacrifices made by servicemembers put me in a position that I’m in,” said Capt. Stanley. “If I’m going to appreciate those things, I must investigate it.”

Capt. Stanley went on to say that this is a way to put a face to a story that he’s attached to. He encourages everyone to look into their family history because you may be impressed with what you find.

The Stanley family’s service to the United States armed forces date back as far as the Civil War. Although many people were drafted into the United States Army when the Nazis began their conquest of the world, Sgt. Everett W. Stanley continued his family’s legacy by enlisting into the U.S. Army Air Corps as a ball turret gunner with the 401st bomb group, 613th squadron.

“My great uncle volunteered after the beginning of WWII,” said Capt. Stanley.

At the beginning of WWII, there wasn’t an organic Air Force. It was part of the U.S. Army as the Air Corps, which was originally formed in 1917 during WWI. After enlisting, Sgt. Stanley was stationed at Deenethorpe Airfield in England where he flew the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

While stationed at Deenethorpe Airfield, Sgt. Stanley met his crew consisting of 2nd Lt. Donald E. Butterfoss, pilot, 2nd Lt. Robert L. Westfall, co-pilot, Bernard J. Boyle, flight navigator, 2nd Lt. Robert C. Kerpen, bombardier, Sgt. Roger R. McCauley, radio operator, Sgt. Alfred J. Truskowski, engineer & top turret gunner, Sgt. William H. Lee, tail gunner, Sgt. William E. Watkins, left waist gunner and Sgt. John W. Reeves, right waist gunner. During their WWII deployment, they were known as “The Saint and Ten Sinners”.

Sgt. Stanley and his crew conducted several missions out of Deenthorpe, their most significant being the largest bombing run during WWII during that specific timeframe.

“It was the largest daylight bombing mission of WWII up to that point,” said Capt. Stanley.

During their last bombing mission, Sgt. Stanley and crew were hit by Flak from a German 88mm anti-aircraft and both port engines caught fire. The crew noticed German fighters coming toward them, so they took cover in the clouds and decided to head home with the engines they had left.

As the crew flew over Arnhem, Holland, they received enemy fire which caused severe damage to the plane and the crew had no choice but to bail. After being shot down during mission, Sgt. Stanley was taken into captivity as a prisoner of war (POW) where he spent the next 11 months.

“There were thousands of POWs, that’s thousands of stories and thousands of experiences,” said Capt. Stanley.

Although Sgt. Stanley was a POW, he was allowed to send letters home to his family with the help of the American Red Cross. This made his family aware of the immense sacrifice he made for our great nation.

“If I have a rough day, I think to myself, my great uncle was a prisoner of war,” said Capt. Stanley. “If he can get through that, I can deal with whatever I have going on.”

During his time in Poland, Capt. Stanley took the opportunity to visit some of the historic sites in the area. He went to Berlin and Stalag Luft III, one of the locations it is believed his great uncle spent time as a POW.

“My great uncle served through the Korean War and Vietnam War,” said Capt. Stanley. “After retiring, he stayed with the Air Force as a Department of Defense civilian.”

Sgt. Stanley received a POW medal, European campaign medal and a WWII service medal among others before retiring after more than 20 years of faithful service to the nation.

“To understand Veterans’ Day, you have to know that those aren’t just names on a board, it’s an entire life that has been lived up to this point,” said Capt. Stanley.

As Capt. Stanley begins to transition from active duty service to National Guard, thinking back on his family’s sacrifice much like his ancestors before him, he looks to the future. Sitting on a ranch remembering those that came before him and starting a new tradition for the Stanley clan.

Capt. Stanley stated that all vets, even those who haven’t seen combat, have made great sacrifices. There’s a lot more to military service than just combat.

“My call to serve has been a part of what members of my family have done,” said Capt. Stanley. “Many people before me have died for something worth fighting for.”

As you go about your day conducting normal business during Veteran’s Day, take a moment to remember why we as Americans are provided with the freedoms we enjoy every day. Remember those that came before you and their sacrifices; remember “A Saint and Ten Sinners.”

By SGT Timothy Brokhoff and SFC Theresa Gualdarama

Posted in Air Force, Army, Guest Post, History | 1 Comment »

TNVC Presents: Decisive Action

Thursday, November 17th, 2022

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AFSOC Conducts Live-Fire Exercise with Rapid Dragon

Wednesday, November 16th, 2022

ANDøYA SPACE DEFENSE RANGE, NORWAY (AFNS) —

Two Air Force Special Operations Command wings partnered in a total force initiative to conduct the first live-fire demonstration of Rapid Dragon, a long-range palletized munitions system, in the U.S. European Command theater over Andøya Space Defense Range, Nov. 9.

During U.S. Special Operations Command Europe exercise ATREUS 22-4, two MC-130J Commando IIs assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Wing flew the Rapid Dragon package to a Royal Norwegian Air Force training range and deployed it over the Atlantic Ocean. An MC-12W Liberty assigned to the 137th SOW, Oklahoma Air National Guard, used its manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to collect and disseminate information about the release.

This is the first time Rapid Dragon has been employed using cargo aircraft in the USEUCOM theater, and precision munitions capabilities for medium-sized or larger cargo aircraft allows U.S. and NATO forces a flexible rapid response option.

“It’s really easily exportable to our partners and allies around the globe that may want to increase the utility of their air force,” said Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, AFSOC commander, during a recent Air and Space Force Association event. “When you look at partner capability, we have a lot of partners around the globe that don’t have heavy bomber-type platforms that would be traditional carriers of those types of munitions, but they’ve got plenty of C-130s proliferated around the world.”

More than 40 countries operate C-130 Hercules, but AFSOC has been the only U.S. Air Force combatant command to demonstrate this system.

“An MC-130J is the perfect aircraft for this capability because we can land and operate from a 3,000-foot highways and austere landing zones whereas a bomber cannot,” said Lt. Col. Valerie Knight, 352d SOW mission commander. “Additionally, a crew qualified to execute heavy equipment airdrop could employ this operationally. After the successful execution of this airdrop, we have now proven we can employ the same weapons system — creating a dilemma for our adversaries. As the only U.S. Air Force Special Operations Wing in Europe, this capability provides our allies, partners and the joint force an additional response option, strengthening our deterrence capabilities in USEUCOM.”

Developing relationships between allies and partners extended to the total force with the inclusion of an Oklahoma Air National Guard MC-12Ws. Two U.S. Air Force pilots and a combat systems officer were part of the MC-12W aircrew to conduct the mission, with support from aircrew flight equipment and special operations communications Airmen.

“The 137th SOW actively seeks out exercises where we can demonstrate our unique capabilities and create relationships with our partners — not just within AFSOC and the total force, but across a multi-national coalition,” said Maj. Murray Ludwig, a 137th SOW combat systems officer. “Thanks to the assistance of our Norwegian allies, our integration into this exercise has been seamless. We were able to demonstrate that our wing can provide top-tier ISR support and a wide array of sustainment capabilities for our joint partners.”

Members of the 137th Mission Sustainment Team also participated, conducting pre-deployment site surveys and airfield assessments. While it is not the first time the team has worked with coalition forces, it is the first time the MST has conducted their mission in a setting realistic to the austere environments they will operate in as they support global SOF operations.

“The multi-capable Airman concept allows us to become completely self-sufficient anywhere in the world,” Ludwig said. “The training our operations Airmen and Mission Sustainment Team are receiving here will be critically important to their future war-fighting potential.

As AFSOC postures its forces for the future fight, developing unconventional, innovative capabilities to protect against near-peer adversaries is critical.

“This rapid roll-on, roll-off capability extends America’s ability to project firepower around the globe,” Knight said. “It doesn’t require any aircraft modifications, making it incredibly easy to employ any place, any time.”

By TSgt Brigette Waltermire, Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

Video by SSgt Izabella Workman

Posted in Air Force, Guest Post, SOF, weapons | 3 Comments »