20th Observation Squadron emblem(approved 31 October 1942[3]
Military unit
The20th Special Operations Squadron is part of the27th Special Operations Wing atCannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operatesBell Boeing CV-22 Ospreys on special operations missions. It traces its history back to the activation of the 20th Observation Squadron (Light) at Savannah, Georgia, in March 1942.
The squadron conducts day or night low-level penetration into hostile enemy territory, to accomplishclandestine infiltration and exfiltration, aerial gunnery support and resupply of special operations forces throughout the world.[4]
The20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron trained for aerialreconnaissance from March 1942 to December 1943, then went on to fly combat missions in theChina-Burma-India Theater from 31 January 1944 to 5 May 1945.[1]
The20th Helicopter Squadron was activated in 1956 to perform traditional helicopter missions withPiasecki H-21 Workhorses for theTactical Air Command. It was inactivated in 1960.
In 1967, the 20th was joined by theBell UH-1 Huey helicopters formerly assigned to Project Lucky Tiger and the Hueys became known as theGreen Hornets. The "Green Hornets" supported Special Operations in South Vietnam and Cambodia. In August 1969 the Pony Express CH-3E's were transferred to the21st Special Operations Squadron atNakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, and the Pony Express ceased to exist. The heritage of the 20th was carried on by the 20th UH-1's Green Hornets.
Aircraft and crew losses
31 March 1967, MAJ Robert L Baldwin, piloting UH-1F Tail No 65-07932 was shot and killed in Laos.[5] he was posthumously awarded theAir Force Cross.[6]
27 November 1968, UH-1F Tail No 65-07942 operating fromBan Me Thuot East Airfield was shot down near Phu Nhai Village, Rotanokiri Province, Cambodia, 16 km west of Duc Co, South Vietnam while trying to infiltrate a Special Forces team. The Crew Chief, SSgt Gene P. Stuifbergen[7] and four of the Special Forces team were trapped in the burning wreckage and were all listed as KIA-BNR. Technical Sergeant Victor R. Adams was awarded the Air Force Cross for rescuing the copilot and a passenger.[8]
3 January 1969, UH-1F Tail No 63-13164 operating from Ban Me Thuot was making its second attempt to extract a Special Forces patrol in Cambodia. As they came to a hover above the trees, enemy fire struck the fuel cells setting the aircraft on fire. They were able to accelerate the aircraft and attempted a landing in a small jungle clearing, but the engine failed just short of the clearing and the helicopter crashed into the trees. The crew chief, Sgt Ronald Zenga, was pinned under the aircraft and died in the ensuing fire.[9]
17 January 1969,Pony Express 20 CH-3C Tail No 62-12582 operating fromUdorn Royal Thai Air Force Base crashed while on aTACAN service mission to Lima Site 36 in Laos. Three of the crew were killed.[10][11][12]
26 March 1969, UH-1F Tail No 63-13158 operating from Ban Me Thuot crashed and burned nearDục Mỹ, north ofNha Trang, South Vietnam. The aircraft experienced severe vibration and auto-rotation was initiated, but during the descent the main rotor severed the tail boom. All 5 crewmen were killed.[13][14][15][16][17]
13 April 1969, Capt James O. Lynch, piloting UH-1F, AF Ser. No. 65-07937, operating from Ban Me Thuot was shot and killed while extracting a reconnaissance team nearPleiku, South Vietnam.[18]
14 March 1970, UH-1P, AF Ser. No. 64-15491, operating from Ban Me Thuot was shot down while supporting aLRRP mission nearDuc Lap, South Vietnam. The pilot, Capt Dana A. Dilley, was killed in the crash.[19]R.A. the Rugged Man tells the story of his father's (SgtJohn A. Thorburn) part in this crash in the song "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story".
19 March 1970, UH-1P, AF Ser. No. 65-07944, operating from Ban Me Thuot was shot down near Darlac, South Vietnam. The pilot, copilot and a gunner were killed in the crash.[20][21][22]
25 September 1970, UH-1P, AF Ser. No. 64-15484, operating from Ban Me Thuot hit trees while turning to avoid a mid-air collision with aVNAFCH-34 near Quang Duc, South Vietnam. The aircraft subsequently caught fire and the pilot and a gunner were killed in the crash.[23][24]
4 December 1971, a UH-1N operating from Ban Me Thuot came under fire nearSaigon. The gunner, Sgt Thomas E. Fike, was killed.[25]
The Green Hornets continued to perform unconventional warfare missions for seven years, until inactivation in 1972.
SOS Huey in Laos
SOS UH-1Ps over Cambodia
UH-1P formerly operated by the 20th SOS on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
UH-1P Tail No 64-15493, probably used by 20th SOS, at Hurlburt Field
Upon reactivation in 1976 atHurlburt Field, the unit mission remained unconventional warfare and special operations using UH-1N gunships and CH-3Es. TheHH-53H Pave Low replaced the CH-3E in 1980, providing a long range, heavier lift helicopter capability. "The Air Force's newly operational fleet of nine HH-53H Pave Low CSAR helicopters was abruptly transferred to the special operations forces in response to the failed Iranian hostage rescue attempt and the lack of dedicated long-range vertical lift platforms."[26][27] The crews used the Pave Lowavionics to arrive over target on time and undetected, where they performed terminal operations wearingnight vision goggles.[4]
In 1983, the UH-1Ns began two years of support as part of then Vice PresidentGeorge Bush's South Florida Drug Enforcement Task Force, participating in Operation Bahamas, Antilles and Turks (BAT). The Op BAT Hueys flew hundreds of over-water missions from theBahamas before transferring toHomestead Air Force Base, Florida in 1985.[4]
In 1986, the 20th flew the specially equipped and highly capableSikorsky MH-53 Pave Low and started flying the upgraded MH-53J PaveLow III in 1988.[4]
In December 1989, members of the 20 SOS were mobilized as part of a joint task force forOperation Just Cause, inPanama.[4]
Squadron personnel deployed in support of Operation Restore Democracy in Haiti, providing support to aNational Command Authority resolution. Members of the 20th, participating in operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, went into harm's way in attempting a rescue of two downed French crewmen, receiving twoPurple Heart Medals and theCheney Award.[4]
USAFMH-53J Pave Low helicopter over wreckage of the USAF CT-43A approximately 3 kilometers north of the Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia, 4 April 1996
20 SOS crews were also involved in the search and rescue operations resulting from theCT-43 crash in which Commerce SecretaryRon Brown and his party died. These same crews deployed shortly thereafter to support theAmerican Embassy evacuations inMonrovia, Liberia – airlifting more than 2,000 evacuees to safety. The squadron deployed crews and aircraft to Southwest Asia in support ofUnited States Central Command and Operation Desert Thunder in February 1998. The Pave Low gave the theater commander a night, all-weather personnel recovery capability, unparalleled in the U.S. inventory.[4]
To date, the Green Hornets have flown direct assaults on numerous high-profile targets and effected the rescue and exfiltration of hundreds of US and allied soldiers. Included among these actions are the daylightmedevac of 32 injured soldiers in the midst of a battle and the rescue of a downed aircrew deep in hostile territory, which earned the squadron its second MacKay Trophy.[4]
Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group (Provisional), 26 December 1943,Tenth Air Force, 17 January 1944)
Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944 (attached to 5320th Air Defense Wing [Provisional] March–May 1944)
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United States
United States Air Force
Presidential Unit Citation
Gallant Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency