Page 38 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2020-1

USAF Air Commandos in Vietnam (Cont’d.)
First to Fight in 1961 Flying T-28s, B-26s and C-47s By Lew Jennings
The Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 and the resulting resolution passed by Congress allowing President Lyndon Johnson to use conventional military forces in Vietnam, opened the flood gates for additional Air Force assets. No more secrecy required.
The Special Air Warfare Center back at Eglin in 1964 had grown to 3,000 personnel and over 300 aircraft worldwide, was now commanded by a General Officer, received priority funding and reported directly to Headquarters, Tactical Air Command in Langley, Virginia. Just two years later Special Operations assets would total 5,000 personnel and 550 aircraft in 19 Squadrons.
On 8 July 1968, SAWC was redesignated the USAF Special Operations Force (USAFSOF) and became the equivalent of a numbered air force. Units under SAWC
were also redesignated as Special Operations wings and squadrons. In 1968 the 1st Air Commando Squadron moved to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base and became the 1st Special Operations Squadron (SOS). It would be the last unit to fly A-1 Skyraiders in combat in November 1972.
The great legacy of these Air Commando warriors of the Vietnam era still shines today in the USAF Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered where it all began, at Hurlburt Field. Commanded by a 3-star General, AFSOC has nearly 18,000 personnel assigned and hundreds of aircraft world-wide. In true Air Commando tradition, there are a mind-boggling mix of aircraft, ranging from AC-130 Gunships to the MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial System and highly trained personnel to accomplish AFSOC’s mission to “Provide our Nation’s specialized airpower, capable across the spectrum of conflict ... Any Place, Any Time, Anywhere.”
1st SOS A-1H “Firebird” K38072, 1 April 1970
AFSOC Lockheed C-130J Ghostrider Gunship
38 / DFCS News Magazine / SUMMER 2020