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 MORE SAD
NEWS!
UPDATE!!!
Colonel James Wyatt passed away April 27,
2009. According to the article he served 26
years in the USAF. He did two tours in Vietnam,
in the second as Wing Commander of the AC-130
Gunship Squadron in Korat, Thailand. Awards
during his distinguished career include Legion
of Merit, Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster,
Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf
cluster and many other awards.
Military
ceremony was held at Bay Pines Cemetery on
Friday, May 8, 2009. In lieu of flowers
donation to
www.woundedwarriorproject.org
LINK TO
CEREMONY PICS
NEW: Photos of Back Door
Sam's Dog Tags Final Flight with the
Thunderbirds!
MUCH MORE BELOW: SCROLL DOWN Please sign our
guestbook in our Menu under "Spectre History"...Thanks! |
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FRIENDS OF THE "FIRST LADY" (A-Model
ACFT 129) REUNION
Was a HUGE Sucess! Thanks to all who attended! |
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RECENTLY IN SPECTRE
HISTORY:
24 May 69:
The40th Anniversary of the loss of AC 629 and
Spectre’s Cecil Taylor and Jack Troglen. Let's
not forget the first Spectre's combat fatalities.
On 15 May 1975,
crews from the 16th SOS stationed at Korat AB flew
missions in support of the rescue of the U.S.
merchant ship, S.S. Mayaguez. The operation began on
12 May when the Mayaguez was seized by the Cambodian
navy about 100 miles off the coast of Cambodia in
International waters. The ship was taken to Koh Tang
Island and the crew (our intel was unaware) had
been taken to the Cambodian mainland. Spectre had at
least 2 aircraft orbiting the Island 24/7 from the
time it was seized. The rescue attempt for the crew
(that was NOT on Koh Tang Island) began on in the
early morning hours of 15 May. The fierce battle
continued into the early evening with several Jolly
Greens shot down and many Jolly crew members and
Marines wounded or KIA. Anyone involved in the
operation should check out
www.kohtang.com,
a website set up by the Marines on Koh Tang who owe
their survival to the surgical application of
firepower by the "Fabulous Four-Engine Fighter"!!
Just another date in Spectre history!!
21
April
1970 - the anniversary of Gunship
54-1625 The
Warlord
while truck hunting
along the southern portion of the Ho Chi Minh trail,
in Laos. While strafing the trucks, the AC-130
Gunship, from the 16th SOS, was hit by 37 mm AAA,
catching fire. Ten crewmen were listed as KIA. Staff
Sergeant E. Fields was the only survivor.
24 April 1980 - 29 years ago - crews from the 16th
SOS were deployed in support of Operation "Desert
One". Five members of the 8'th SOS and three Marines
perished in the desert of Iran.
29-30 April
1975 - 34 years ago - Crews from the 16th SOS
stationed at Korat Royal Thai Air Base participated
in Operation "Frequent Wind", the final evacuation
of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. These were the last
flights flown by gunships into Viet Nam airspace. |
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As Always,
Check the "What's New" on the menu to see the newest
additions to the site! Always adding to the
history, heritage and fun for our members and
visitors. For visitors searching for
previously posted deceased Spectres articles, please
visit our Deceased
Spectre page.
-PJ Cook (Webmaster/Retired Spectre Lead Gunner) |
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Great Detailed Gunship Bit of
History
In History
March 27, '69:
Then
Major Charlie Spicka was scheduled for a routine
AC-130A Spectre Gunship Interdiction mission over the
Trails in Laos on March 27, '69. On that mission,
a 37 MM round hit their Gunship in the right horizontal
stabilizer. The aircraft was recovered safely to Ubon.
Charlie was one of the first twelve pilots to complete
the Gunship training course in September '68 at
Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. Following Jungle Survival
Training at Clark AB, P.I., Charlie and the others
arrived at Ubon AB, Thai as members of the newly
established 16th SOS under the 8th TFW Wing who flew
missions in the F-4 Phantom. A sign over the 16th SOS
Sqdn. Ops. read: "The Fabulous Four
Engine Fighters of the Wolfpack".
[The 8th TFW]
Here's a photo of one of the first four AC-130A
Gunships. AC-130A's had four 20 MM Vulcans &
four 7.62 miniguns. The Unit lost 6 aircraft from
1969 until the end of the
war.
AC-130A #54-1629
The
mission Charlie flew on March 27, 1969 was in Gunship #
53-3129 which is known as the "First Lady" as it was
the first production Lockheed C-130 accepted by the USAF. The
"First Lady" is now on static display at the Eglin
Armament Museum near Eglin AFB, Florida.
About 2 hrs. into the five hour mission as the aircraft
entered into its "pylon geometry" attack pattern one of
the numerous 37 MM AAA rounds struck the aircraft in the
tail. A crew of 14 were aboard that
night, 6 Officers and 8 Enlisted.
The
aircraft shuddered violently when it was struck, but it
was flyable as they headed to Ubon with an
F-4 escort
above.
 After landing
safely and shutting down, everyone had a look at the
damage inflicted by the 37 MM round that hit then.
Here's a Mar. 27, '69 photo of Maj. Charlie Spicka taking
a closer look.
This
was the third hit by AAA fire Charlie got while flying
in the month of March 1969. The 16th SOS Commander told
Charlie to go to Bangkok for a three day R&R as the joke
in the squadron was that Charlie couldn't
get a crew together. Some even referred to Charlie as
"Old Magnet Ass".
Charlie completed his one year combat tour in October
1969 and he was posted to the Pentagon as the Air Staff
Point-of-Contact for Gunship Operations in AF/XOOSO,
Special Ops.
Charlie successfully found funding for modification of
the Gunship fleet with new sensors and improved armament
to include the 40 MM Bofors Cannon and 105 MM Howitzer.
In 1971, Charlie suggested a buy of more Fixed-wing
Gunships. The USAF finally agreed to modify eleven
-130E aircraft with the upgraded AC-130 Spectre Gunship
configuration.
Charlie Spicka departed the Pentagon in July 1973 for a
tour in the UK. Charlie retired as an 0-6 at USAFE
Hqtrs. in 1984 and he now lives in Oceanside, Calif.
with his wife, Carole.
Finally, AF Fixed-wing Gunships starting with AC-47
Spooky's, the AC-119G Shadow, the AC-119K Stinger and
AC-130A/E/H Spectres made a significant contribution to
the US war effort in Vietnam. The AC-130H and AC-13U
Gunships have served with distinction in both Iraq and
in Afghanistan. AF Gunships contributed significantly to
USAF Airpower for over 40 years.
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IRAQ and the AC-130 Article
(Published with Permission
from Author: Maj Robert J. Seifert and WSTIAC Quarterly)
15TH
Anniversary of Jockey 14 Crash off the Kenyon Coast. Click to go
to page.
"we
will never forget our comrades"!
"Friends of the First Lady" (AC-130A 129) Reunion April 25, 2009 Eglin
Armament Museum Click for info
Looking
for Battle of An Loc Crew Members Spectre 05/14 Click Here AND
"SS
Mayaguez" Spectre Veterans Click here
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THE STORE IS
OPEN
NEW!!! Clearance Items are available in
limited quantities
Now you can get all the Spectre Merchandise
Goodies, we are now set up on PayPal to take your major credit cards and PayPal payments
directly. You DO NOT have to have a PayPal account to use your credit
cards to make payments on this site. We also now have the
capability to take in your donations via PayPal as well.
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SPECTRE PRIDE
 Send
in your Photos wearing Spectre Items all over the world. We have a
page dedicated to you showing your Spectre Pride. Got the idea
from the Steeler's Terrible Towel photos across world shown all over the
Internet so send in those Pics! |
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Battle of
An Loc
Veterans (Crew Members): The FAC who was involved with the Battle
of An Loc in early April of 1972 is looking to contact crew members from
SPECTRE who were part of the support package. Specifically, he is
attempting to contact the Pilots/FCO/NAV of Spectre 05 and Spectre 14 on
the 7th of April 1972 missions. He is also looking for any audio
tapes members may have. You can contact him through the following
web site:
http://www.anloc.org/
Thanks! |
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"SS
Mayaguez" Spectre Veterans:
I've been involved with a group of veterans
(primarily Marines) who have organized to commemorate and honor those
involved in the rescue and recovery of the SS Mayaguez and its crew in
1975. They have adopted the name "Koh Tang Beach Club" after the
Cambodian island where hostilities primarily occurred.
To date, I'm the only Spectre type who has
participated in their reunions. The next one is scheduled to commemorate
the 35th anniversary of the event in May 2010. They have asked my help
in identifying other Spectre personnel who participated for the purposes
of inviting them to the next reunion.
Words cannot explain the degree of gratitude these
men felt for the air cover provided by the USAF and especially Spectre.
Many have told me that they would almost certainly have been overrun
without it.
Please contact me with details. Thank you,
draatz1@cox.net
Don Raatz, Low Light TV Operator, 16th SOS, 1975 |
Flying
squadron's first female commander has "skills, poise and guts"
 1st Female Gunship
Commander!!!
Lt. Col. Brenda Cartier becomes then
first woman to command an
Air Force Special Operations flying squadron
Click above text to
go to story below
Lt. Col. Brenda
Cartier becomes then
first woman to command an Air Force Special Operations flying squadron
(Courtesy of Air Force Times)
 
Lt. Col. Brenda Cartier became the
first female to command an Air Force Special Operations Command flying
squadron Feb. 20 when she took command of the 4th Special Operations
Squadron Ghostriders.
Cartier’s ascension comes 16 years
after the Air Force first allowed women to fly combat missions and four
and a half years after Lt. Col. Martha McSally became the first female
to command an Air Force combat flying squadron.
Despite the time lapse, the AC-130U
Spooky II fire control officer said AFSOC is “right on time” for having
a female command a flying squadron and is pleased “the gender issue is
becoming less and less highlighted.”
Cartier said she was one of many
female junior officers to cross-train into combat aircraft after the Air
Force lifted the ban in 1993 and expects to see more Air Force women
taking command positions soon.
“To get to this point it takes a
long time,” she said. “AFSOC is careful about developing its leadership
and this is a culmination of that.”
Cartier graduated from
undergraduate navigation training the same year women started flying
combat missions, but missed the cut by a couple of months. She navigated
E-3 AWACS her first four years, which included deployments to Turkey and
Saudi Arabia.
She transferred to AC-130Us in 1997
and has since logged over 4,000 flying hours aboard the gunship. Cartier
has deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan and flew aboard one of
the first AC-130Us to cross the Iraq border, providing cover fire for
special operations teams during the invasion.
However, a mission that stands out
for Cartier is one when she never fired a shot. She was the fire control
officer on one of two AC-130Us that flew over the special operations
team that rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the soldier captured by Iraq
forces in 2003.
“Fire control officers like to
shoot — but that night we didn’t have to shoot because the operation
went so well and I was pretty happy about it,” Cartier said.
Cartier assumed command from her
boss, Lt. Col. Jim Rodriquez, during a ceremony in Commando Hangar at
Hurlburt Field, Fla. She had served as the squadron’s operations officer
since 2007, which is the same year AFSOC named the Ghostriders the
command’s top flying squadron.
In June, the Air Force awarded
three 4th SOS airmen Distinguished Flying Crosses for a September 2007
mission in Iraq during which the Spooky II crew protected a Navy SEAL
team from an insurgent attack.
“There is no doubt Brenda Cartier
is the perfect officer to lead the 4th SOS into the future,” Col Dennis
Pannell, 1st Special Operations Group commander, said during the
ceremony. “She has the skill, poise and guts to take this squadron to
the next level. |
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 Way to go Brad!
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula (left), deputy chief of staff for
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the Pentagon, passes
the Guidon to
Maj. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold
(former SPECTRE NAV) during the Air Force ISR Agency change of command
ceremony held Feb. 11 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. |
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 Let us never forget...Anniversary of
Call sign
Spirit 03 Loss
Lost to a SAM near the border town of Khafji 50 miles south of Kuwait
City
31 Jan. 1991.
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WAR
STORIES! (or even Hootch Stories)...send them in and we
will make up a special page for them to share the
memories! |
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Welcome to our new Website look and feel!
As Always PLEASE Keep checking the "What's New" on
the menu for
new additions to the site!
We have worked hard to develop a new menu system located
on the left of each page to assist you
finding your way around the website.
It is clean and mean like a brand new airframe
(we hear even a Navigator can't
get lost using it)!
If you want to return to the main page at any time, click the large banner on
top of all pages...How easy is that?
Try it out and let us know what you think! |
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2008 Annual Reunion
was AWESOME!
 AWESOME
2008 REUNION!
SPOTLIGHT IS POSTED!!!
PHOTOS
ARE UP!
The
40th anniversary of the gunship
Details for the 2008 Annual Spectre Reunion
October 8-13, 2008
PHOTOS
ARE UP!!!
October 8-13, 2008
Check the
page for updated info.
Last but not
least, we would like to extend a HUGE "THANK YOU"
to last year's
Sponsors
CORPORATE MAJOR SPONSORS:
GOLF TOURNEY GIFT SPONSORS:
2008 Reunion Sponsorship information
Click
here for a pdf requesting support and
sponsorship
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1st
Spectre Qualified/Special Operator
USAF Chief of Staff!
General Schwartz
assumes command of Air Force!
 General Schwartz
began his Air Force career in 1973
after graduating from the U.S. Air
Force Academy with a bachelor's
degree in political science and
international affairs. During his
35-year career, he has logged more
than 4,400 flying hours in a variety
of aircraft and participated in war
and peacetime operations in Vietnam,
Iraq and Cambodia.
He served in several other command
assignments, including Special
Operations Command Pacific, Alaskan
Command, Alaskan North American
Aerospace Defense Command Region,
and 11th Air Force. He also served
as director of the Joint Staff at
the Pentagon.
 Many of us personally worked and
flew with "Norty" on Spectre and can
attest he is the "Best of the Best"
General Officer, Leader, and Friend.
"Norty" was always truly friend of
the Enlisted and Officer alike and
often came to his Senior Enlisted to
get a true "pulse" of the feeling of
the men and women at Hurlburt.
We all congratulate him and his wife
Suzie and wish him the best as he
leads the entire Air Force! We
are in Great hands with "Norty"
on the controls!
Gen Norton Schwartz
Bio |
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More 16 SOS News...
Cannon-aide:
The Air Force signed the movement directive May 12
that formally authorizes the relocation of the 16th
Special Operations Squadron and its eight
AC130Hgunships from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to Cannon
AFB, N.M, Air Force Special Operations Command
announced May 15. The 16th SOS, formerly a part of
Hurlburt's 1st Special Operations Wing, will
transfer to the 27th SOW at Cannon, AFSOC's western
hub since October 2007. The command anticipates the
move of the gunships and associated aircrews and
support personnel to be complete by November 2009,
with an initial cadre moving this summer and the
majority of the squadron in April 2009, AFSOC said.
The transfer will involve approximately 600
positions. Members of the New Mexico Congressional
delegation welcomed the news--which they got wind of
prior to the public announcement--in a joint
statement May 14.
 I
was on the af.mil site and found a NEW 16 SOS Patch.
Here is the official description:
16th Special Operations Squadron
Emblem significance: Ultramarine blue and Air Force
yellow are the Air Force colors. Blue alludes to the
sky, the primary theater of Air Force operations.
Yellow refers to the sun and the excellence required
of Air Force personnel.
The Spectre has been a
symbol of the 16th Special Operations Squadron and
the AC-130 gunship since inception in the late
1960's. The Spectre appearing at night in
a "covert" manner represents the unit's special
operations mission. It also represents the
unit's gunship nighttime mission, to attack quickly
and precisely and then vanish; much like the
phantoms of folklore do. The unit's motto "Spectre"
represents the nickname of the aircraft the squadron
has flown since the Vietnam War and the "Spectre"
symbol.
-PJ Click on the patch to open a larger
version. |
