160th

Special Operations Aviation Regiment

Historical Handbook

Standard Reduced

USASOC
HISTORY

USASOC HISTORY
USASOC HISTORY

Inverse B/W B/W

- for use on black/dark backgrounds - for use on grayscale products

USASOC HISTORY

Proposed AOHS Logo

Contents
1 ARSOA Timeline, PART I: 1903–1979

25 ARSOA Timeline, PART II: 1980–2015

49 ARSOA Insignia

55 Night Stalker Creed

57 Night Stalker Training & Qualifications

65 ARSOA Organizational Evolution

71 Select Biographical Sketches

83 Acronyms

89 Further Reading
1 160th SOAR
Historical
Timeline
Part I

ARSOA Timeline 2
 U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation

TIMELINE / PART I
Part I of the Army Special Operations Aviation (SOA)
timeline begins in 1903 with the Wright brothers’ first
successful flight, and ends in 1979 with the onset of
the Iran Hostage Crisis. During this highly formative
period, the U.S. Army went from having no fixed- or
rotary-wing aviation capability to adopting both
platforms; to increasingly ‘divorcing’ itself from
fixed-wing aviation with the creation of a separate
U.S. Air Force; to being able to rapidly transport large
combat formations to the battlefield via helicopters.
This evolution stemmed from refinements in aviation
doctrine and organizations, as well as from significant
improvements in airframes and aviation technology,
from the Army’s first dedicated helicopter, the Sikorsky
XR-4 Hoverfly, in 1942, to the UH-60A Black Hawk in
the late 1970s.
This period also witnessed the advancement of U.S.
Army special operations forces (SOF). Milestones
included the revival and deployment of psychological
warfare (psywar) and Ranger units during the Korean
War; the establishment of the Psywar Center in 1952 to
command and train psywar and Special Forces units;
the 1952 activation of the 10th Special Forces Group
(SFG) to conduct UW, followed by additional SFGs; and
the 1974 resurrection of Ranger battalions. U.S. Army
aviation and SOF paths increasingly converged during
the Cold War. This was evidenced by the establishment
of aviation units in the Special Warfare Center and the
SFGs, as well as aviation support to combined forces
in Southeast Asia. However, the need for a permanent,
dedicated U.S. Army SOA unit would not be fully
realized until tragedy struck in the desert of Iran in
April 1980, the starting point for Part II of the Army
SOA timeline.

3 160th SOAR
 LEGEND
Army Special Operations Aviation/160th SOAR
Special Operations Forces
Armed Forces Aviation
Armed Forces
National/World Event

Wright brothers’ first flight, 1903

ORIGINS OF U.S. ARMY FIXED- AND

ROTARY-WING AVIATION

1903, December 17 The Wright brothers make the first

successful airplane flight near Kitty Hawk, NC.

1907, August 1 U.S. Army Signal Corps Aeronautical

Division is established.

1908, May 19Signal Corps Lieutenant (LT) Thomas E.

Selfridge becomes the first soldier to fly an airplane.

ARSOA Timeline 4
1909, July 27 First official Army test flight. Orville Wright
(pilot) and Army LT Frank P. Lahm (observer) fly the 1909
Military Flyer near Fort Myer, VA; after a second test flight
on 30 July, Army buys its first airplane for $30,000.

1914, July 18U.S. Congress creates an Aviation Section

in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

1917, April 6 U.S. Congress declares war on Germany,

entering World War I.

1918, May 24 U.S. Army Air Service is organized.

1918, November 11 Armistice ends hostilities of World War I.

1921, July 21Aircraft bombers sink the battleship

Ostfriesland during a staged offshore exercise. Brigadier
General (BG) William L. Mitchell uses this event and
similar others to proselytize air power.

1926, July 2 U.S. Army Air Service becomes the U.S. Army
Air Corps.

1932, June U.S. Marine Corps field tests the Pitcairn OP

autogyro aircraft in Nicaragua, but soon rejects it due to
poor range and weight capacity.

1935 U.S. Army purchases seven Kellett KD-1 autogyro

aircraft for evaluation purposes.

1938, January War Department expands rotary-wing

research and development beyond autogyro aircraft
to helicopters.

1939, September 14 Igor I. Sikorsky test flies his single

rotor VS-300 helicopter for the first time, in Stratford, CT.
Army aviation pioneer BG William L. Mitchell
Pitcairn OP-1 autogyro aircraft / Kellet KD-1 autogyro aircraft
Sikorsky flies the VS-300

5 160th SOAR
ARSOA Timeline 6
 NEW AGENCIES, NEW HELICOPTERS, NEW
TACTICS: AVIATION DURING WORLD WAR II

1941, June 1 U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) is created

by merging the U.S. Army Air Corps and the Air Force
Combat Command.

1941, December 7 Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor.

U.S. Congress declares war the next day (WWII).

1942, May 30Sikorsky XR-4 Hoverfly helicopter is

accepted by the USAAF; Army contracts for fifteen
YR-4A helicopters in December. This marks a shift from
autogyros to helicopter development.

1942, June 6 Army Aviation ‘Birthday’ tied to the

creation of the Department of Air Training at the
Field Artillery School.

1943, May 6 In an R-4 Hoverfly, USAAF Captain H. Franklin

Gregory makes the first helicopter ship landing on the SS
Bunker Hill in Long Island Sound, NY. A U.S. Navy (USN)
Pitcairn OP autogyro did this in 1932.

1944, April 21–27 First helicopter combat rescue and

medical evacuation in history. USAAF Second Lieutenant
(2LT) Carter Harman, 1st Air Commando, flies an R-4A from
India to rescue three wounded British Chindits and a U.S.
L-1 pilot shot down in Burma.

R-4 Hoverfly

7 160th SOAR
 R-6 Hoverfly II

1944 USN Landing Ship, Tank (LST) is converted into

a USAAF Aviation Depot Maintenance vessel to follow
USAAF squadrons supporting the U.S. ‘island hopping’
campaign to Japan (Operation IVORY SOAP). While
shuttling fixed wing repair parts to forward island bases,
the R-4 and new Sikorsky R-6A Hoverfly II are diverted to
fly combat medevac missions in the Philippines.

1944, July 12USAAF Helicopter Pilot school opens at

Freeman Field, Seymour, IN. Cadre is trained at Sikorsky
Aircraft plant in Stratford, CT.

1945, May 8 Victory in Europe (V-E Day).

Emperor Hirohito declares end to fighting

1945, August 15
after USAAF drops Atomic bombs on Hiroshima (6 August)
and Nagasaki (9 August). Japan formally surrenders
2 September 1945. U.S. military helicopters coming out
of WWII include the R-4, R-5 (later H-5), and R-6 models.

1947, July 26President Harry S. Truman signs the National

Security Act of 1947. This act separates the U.S. Air Force
from the U.S. Army. The NSA and its later amendments
transform the War Department into the Defense
Department with separate service departments and staffs.
ARSOA Timeline 8
9 160th SOAR
 1948, June 24–1949, May 12 USAF-led Berlin Airlift begins.
It marks the beginning of the Cold War between the
U.S. and Western democracies and the Soviet Union
and their Communist allies. The U.S. adopts a Cold
War policy of ‘containment’ to prevent the spread of
Communism worldwide.

1948, June 11 USAF Regulation 65-60 establishes prefix

letter codes by aircraft type. Fighters = ‘F’; Bombers = ‘B’;
Reconnaissance = ‘R’ before ‘F’ or ‘B’ aircraft; Cargo = ‘C’;
and Helicopters = ‘H’, which the Army adopts for
its helicopters.

THE KOREAN WAR: HELICOPTERS COME

INTO THEIR OWN

1950, June 25 Communist North Korea invades South

Korea, beginning the Korean War. Truman commits the
U.S. military in support of the United Nations Security
Council without a formal congressional declaration of war.

1950, November 22 2nd Helicopter Detachment, Eighth

U.S. Army (EUSA), arrives in Korea with four H-13B
Sioux helicopters. Four Army helicopter ambulance
detachments serve in Korea; in December 1952 they
become the 1st Helicopter Ambulance Company,
deactivated on 27 July 1953. H-13s will transport over
18,000 casualties by the end of the war.

1951, January 3 First Army helicopter medical evacuation

in Korea. First Lieutenant (1LT) Willis G. Strawn and
1LT Joseph L. Bowler fly the mission.

EUSA creates a guerrilla command.

1951, January 15
Popularly known as ‘8240th Army Unit,’ this command
USAF and USN WWII–era H-5 helicopters performed the vast majority of
rotary wing missions in Korea during the first year of the war.
H-13 Sioux

ARSOA Timeline 10
organizes, trains, and directs Korean guerrillas in support
of UN war aims. It is supported by helicopters from all
services.

1951, February The first Hiller H-23 Raven helicopters

arrive in Korea. Although fewer in number than the H-13,
they prove critical to the medevac role, as does the
Sikorsky H-5.

1951, March 23 USAF Sikorsky H-5s perform medevacs for

the 187th ARCT and 1st and 2nd Ranger Infantry Company
during Operation TOMAHAWK at Munsan-ni, South
Korea. USAF and USN H-5s continue to conduct downed
aircrew recoveries, medevacs, and rescues of special
operations teams.

1953, March 20 H-19 Chickasaws from the

6th Transportation Company perform the Army’s first
helicopter cargo and troop transport mission in Korea,
in support of 3rd Infantry Division.

1953, July 27Armistice signed, ending active fighting

in Korea. U.S. military helicopters coming out of Korea
include the H-13, H-19, and H-23 models.

U.S. ARMY ROTARY-WING AVIATION

MATURES, 1950s–1960s

1954, March 8 The CH-34 Choctaw utility helicopter debuts

at Sikorsky in Stratford.

1954, August The U.S. Army receives its first H-21C

Shawnee helicopters. An effective troop and equipment
transport platform, the two-rotor Shawnee ‘flying banana’
is also tested for use as a gunship.
H-23 Raven
H-19 Chickasaw
H-34 Choctaw

11 160th SOAR
ARSOA Timeline 12
13 160th SOAR
 1954, November 1 Army Aviation School moves from Fort
Sill, OK, to Fort Rucker, AL.

1955, February 1 U.S. Army Aviation Center is established

at Fort Rucker.

1955, February 23 The Army picks Bell Helicopter to build

its first turbine-powered helicopter. The winning design,
the XH-40, will become the HU-1 (later UH-1) Iroquois,
better known as the Huey.

1956, Summer The Army procures the Sikorsky CH-37

Mojave medium-cargo helicopter. It is later made
obsolete by the CH-47 Chinook, still one of the three
main airframes of the 160th Special Operations Aviation
Regiment (SOAR).

1956, June Aviation Center begins assembling and

testing weapons on helicopters. Heading this effort is
COL Jay D. Vanderpool, former WWII and Korean War
guerrilla leader, now serving in the school’s Combat
Development Office.

1956, August 23–24 An Army crew flies a modified H-21

Shawnee in the first non-stop helicopter flight across
the U.S. It requires six aerial refuelings.

1956, October 26A Bell pilot makes the first flight of the
Bell XH-40 at Fort Worth, TX. Later re-designated the
UH-1, the Huey will be one of the most significant
helicopters of all time.

1957, July 13 Dwight D. Eisenhower is the first President

to fly in a helicopter from the White House lawn (UH-13J).

Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave

Guerrilla leader and aviation developer COL Jay D. Vanderpool
H-21 Shawnee

ARSOA Timeline 14
 1959, April 14 The prototype YAO-1AF aircraft makes its
first flight. The Army orders this short takeoff and landing
(STOL) aircraft as the OV-1 Mohawk in 1960. Other STOL
aircraft during this period include the U1-A Otter, the U-6A
Beaver, and the U-10A Helio Courier (which later supports
the SWCS Flight Detachment at Fort Bragg).

1960, February 29 The Army Aircraft Requirements Review

Board convenes at Fort Monroe, VA. The board makes
recommendations regarding the use of observational,
surveillance, and transport aircraft, paving the way for
further research and investment in Army aviation.

AIRMOBILITY, AVIATION SUPPORT TO

SPECIAL WARFARE, AND ROTARY-WING
ACHIEVEMENTS DURING VIETNAM

1961, August 21An experimental model (later CV-2 and

C-7) Caribou lands in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam (RVN),
introducing Army aviation into the conflict. The STOL
Caribou specializes in resupplying Special Forces (SF)
outposts inaccessible by road.

1961, September 21 The Boeing Vertol YCH-1B makes its

initial flight. The Army adopts this aircraft the following
year as the CH-47 Chinook.

CV-2 (later C-7) Caribou

15 160th SOAR
 U1-A Otter, example of a STOL aircraft

1961, December 11 The first U.S. Army H-21C Shawnees

deploy to Vietnam in support of Army of the Republic of
Vietnam (ARVN) forces. Designed for cold weather, slow
in speed, and with critical mechanical elements exposed,
the Shawnees are later phased out by UH-1 and CH-47
helicopters.

1962, January 8Special Warfare Board meets at Fort

Bragg, NC, at the request of Continental Army Command
(CONARC). Chaired by Lieutenant General (LTG) Hamilton
H. Howze, Commanding General (CG), XVIII Airborne
Corps, it recommends aviation detachments for the SFGs
and the formation of the 22nd and 23rd Special Warfare
Aviation Detachments (SWADs).

1962, January 12 Operation CHOPPER in Vietnam. U.S. Army

H-21 helicopters airlift 1,000 ARVN paratroopers against
enemy forces near Saigon. It demonstrates the potential
of airmobility in COIN.

1962, March 21 22nd SWAD is activated at the U.S. Army

Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg to
evaluate the use of rotary-wing and STOL aircraft in
support of Special Warfare.
ARSOA Timeline 16
LTG Hamilton H. Howze
OV-1 Mohawk

1962, April 19 Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara

directs the forming of another board led by LTG Howze to
develop new air mobility concepts. This will become the
Tactical Mobility Requirements Board.

1962, May 3Airmobility concept is born. The second

‘Howze Board’ (Tactical Mobility Requirements Board)
begins developing, testing, and evaluating the airmobility
concept (using helicopters for transport and fire support).

1962, May 9 The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane twin-engine

heavy lift helicopter debuts at Stratford, CT. The later
military variant is the Army CH-54 Tarhe.

1962, August 20 Final Report of the Howze Board.

Recommendations include the creation of an air assault
division with four times the standard divisional allotment
of 100 aircraft, allowing one-third of its assault elements
to be airlifted into combat.

17 160th SOAR
1962, September 23rd SWAD deploys to Vietnam. Activated
in July 1962, the 23rd SWAD uses armed OV-1 Mohawks to
provide aerial surveillance support to ARVN units.

1963, February In accordance with the Howze Board,

the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) is activated at Fort
Benning, GA, to test airmobility and develop Tactics,
Techniques, and Procedures. The final report is submitted
in December 1964.

1963, June The U.S. Army orders its first Sikorsky CH-54
Tarhe (Skycrane) helicopters. Capable of lifting more
than 40,000 pounds, it is the heaviest lift helicopter ever
produced for U.S. military.

1963, December 3 22nd SWAD is deactivated. Most

personnel and equipment are transferred to Company F
(Aviation), 7th SFG, which becomes the Aviation Flight
Detachment of the Special Warfare Center.

1964, June 1 U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and

School at Fort Bragg is re-designated as the U.S. Army
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School
(USAJFKSWCS) in honor of the deceased 35th President.

CH-54 Tarhe

ARSOA Timeline 18
Huey in the Battle of Ia Drang

1964, August 10 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed in

response to a naval incident off the Vietnamese coast,
empowering President Lyndon B. Johnson to increase
U.S. military involvement in that conflict. U.S. troop levels
in Vietnam reach 200,000 in 1965.

1965, July 1 The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) is filled

out by 11th Air Assault Division and 2nd Infantry Division
elements. 1st Cavalry units deploy to RVN and validate
airmobility via UH-1s in the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in
November. (The deployment of a CH-47 battalion organic
to the 1st Cavalry Division represents the introduction of
that airframe into Vietnam.)

1965, September 7 The first AH-1 Cobra takes flight and

soon goes into full production. The Army uses it in
Vietnam for fire support to ground forces and escorting
transport helicopters.

1965, October 21 129th Aviation Company begins

support of U.S. forces in RVN, including 5th SFG,
with lift and gunships.

19 160th SOAR
 Contractor and military pilots set
1966, March 12–Apr. 7
records for distance, speed, and altitude in the Hughes
YOH-6A Cayuse, the preproduction model of the Army’s
new light observation helicopter. This helicopter is later
modified as the AH-6/MH-6 Little Bird, one of the three
primary airframes in the 160th SOAR.

1966, April 6 The U.S. Army and USAF Chiefs of Staff

agree that the Army would relinquish claims to the
C-7 Caribou and subsequent fixed-wing air assets
performing tactical airlift.

1966, June 9 The 281st

Assault Helicopter
Company begins
supporting the 5th SFG
in Vietnam. The 281st
provides UH-1 support
until the 5th SFG leaves
Vietnam in March 1971.

281st Assault Helicopter Company

Headquarters Sign, Vietnam
AH-1 Cobra
YOH-6A Cayuse

ARSOA Timeline 20
CH-47 Chinook
Operation IVORY COAST, commonly known as the Son Tay Raid

1966–1968 Four test CH-47A Chinook gunships nicknamed

‘Guns-A Go-Go’ serve in Vietnam. Their legacy becomes
inspiration for 4/160th.

1968, November 26 Piloting a USAF UH-1 Huey, part of

a five-ship Green Hornet flight, 1LT James P. Fleming
rescues an SF team surrounded near Duc Co, RVN. He is
awarded the Medal of Honor.

21 160th SOAR
 A UH-1 Huey offloads Vietnamese civilians on the USS Okinawa as part of
Operation FREQUENT WIND, April 1975.

1970, November 21 Operation IVORY COAST. A special JTF

makes a daring but fruitless attempt to rescue U.S. POWs
reportedly held at Son Tay near Hanoi.

1973, January 27Paris Peace Accords are signed,

effectively ending the conflict in Vietnam. The
Communists capture Saigon two years later. Operation
FREQUENT WIND in April 1975 evacuates some 7,000
U.S. and RVN personnel. It is the largest single helicopter
evacuation in history.

THE POST-VIETNAM ARMY AND THE START

OF THE IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS

Post-Vietnam U.S. Army helicopters coming out of Vietnam

include the UH-1, OH-6, CH-47, AH-1, and CH-54 models.
The Army’s main airmobility capability resides in the 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault).

ARSOA Timeline 22
UH-60A Black Hawk

1974, October 17The UH-60A Black Hawk twin-engine,

medium-lift utility helicopter is flown for the first time at
Sikorsky in Stratford.

1975, September 30 The prototype Hughes YAH-64

helicopter makes its first flight. It takes seven years for
the AH-64 Apache to go into full production.

1979, April 1 The first UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

arrives at Fort Rucker. The Black Hawk officially enters
Army service in June with the 101st Airborne Division
(Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, KY.

1979, November 4 U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, is seized by

Iranian students and Islamic fundamentalists. More than
50 Americans are taken hostage.

Iranians scale the wall into the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, on
4 November 1979, initiating the 444-day long Iran Hostage Crisis.

23 160th SOAR
ARSOA Timeline 24
25 160th SOAR
Historical
Timeline
Part II

ARSOA Timeline 26
 U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation

TIMELINE / PART II
Part II of the Army Special Operations Aviation (SOA)
timeline begins in 1980 with Operation EAGLE CLAW,
the failed U.S. hostage rescue attempt in Iran, and ends
with the current global fight against violent extremist
organizations (VEOs). As outlined in Part I, the U.S. Army
had made great strides in rotary-wing training, doctrine,
technology, and employment between the adoption
of its first helicopter in 1942 and the post-Vietnam era.
Special operations also made great progress during
that time (though it was largely divorced from Army
aviation). However, the failure of EAGLE CLAW in April
1980 revealed systemic problems in U.S. joint warfare
and special operations capabilities, to include aviation
support to Special Operations Forces (SOF). As part of
HONEY BADGER, the joint program to prepare forces
for another rescue attempt, the U.S. Army formed two
ad hoc aviation task forces (TFs) in the 101st Airborne
Division at Fort Campbell, KY: TF 158 and TF 160. While
no other rescue attempt would be executed because the
hostages were released in January 1981, the seed for
the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)
‘Night Stalkers’ had been planted.
Provisionally activated on 15 August 1981, the
160th Aviation Battalion (still called TF 160) broke with
conventional aviation force structure, doctrine, and
training models. The early 1980s were characterized
by intensive, innovative training with new technology
and tactics, almost all at night. It was a dangerous
and costly time, but the TF proved its value in Grenada
(URGENT FURY, 1983), the Persian Gulf (PRIME CHANCE,
1987-1989 and DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, 1990-
1991), Panama (JUST CAUSE, 1989-1990), and Somalia
(GOTHIC SERPENT, 1993-1994). It performed notable
aviation feats, such as the long-distance recovery of

27 160th SOAR
a Soviet Mi-24 Hind helicopter from northern Chad
(MOUNT HOPE III, 1988); attack and Combat Search
and Rescue missions under night vision goggles
during Operations PRIME CHANCE and DESERT STORM;
and non-combatant evacuations in Monrovia, Liberia
(ASSURED RESPONSE, 1996). Constantly deployed
since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American soil,
the 160th SOAR continues the fight against VEOs,
including the employment of offensive Unmanned
Aircraft Systems/MQ-1C Gray Eagles against the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Operation
INHERENT RESOLVE.
The SOAR’s battlefield supremacy stems from
a continual process of self-evaluation and internal
improvements. Expanding from a single battalion
in 1981 to a full regimental headquarters with four
line battalions by 2007, the 160th SOAR organization
evolved to keep pace with an increasing operational
tempo and mission requirements. The 2011 activation
of the one-star U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation
Command (USASOAC) enabled the 160th SOAR
to focus on training and warfighting. Assigned to
USASOAC, the Special Operations Aviation Training
Battalion (SOATB) represents consummate growth
and improvements in SOA training since ‘Green
Platoon’ began in 1985. Throughout the life of
the regiment and now USASOAC, the Systems
Integration Management Office (SIMO) remains
dedicated to aircraft and systems modernization and
standardization, giving the 160th SOAR a competitive
edge. These are a few examples of SOA evolution,
adaptability, and innovation that have made the
160th SOAR the nation’s premier SOF aviation unit.
For more than 35 years, the 160th has proven time
and again that “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!”

ARSOA Timeline 28
 LEGEND
Army Special Operations Aviation/160th SOAR
Special Operations Forces
Armed Forces Aviation
Armed Forces
National/World Event

OPERATION EAGLE CLAW AND THE

BIRTH OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL
OPERATIONS AVIATION

1980, April 25 Operation EAGLE CLAW, the U.S.

hostage rescue attempt in Iran, fails due to Navy
RH-53 mechanical difficulties and the collision of one
helicopter with a USAF HC-130. HONEY BADGER, a joint
program for R&D and operational planning for another
attempt, begins. Joint planning and research continues
even after Iran releases the hostages in January 1981.

1980, August 23 The unclassified report of the JCS-

sanctioned Special Operations Review Group, the
Holloway Commission, is released. The commission
identifies 23 reasons for EAGLE CLAW’s failure, and its
recommendations influence the creation of a dedicated
special operations aviation unit and the Joint Special
Aftermath of Operation EAGLE CLAW

29 160th SOAR
Operations Command (JSOC). It also leads to the
Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization
Act of 1986.

1981, August 15 FORSCOM provisionally activates the 160th

Aviation Battalion at Fort Campbell, KY. The 160th follows
in the footsteps of two former aviation task forces (TFs 158
and 160) that had been assembled from companies of the
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) for HONEY BADGER.

1981, October 16101st Airborne Division units are attached

to the 160th Aviation Battalion. The CG, 101st Airborne
Division, attaches Company C, 158th Aviation Battalion
(UH-60); Company A, 159th Aviation Battalion (CH-47);
and Company C, 101st Aviation Battalion (UH-60), to the
understrength 160th.

1982, March 5 The 160th Aviation Battalion Distinctive

Unit Insignia is approved by the U.S. Army Institute
of Heraldry.
Original 160th DUI design

ARSOA Timeline 30
 1982, April 1 160th Aviation Battalion (still called TF 160)
is formally activated at Fort Campbell. Assigned to the
101st Airborne Division, it soon has an HHC and Companies
A (MH-6), B (AH-6), and C (Aviation Intermediate
Maintenance [AVIM]), with attached Companies C/
101st Aviation, C/158th Aviation, and A/159th Aviation.

A ROUGH START: THE EARLY YEARS

OF TF160 AND JOINT SOF

1982, May 1 Company D (-), 149th Aviation Battalion,

Oklahoma Army National Guard, is re-designated
45th Aviation Battalion (Light Helicopter Combat). Its
mission is to support SOF. Later, it becomes 1/245th Aviation
(Special Operations), which ‘rounds-out’ the 160th with
A/MH-6 Little Birds, UH-1 Hueys, and UH-60 Black Hawks.

1982, July 1General John W. Vessey, Jr. is the first Army

Aviator to be named the Chairman of the JCS.

1982, October 1 1st Special Operations Command

(Airborne) (Provisional) is activated at Fort Bragg, NC.
It controls U.S. Army Special Forces (SF), Rangers,
Psychological Operations (PSYOP), and Civil Affairs units.
In 1985, the 160th transfers to 1st SOCOM,
making it the Army’s first SOA unit.

245th Aviation Regiment DUI

1st SOCOM SSI

31 160th SOAR
 MH-47D Chinook

1983, March–October TF 160 training accidents cost four

aircraft and sixteen lives. In response, the Army convenes
a ‘Blue Ribbon Panel,’ which concludes that conventional
training models do not fit the 160th; pilots need specialized
training before assignment to SOAR companies. In 1985,
this concept becomes reality as ‘Green Platoon’ training.

1983, April 12 U.S. Army officially establishes the

Aviation Branch.

1983, September Bearing the ‘M’ designator for SOA

aircraft, MH-47Ds replace CH-47 ‘Super C’s’ from the
159th Aviation Battalion. Upgrades include avionics,
forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR), and three internal
800-gallon fuel tanks. Three years later, aerial
refuel probes are added.

Operation URGENT FURY

1983, October 23–1983 November 21
in Grenada safeguards the lives of American medical
students, deposes the dictatorship, eliminates Cuban
influence, and promotes free elections. 160th support

ARSOA Timeline 32
Little Bird support to Operation URGENT FURY

includes the assault on the Richmond Hill Prison, rescue

of the Governor-General, and evacuation of U.S. citizens.

Joint Army-Air Force Initiative 17 assigns the

1984, May 22
Army primary responsibility for SOF rotary-wing support.

1985, January 16160th Aviation Battalion transfers from

the 101st Airborne Division to 1st SOCOM.

1986, October 1President Ronald W. Reagan signs

the Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense
Reorganization Act of 1986. The act improves the joint-
unified command structure. The Nunn-Cohen Amendment
leads to the establishment of a unified command for SOF,
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

After months on provisional status, 129th

1986, October 1
Special Operations Aviation Company (SOAC) is activated
at Hunter Army Airfield, GA. The 129th provides one Black
Hawk platoon to support USSOUTHCOM.

33 160th SOAR
 160th candidates attend ‘Green Platoon’

1986, October 16160th Special Operations Aviation Group

(SOAG) is activated at Fort Campbell. On paper, the 160th
Aviation Battalion and the 160th SOAG co-exist until 1990.

1987, March 26 Beret flash for the 160th SOAG is approved.

160th SOAG beret flash

ARSOA Timeline 34
 1987, April 16DOD activates USSOCOM at MacDill AFB, FL.
It provides unified command and control for SOF, and
will eventually consist of four service component
commands and one sub-unified command: U.S. Army
Special Operations Command (USASOC); Marine Special
Operations Command (MARSOC); Air Force Special
Operations Command (AFSOC); Navy Special Warfare
Command (NAVSPECWARCOM); and JSOC.

1987, June 1 Oklahoma Army National Guard

45th Aviation Battalion becomes 1st Battalion,
245th Aviation (Special Operations).

160TH COMES OF AGE:

OPERATION PRIME CHANCE
THROUGH OPERATION JUST CAUSE

Operation EARNEST WILL

1987, July 24–1990, August 1
protects friendly ships from Iranian attacks during the
Iran-Iraq War. The SOF mission is called PRIME CHANCE.
160th SOAG elements provide helicopter support and
neutralize enemy attacks on shipping.

Little Bird support to Operation PRIME CHANCE

35 160th SOAR
 617th Special Operations Aviation Detachment pocket patch

1987, September 21 First night combat engagement under

NVGs. Three 160th AH-6s attack and disable an Iranian
naval vessel laying sea mines.

1987, October 16 After a year on provisional status, the

617th Special Operations Aviation Detachment (SOAD) is
activated at Howard Air Force Base, Panama, to support
USSOUTHCOM. Built around the Black Hawk platoon from
the 129th SOAC located in Panama, the 617th relies on
the 160th for administration, logistics, and standardization
support. First assigned to FORSCOM, the 617th is later
assigned to U.S. Army, South (USARSO).

1987, November 24 USAJFKSWCS recommends that ‘Green

Platoon’ become a stand-alone training unit using
military and civilian IPs. Approved in concept, it takes
years to become a recognized requirement.

1988 The revised Army Aviation Modernization Plan

(AAMP) is approved and implemented. The AAMP calls
for a new MH-60K with aerial refueling capability, FLIR,
better communications, and a stronger engine. It also
calls for a new MH-47E with fiberglass rotor blades and
an improved drive system.

ARSOA Timeline 36
160th MH-47 extracts a Soviet Hind helicopter during Operation MOUNT HOPE III

1988, January 16160th Aviation Battalion is reorganized

into the 160th Aviation Regiment under the U.S. Army
Regimental System. The 160th consists of an HHC,
Company A (MH-6), Company B (AH-6), Company C
(UH-60), Company D (UH-60), Company E (CH-47), and
Company F (AVIM).

1988, April 18 160th elements support Operation PRAYING

MANTIS. It is a large-scale combat operation in retaliation
for the mine attack on the USS Samuel R. Roberts four
days earlier.

1988, June 11 Operation MOUNT HOPE III. MH-47s from

the 160th recover a Soviet Mi-24 Hind helicopter
from northern Chad.

1988, July Selection and Training (S&T) Detachment is

created. Still called ‘Green Platoon,’ S&T trains incoming
pilots to a common standard and soon begins training
incoming enlisted personnel.

37 160th SOAR
1988, December 1 USASOC is formed provisionally at Fort
Bragg, NC. On 1 December 1989, it is formally activated as
a Major Army Command and the Army Service Component
Command of USSOCOM. USASOC becomes the higher
headquarters of the 160th SOAR.

1989, September 16 3rd Battalion, 160th Aviation, is

constituted and activated at Hunter AAF, GA.
129th SOAC forms the nucleus of Company A, 3rd Battalion,
bringing Black Hawks into the new unit. The SFG flight
detachments are assigned to 3/160th. CH-47C Chinooks
will come from Army units.

1989, November The destruction of the Berlin Wall, a Cold

War symbol since 1961, begins. Communism declines in
the bloc countries and the Soviet Union.

1989, December 20–1990, January 31Operation JUST CAUSE

in Panama aims to depose dictator Manuel Noriega.
160th contributions include the establishment of FARPs,
the use of A/MH-6 Little Birds to rescue Kurt Muse from
Modelo Prison, and the MH-60 Black Hawk transfer of
the captured Noriega to Howard Air Force Base.
Night Stalkers display the Panamanian flag during Operation JUST CAUSE

ARSOA Timeline 38
 ARSOF AND 160TH AVIATION IN THE
POST-COLD WAR WORLD

1990, May 16 160th Aviation Regiment reorganizations and

re-designations. Company A becomes HHC, 1st Battalion;
Company B becomes HHC, 2nd Battalion; and Company C
is absorbed into HHC, 3rd Battalion.

1990, June 28 An administrative formality, the

160th Aviation Regiment combines with HHC, 160th SOAG,
to become a singular unit, the 160th Aviation Regiment.
This consolidates SOA assets under one command. The
160th SOAR is assigned to USASOC.

Operations DESERT SHIELD and

1990, August 2-1991, April 11
DESERT STORM aim to defend Saudi Arabia and liberate
Kuwait from Iraq. 3/160th executes a Combat Search
and Rescue (CSAR) mission under NVGs and extracts a
compromised SF ODA.

1990, August S&T Detachment begins the Civilian Mission

Instructor (CMI) program using former Night Stalker
pilots as contract trainers.

1990, September Some MH-60s are ‘up-gunned’ with

.50 caliber machineguns and 2.75” rockets to become
MH-60L Defensive Armed Penetrators (DAPs)

MH-60L Black Hawk Defensive Armed Penetrator (DAP)

39 160th SOAR
 160th MH-60 flies along the coast near Mogadishu, Somalia, 1993

1990, November 27 1st SOCOM is inactivated and replaced

by U.S. Army Special Forces Command (Airborne).

1992 Long-term process of fielding MH-60Ks, MH-47Es,

and MH-60Ls (DAPs) begins. 1/160th will receive the
MH-60Ks and DAPs; 2/160th will receive the MH-47Es; and
3/160th gets aerial refuelable MH-47Ds from 2/160th.

1992, September 11 S&T becomes the Special Operations

Aviation Training Co (SOATC) to reduce manpower and
resource strains on SOAR units.

1992, December 5–1995, March 31Operations RESTORE HOPE

and UNITED SHIELD support international humanitarian
assistance efforts in Somalia. 1/160th supports Operation
GOTHIC SERPENT, a SOF-led mission to capture Mohamed
Farrah Aidid and other key militant leaders in Mogadishu,
Somalia, from 22 August to 25 October 1993.

ARSOA Timeline 40
41 160th SOAR
 1994, September 1 After supporting ARSOF and TF 160 since
1982, 1/245th Aviation (Special Operations), Oklahoma
Army National Guard, is deactivated.

1994, September 16–1995, March 31 Operation UPHOLD

DEMOCRACY (Haiti) supports a peaceful transition to
democratically elected leadership. 160th aircraft stage
off the carrier USS America to support the invasion before
it changes to a peaceful entry in Haiti at the
last minute.

1995, June 15 The 617th SOAD is inactivated. The

following day, Company D, 160th SOAR, is activated
in Panama. Absorbing 617th assets and attached to
USARSO, Company D relocates to U.S. Naval Station,
Roosevelt Roads, Ceiba, Puerto Rico, four years later.

1995, November 20–1996, December 19 Operation JOINT

ENDEAVOR enforces the Dayton Peace Accords in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. 160th SOAR elements support
ARSOF and NATO forces in Bosnia.

1996, April 9–20 3/160th conducts non-combatant

evacuation operations (NEO) in Monrovia, Liberia,
as part of Operation ASSURED RESPONSE.

2001, March 16 Inactivated in 1993, Company E, 160th SOAR

(MH-47) is re-activated for service in Korea.

TIP OF THE SPEAR: THE 160TH SOAR

IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR

2001, September 11 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S prompt

a global counter-terrorist response, the Global War on
Terror (GWOT). The two major subsequent efforts are

160th MH-6 Little Birds staged off the coast of Haiti in support of
Operation UPHOLD DEMOCRACY
MH-47 support to Operation ASSURED RESPONSE

ARSOA Timeline 42
Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) in Afghanistan
and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) in Iraq. Other U.S./
coalition GWOT operations include OEF-Philippines,
OEF-Horn of Africa, and OEF-Trans-Sahara.

2001, September 29–November 30 LIBERATION OF

AFGHANISTAN campaign. On 16 October, 160th aircraft
insert TF DAGGER teams (5th SFG) so that they can link
up with Afghan Northern Alliance forces to combat the
Taliban regime. The SOAR also supports U.S. Army Ranger
missions during this time period.

2002, February 22 Eight Company E, 160th soldiers die

in a MH-47E crash in the southern Philippines while
supporting OEF-P.

2003, March 4 Battle of Takur Ghar. Two 2/160th MH-47Es

are shot down in combat on Takur Ghar mountain in
Afghanistan. One is later recovered.

2003, March 19–May 1 LIBERATION OF IRAQ campaign.

160th inserts SF ODAs into central and southern Iraq
for surveillance and reconnaissance. It also inserts and
provides fire support and casualty evacuation for U.S.
Army Rangers.

2003, April 1 Captured by Iraqi forces, Private First Class

Jessica D. Lynch is rescued by a SOF Task Force.
160th SOAR supports the TF.

2003, May 23 2/160th SOAR recovers an Iraqi Mi-17 Hip

from a date palm grove.

Company D, 160th SOAR transfers to

2003, August 31
Hunter AAF, GA.

MH-60 conducting night operations during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM

MH-47E Chinook downed by ground fire on Takur Ghar
PFC Jessica D. Lynch shortly after being rescued by U.S. forces

43 160th SOAR
ARSOA Timeline 44
MH-6M Little Bird
MH-47G Chinook

2003, December 13 Iraqi dictator-in-hiding Saddam

Hussein is captured by U.S. forces. He is later brought
to trial and executed.

2004, March Fielding of AH/MH-6Ms begins.

2004, May Fielding of MH-47Gs begins.

45 160th SOAR
 2004, September 16 Company F, 160th SOAR is activated
at Fort Campbell.

2007, July Company E, 160th SOAR is disbanded

in Korea. Personnel and equipment transfer to
Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), WA, to help
fill out the new 4th Battalion.

2007, October 16 Company D, 160th SOAR is reorganized

into HHC, 4/160th SOAR.

2010, August 31OIF in Iraq ends. Operation NEW DAWN

begins the next day.

2010, October 2 USASOC re-designates the SOATC as

the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion
(SOATB). The TDA battalion provides training for all
incoming personnel. It also provides continuing education
resources and publishes SOA Tactics, Techniques, and
Procedures manuals for the 160th.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral William H. McRaven pins Distinguished Flying Crosses on
160th enlisted soldiers for a dangerous mission conducted in Afghanistan in 2009

ARSOA Timeline 46
MH-60M Black Hawk

2011, February Fielding of MH-60Ms begins.

2011, March 25 U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation

Command (USASOAC) is provisionally created as a major
subordinate command of USASOC. The one-star command
enables the 160th SOAR Commanding Officer (RCO) to
focus on training and warfighting.

2011, May 2 Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is killed by

U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The 160th supports the
JTF NEPTUNE mission.

2011, June 6 After decades of informal usage, the Army

officially certifies ‘Night Stalkers’ as the distinctive
designation of the 160th SOAR.

2011, December 31 Operation NEW DAWN ends, drawing

U.S. military involvement in Iraq to a close.

2013, April 12 USASOAC Shoulder Sleeve Insignia and

Distinctive Unit Insignia is approved.

2013, May 29Ceremony at Simmons Army Airfield, NC,

marks the provisional activation of the USASOC Flight
Company (UFC). It provides rotary- and fixed-wing support
to all USASOC units.

47 160th SOAR
2013, November Company E (MQ-1C Gray Eagle) is
assigned to the 160th SOAR. In April 2014, E Company
is assigned to 2/160th.

2014, March SOATB begins Unmanned Aircraft System

(UAS) crew training.

2014, June 15 Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR) begins

in order to degrade and destroy the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS). 160th support includes offensive
UAS missions.

2014, October 2 SOATB is transferred to USASOAC.

2014, December 31 OEF in Afghanistan ends. Operation

FREEDOM’S SENTINEL begins the next day.

USASOC Flight Company transfers

2016, October 1
from USASOC to USASOAC control and is subordinated
to SOATB.

2017, February 1 U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence

recognizes SOATB as the “2016 Top Table of Distribution
and Allowances Aviation Battalion of the Year.” In total,
SOATB has won this award five times, with 2016 being
the fourth consecutive.
MQ-1C Gray Eagle

ARSOA Timeline 48
Insignia

49 160th SOAR
ARSOA Insignia 50
 Aviation Branch Insignia

A silver propeller in a vertical position between

two gold wings in a horizontal position, 1 1/8 inches
in width.
The Army Aviation branch was established as a
basic branch of the Army effective 12 April 1983.
The wings are modified and differ from designs
currently used on Army and Air Force aviator
badges. The insignia draws upon the original
insignia for historical and symbolic purposes, but
was deliberately modified to signify a new chapter
in Army aviation history.

51 160th SOAR
160th SOAR Distinctive Unit Insignia

A silver metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches

(2.86 cm) in height which contains a shield depicting
a winged centaur holding a sword in his upraised
hand. Attached below the shield is a silver scroll
with “NIGHT STALKER” inscribed in blue letters.
Ultramarine blue and golden orange are the
colors used for Aviation units. The winged centaur
suggests the combination of men and machine
which is embodied in the armed helicopter. The
crescent denotes day and night operations.
The DUI was originally approved for the
160th Aviation Battalion on 5 March 1982. It was
re-designated for the 160th Aviation Regiment
effective 16 January 1988. The insignia was
amended to correct the description and add
metric measurements on 22 September 1992.

ARSOA Insignia 52
 USASOAC Distinctive Unit Insignia

A silver color metal and epoxy device 1 1/8 inches

(2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of red erect
wings surmounted by a black dagger. Attached
below this is silver scroll inscribed “VOLARE
OPTIMOS” in black letters.
The Fairbairn Sykes dagger, with upswept red
wings forming a spearhead reminiscent of the
1st Special Service Force, symbolizes the unit’s
role as the aviation element of the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command. The motto “VOLARE
OPTIMOS,” “To Fly the Best,” inscribed on a silver
scroll, refers to Special Operations ground forces
and their mission. The motto embodies the Army
Special Operations Aviation ethos – our enduring
commitment to maintain the sacred trust of the
Special Operators we support.
The DUI was approved on 12 April 2013.

53 160th SOAR
USASOAC Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

A shield shaped-insignia within a 1/8 inch

(.32 cm) black border. Attached above is a black
Airborne Tab with red letters “AIRBORNE”. The
overall dimensions are 3 3/8 inches (8.57 cm) in
height and 2 1/2 inches (6.35 cm) in width.
The Fairbairn Sykes dagger, with upswept red
wings forming a spearhead reminiscent of the
1st Special Service Force, symbolizes the unit’s
role as the aviation element of the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command. The Aviation blue
(ultramarine blue) shield with black border reflects
1st Special Operations Command lineage, but also
serves as a constant reminder that the Command
is inseparable from Army Aviation Branch.
The SSI was approved on 12 April 2013.

ARSOA Insignia 54
 Service in the 160th is a calling only a few will
answer for the mission is constantly demanding
and hard. And when the impossible has been
accomplished the only reward is another mission that
no one else will try. As a member of the Night Stalkers
I am a tested volunteer seeking only to safeguard the
honor and prestige of my country, by serving the elite
Special Operations Soldiers of the United States.
I pledge to maintain my body, mind and equipment
in a constant state of readiness for I am a member of
the fastest deployable Task Force in the world - ready
to move at a moment’s notice anytime, anywhere,
arriving time on target plus or minus 30 seconds.
I guard my unit’s mission with secrecy, for my only
true ally is the night and the element of surprise.
My manner is that of the Special Operations Quiet
Professional, secrecy is a way of life. In battle, I eagerly
meet the enemy for I volunteered to be up front
where the fighting is hard. I fear no foe’s ability, nor
underestimate his will to fight. The mission and my
precious cargo are my concern. I will never surrender.
I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the
hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will
I ever embarrass my country.
Gallantly will I show the world and the elite forces
I support that a Night Stalker is a specially selected
and well trained Soldier.
I serve with the memory and pride of those who
have gone before me for they loved to fight, fought
to win and would rather die than quit.

Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!

55 160th SOAR
Night Stalker
Creed

Historical Handbook 56
57 160th SOAR
Night Stalker
Training &
Qualifications
Night Stalker Training & Qualifications 58
 ENLISTED
1 Assignment // up to 2 years
»» Army Select
»» U.S. Army HRC Assignment after AIT
»» Volunteer/Apply through SORB

2 Assessment // 6–52 weeks

»» Height & Weight
»» Physical Assessment (APFT)
»» Physiological Screening
»» Background Questionaire
»» Security Clearance

3 Enlisted Combat Skills // 6 weeks

»» Land Navigation Training
»» Combative Training
»» Advanced Weapons Training
»» Navy Class II Swim Test
»» First Responder
»» Trauma Lanes

NON-AVIATION MOSs REPORT TO 160 th UNITS

59 160th SOAR
 TRAINING
4 Dunker Qualification Course // 2 days
»» Only AVN Branch MOSs

5 Maintenance Courses // 2–6 weeks

»» A/MH-6 Maintainer Course // 12 days
»» MH-60 Maintainer Course // 10 days
»» MH-47 Maintainer Course // 7 days
»» CAAS Avionics Course // 25 days
»» A/MH-6 Avionics Course // 5 days
»» SOF Gray Eagle Course // 20 days

ASSIGNMENT TO OPERATIONAL BATTALIONS

6 OPTIONAL Advanced Training

»» MH-60/MH-47 NRCM Courses // 86 days
»» MH-60/MH-47 FI Course
»» MH-60/MH-47 SI Course
»» SOAMIC // 50 days
»» SOF UAS IO/SO Course // 10 days
»» SOF Leaders Course // 3 days

Night Stalker Training & Qualifications 60

 OFFICER
1 SORB Recruiting // Up to 2 years
Method 1: Mass Briefing Method 2: Unit Invite
»» Attend Briefing »» Unit invites individual
»» Apply with SORB to apply
»» Reviewed/Approved »» Application
»» Invitation to be »» Invitation to
Assessed be Assessed

2 Assessment/Selection // 1 week
»» APFT Physical Assessment
»» Navy Class II Swim Test & Phys. Screening
»» General Knowledge Exam
»» Assessment Board Review

RE-ASSIGNMENT & PCS After completing

CAB assignments Up to 3 years

3 SERE School // 3 weeks

4 Combat Skills // 3 weeks

»» First Responder
»» Medical Training
»» Land Navigation Training
»» Combative Training
»» Advanced Weapons Training
»» Situational Training Exercise

STAFF OFFICERS REPORT TO UNITS

61 160th SOAR
 TRAINING
5 Aquatics Training // 3 days
»» Dunker Qualification
»» ALSE Training
»» Hoist Training
»» Ladder Training

6 Basic Skills // 4 weeks

»» Advanced Air Navigation
»» Mission Planning Training
»» Mission Brief Training

7 Advanced Skills(BMQ) // 15-17 weeks

»» AH-6M // 14 weeks » MH-6M // 15 weeks
»» MH-60M // 17 weeks » MH-47G // 17 weeks

»» Aircraft Qualification »» Overwater

»» CMS »» Deck Landing
»» Navigation »» NVG Formation Flight
»» Load Out »» MOUT/Urban
»» High Gross Weight (LB & MH-60)
»» Multi-Mode Radar »» Desert/Mountain
»» Aerial Refueling »» Gunnery
(MH-60 / MH-47) »» CBRN

ASSIGNMENT TO OPERATIONAL BATTALIONS

8 Additional Training
» » A/MH-6 MTP // 10 days » A/MH-6 IPC // 23 days
»» MH-6 AQC // 20 days » MH-47 AQC // 25 days
»» MH-47 IPC // 37 days
» SOAMIC (Flight Surgeons / PAs / Enlisted
Medical) // 50 days
Night Stalker Training & Qualifications 62
 PC to FLQ
Pilot in Command
PC

2 to 3 months (faster for Flight Warrant

than Commissioned Officers).

Basic Mission Qualified

BMQ

6 to 9 months to fulfill all requirements before

evaluated and certified by a Fully Mission
Qualified (FMQ) Instructor Pilot (IP).

Air Mission Commander

AMC

BMQ and 12 to 24 months to fulfill

requirements before evaluated and
certified by Company (Co) or Battalion
(Bn) Standards Officer and Flight
Co Commander (Cdr) or Bn Cdr.

NOTE: Ground assault force leaders should be aware that

160 th Flight Leads bring 6 to 7 years’ experience ‘supporting
SOF customers’ to the table; FMQs have 3 to 4 years;
AMCs have at least a year (FLQ warrant officer pilots often
serve as AMCs); and BMQs have almost a year as Night

63 160th SOAR
Standards & Qualifications
Progression

Fully Mission Qualified

FMQ

BMQ and 18 to 24 months before FMQ

Consideration Board and 1 to 2 months
to fulfill requirements before FMQ
evaluation & certification by Flight Co
Standards Officer & Flight Co Cdr.

Flight Lead Qualified

FMQ and 3 to 5 years before FLQ
Consideration Board & 9 to 12 months to
FLQ

fulfill requirements & successfully pass

FL Evaluation by Regimental Standards
Officer during Bn STX (Standards
Training Exercise) before certification
by the Regimental Commander (RCO).

Stalkers. Prior Army aviation experience is relative. Specific

training requirements/events and standards have also been
established for the SOAR enlisted aircrew (160 th crew chiefs
spend 4 to 5 years getting qualified as Flight Engineers) as
well as the staff, maintenance, and support personnel.

Night Stalker Training & Qualifications 64

 ARSOA
Organizational
Evolution

65 160th SOAR
 TASK FORCE 160
ca. 1981

Headquarters D Company A Company

Company /158 /159

B Company C Company
/229 /158

Attached from 101st Aviation Group,

101st Airborne Division

160th Special Operations

Aviation Group (SOAG) (A)
post-1986

Headquarters B Company C Company E Company

Company

A Company 129 Aviation D Company F Company

Company

1/245 Attached

ARSOA Organization Evolution 66

 160th Special Operations
AviationRegiment (SOAR) (A)

Headquarters 1/160
Company

SOATC HQ

SIMO A Co

B Co

C Co

D Co

F Co

Coordinating
Attached
SOATC: Special Operations Aviation Training Company
SIMO: Systems Integration Management Office
SOAD: Special Operations Aviation Detachment
Co: Company

67 160th SOAR
ca. 1990

2/160 3/160 1/245

HQ HQ HQ

A Co A Co A Co

B Co B Co B Co

C Co C Co C Co

617th
SOAD

ARSOA Organization Evolution 68

 US Army Special Operations
Aviation Command (USASOAC)

SIMO AMSO TAPO

SOATB

HSC
TDSC
AATF
AMS

A/SOATB
Combat Skills

B/SOATB
Flight Co

UFC

Administrative Control
SIMO: Systems Integration Management Office
AMSO: Aviation Maintenance Sustainment Office
TAPO: Technology Applications Program Officer
SOATB: Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion
HSC: Headquarters Support Company
TDSC: Training Development Support Cell
AATF: Allison Aquatics Training Facility
AMS: Aviation Maintenance Section
SOAR: Special Operations Aviation Regiment
Co: Company
UFC: USASOC Flight Company

69 160th SOAR
ca. 2016

160th SOAR (A)

HHC

1/160 2/160 3/160 4/160

HHC HHC HHC HHC

A Co A Co A Co A Co

B Co B Co B Co B Co

C Co C Co C Co C Co

D Co D Co D Co D Co

F Co E Co

ARSOA Organization Evolution 70

Select
Biographical
Sketches

71 160th SOAR
Select Biographical Sketches 72
GEN
Br yan D. Brown
General Bryan D. ‘Doug’ Brown enlisted as an
Infantryman in the Army in 1967 before attending the
Special Forces Qualification Course and serving on a
7th Special Forces Group Operational Detachment –
Alpha (ODA) at Fort Bragg, NC. Upon completion of Field
Artillery Officer Candidate School, he graduated from
Army Flight School at Fort Rucker, AL, in 1971.
After a brief stint as Platoon Leader, Company D,
227th Avn Bn, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX, he
served in the 129th Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam
until April 1972. Subsequent assignments included Rotary
Wing Aviator, 182nd Avn Company (Assault), 10th Avn
Group, at Fort Bragg, and Section Commander (and later
Platoon Commander and Operations Officer) in the 129th
Avn Company (Assault), 269th Avn Bn, also at Fort Bragg.
From June 1978 to May 1981, Brown served in the
158th Avn Bn, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell,
KY. His assignments included Executive Officer, Company
B; Flight Operations Officer; and Commander, Company C.
As part of TF 158, Brown supported HONEY BADGER, and
this service qualified him as a 160th Avn Bn ‘plank holder’.

73 160th SOAR
 Brown’s subsequent assignments in the 160th/
TF 160 included Commander, Company C, 101st Avn Bn,
1st SOCOM, from June 1985 to May 1987; S-3
(Operations), 160th SOAG from May 1987 to May 1988;
Commander, 1/160th SOAR from June 1990 to July 1991;
and 160th Regimental Commanding Officer from
October 1992 to November 1994.
As a general officer, he served as Assistant Division
Commander (Maneuver), 1st Infantry Division, at Fort
Riley, KS, before returning to special operations as the
Director of Plans, Policy, and Strategic Assessments at
USSOCOM, MacDill AFB, FL. Starting in 1998, he held
back-to-back commands of JSOC and USASOC at Fort
Bragg, NC. His final assignment was as Commanding
General, USSOCOM, from September 2003 to July 2007.
He was a combat veteran of Vietnam, Operation
URGENT FURY in Grenada, Operations DESERT SHIELD/
STORM in Southwest Asia, and other military actions.
At one time he was the senior aviator in the U.S. Army
and the first member of the Aviation Branch to achieve
the rank of four-star general.
Brown graduated from the Harvard Executive
Education Program’s National and International Security
Managers Course. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in
History from Cameron University in Lawton, OK, and a
Master’s Degree in Business from Webster University
in Webster Groves, MO.
GEN Brown’s awards and decorations include
the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, and
the Air Medal with ‘V’ Device. He also earned the
Special Forces Tab, Master Army Aviator Badge, Military
Free Fall Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
In 2008, GEN Brown was inducted into the U.S. Army
Aviation Hall of Fame. The 160th SOAR compound
at Fort Campbell, also known as ‘Brown Compound’,
is dedicated to him.

Select Biographical Sketches 74

A mb
assador Dell L. Dailey
Ambassador Lieutenant General (LTG) Dell L. Dailey
received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering
from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY,
in 1971. Commissioned as an Infantry Officer, he served in
the 1/61st Infantry, 4th Infantry Division (ID) at Fort Carson,
CO, before attending the Officer Rotary Wing Aviator Course
at Fort Wolters, TX, and graduating in December 1973.
His first assignment was as Executive Officer and then
Aviation Officer, 2nd Avn Bn, 1st Brigade, 2nd ID, from
December 1973 to September 1974, followed by Aviation
Officer, Company B, 2nd ID, from October 1974 to July
1975. He served as a Staff Officer in 1/75th Infantry (Ranger)
from April 1978 to April 1979, and then on the 75th Ranger
Regiment staff from June 1984 to May 1985.
Dailey’s long association with the 160th began in June
1985 as Commander, Company D, until August 1987.
He commanded 3/160th from April 1989 to July 1991 and
1/160th from July 1991 to June 1993 before commanding
the 160th SOAR from October 1994 to October 1996.

75 160th SOAR
 As a general officer, Ambassador Dailey fulfilled the
role of Chief of Staff, USSOCOM, before commanding
the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from
July 2000 to September 2003. Serving briefly as Deputy
Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, he returned
to USSOCOM as the Director, Center for Operations,
Plans, and Policy, and Director of the Center for Special
Operations (CSO). LTG Dailey retired from military
service in May 2007.
He participated in all recent major military
operations, including DESERT SHIELD/STORM,
UPHOLD DEMOCRACY, JOINT GUARDIAN, ENDURING
FREEDOM, and IRAQI FREEDOM. His awards and
decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service
Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion
of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air
Medal. He also earned the Expert Infantryman Badge,
Master Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Master
Army Aviator Badge, Ranger Tab, and Army Staff
Identification Badge. He received a Master’s Degree in
Public Administration from Shippensburg University
in Pennsylvania in 1994. In 2010, he was inducted into
the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame.
After military service, retired LTG Daily was
appointed as the Department of State Coordinator for
Counterterrorism/Ambassador at Large by President
George W. Bush, where he developed and implemented
U.S. Government counter-terrorism policies and
programs overseas.

Select Biographical Sketches 76

 C W5 D
avid F. Cooper
Chief Warrant Officer 5 David F. Cooper enlisted in
the U.S. Army in March 1985. After completing Basic
Combat Training at Fort Jackson, SC, he attended the
Warrant Officer Basic Course and Army Flight School at
Fort Rucker, AL, followed by the AH-64 Apache Aircraft
Qualification Course.
After serving in the 6th Cavalry at Fort Hood, TX,
Cooper began training for the 160th SOAR (A) at
Fort Campbell, KY. Qualifying in the AH-6 Little Bird
helicopter in 1995, his Night Stalker assignments
included duties Fully Mission Qualified Pilot, Instructor
Pilot, Operations Officer, and Battalion Flight Lead.
He served as the 160th SOAR Chief Warrant Officer from
August 2007 to March 2010. He was the first USASOAC
Chief Warrant Officer in March 2011, serving until his
retirement from military service in June 2012.
Cooper deployed 23 times in support of operations
in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, he received the
Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for extraordinary
heroism on 27 November 2006, while serving as an

77 160th SOAR
AH-6 Flight Lead Pilot for a Joint Task Force (JTF)
in OIF. Without regard for his personal safety,
CW5 Cooper continued to provide fires for the JTF
ground forces despite effective enemy fire. He
destroyed several enemy positions, minimizing
enemy pressure that threatened to overrun the
friendly ground force. His superb actions in flight
contributed greatly to the mission success.
CW5 Cooper’s career awards and decorations
include the DSC, the Distinguished Service Medal, the
Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze
Star Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, seven
Air Medals (including three for valor), three Army
Commendation Medals (including one for valor), three
Army Achievement Medals, the Combat Action Badge,
and the Master Army Aviator Badge. He earned a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Professional Aeronautics
from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2010, he
was inducted into the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame.

Select Biographical Sketches 78

CSM
Zeandrew Farrow
Command Sergeant Major Zeandrew Farrow joined
the Army in 1962 as a Wheel and Track Vehicle Mechanic.
After Advanced Individual Training, he was assigned to
the 83rd Field Artillery Battalion in Baumholder, Germany,
and the 13th Armor Battalion at Fort Hood, TX. After
reclassifying his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)
to Single Engine, Single Rotor Helicopter Repairmen,
he was assigned to the 801st Maintenance Battalion,
101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, KY. Soon
afterward, he served in the 227th Aviation Battalion
(Assault Helicopter), 1st Cavalry Division, in Vietnam.
Upon re-deployment from Vietnam, he was trained
as an Aircraft Repair Supervisor and assigned to
1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division,
at Fort Bragg, NC. During his service with the 82nd, he
was an aircraft inspector, Platoon Sergeant, Operations
Sergeant, and First Sergeant. He left the 82nd to attend
the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, TX.
After serving as a First Sergeant in the 2nd Aviation
Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, at Camp Casey, Republic

79 160th SOAR
of Korea, he transferred to XVIII Airborne Corps and
Fort Bragg Garrison to serve as an Aviation Advisor at
Simmons Army Airfield and Garrison Sergeant Major
during Operation URGENT FURY.
In 1985, he was assigned to the 159th Aviation
Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, as the battalion CSM.
(At the time, Company A, 159th was attached to the
160th Aviation Battalion at Fort Campbell.) In mid-1986,
CSM was assigned to TF 160/160th Aviation Battalion as
the Battalion CSM. In 1988, the 160th Aviation Battalion
was formally reorganized into the 160th SOAR. This
change caused Farrow to be ‘dual-hatted’ as both the
160th Special Operations Aviation Group (SOAG) CSM
and the first 160th SOAR CSM.
As the 160th CSM until his retirement in 1992,
CSM Farrow was instrumental in developing the unit’s
airborne mission, FARP procedures, and making
SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) attendance
mandatory for Night Stalkers. He was devoted to
locating, training, and retaining quality soldiers needed
to uphold the unit’s cutting-edge capabilities and
standards of excellence. To this end, he helped to raise
‘Green Platoon’ to the Selection and Training (S&T)
Detachment and later to the Special Operations Aviation
Training Company (SOATC) to ensure that only the most
qualified candidates entered the Regiment. CSM Farrow
brought a wealth of professionalism and experience
to mold a new, one-of-a-kind unit, and served as an
inspiration and role model for enlisted soldiers in the
160th SOAR.

Select Biographical Sketches 80

CSM
Clifton P. O’Brien
Command Sergeant Major Clifton P. O’Brien entered
the Army as an Infantryman in 1973, serving briefly with
the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. He soon
reclassified his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) to
UH-1 Repairman, reporting to training at Fort Rucker, AL,
in late 1975.
O’Brien’s aviation assignments included service in
the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY; the
2nd Infantry Division in Korea; the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Hostage Recovery Team at Davidson
Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir, VA; the 8th Infantry
Division in the Federal Republic of Germany; and the
25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI. His
association with Special Operations Aviation began
in 1985. He held numerous positions within TF 160,
starting as Flight Platoon Sergeant in Company C.
He subsequently served as First Sergeant for
Companies B and F. As Company B First Sergeant,
he provided guidance and direction essential to Night
Stalker success during Operations PRIME CHANCE and

81 160th SOAR
JUST CAUSE. He later served as Command Sergeant
Major (CSM) of 1/160th SOAR and, before his 1999
retirement, as the 160th Regimental CSM. During
his tenure in the Regiment, he played a major role
in Non-rated Crewmember progression, medical
training, FARP training, airborne training, and
aircraft modernization.
Following retirement, O’Brien remained active in
the SOA community by serving in the 160th Regiment
Physical Rehabilitation Facility where he helped
combat-wounded Night Stalkers and those injured
in training to recover. In 2003, he moved to the
Transformation Office to help shape the reorganization
of the 160th SOAR, which had nearly doubled in size
by the time 4/160th was activated in 2007. O’Brien then
became a Combat Skills Instructor in ‘Green Platoon’
until 2010. Returning to the Transformation Office,
Mr. O’Brien continues to ensure that the Regiment has
the personnel authorizations and equipment it needs to
accomplish the most demanding aviation missions in
the world. In April 2010, CSM O’Brien was honored
as the first enlisted Night Stalker to be inducted into
the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame.

Select Biographical Sketches 82

Acronyms

83 160th SOAR
ACRONYMS 84
ACRONYMS

AAF Army Airfield

AATF Allison Aquatics Training Facility
AFB Air Force Base
AFSOC Air Force Special Operations Command
AGF Army Ground Forces
AIT Advanced Individual Training
ALSE Aviation Life Support Equipment
AMC Air Mission Commander
AMSO Aviation Maintenance
Sustainment Office
APFT Army Physical Fitness Test
AQC Advanced Qualification Course
ARSOA Army Special Operations Aviation
ARSOF Army Special Operations Forces
ASUA Army Superior Unit Award
AVIM Aviation Intermediate Maintenance
Avn Aviation
BMQ Basic Mission Qualified
Bn Battalion
CAAS Common Avionics
Architecture System
CAB Combat Aviation Brigade
CBRN Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, Nuclear
CMS Combat Mission Simulator
Co Company
CONARC Continental Army Command
CPC Campaign Participation Credit

85 160th SOAR
CSAR Combat Search and Rescue
CT Counter-terrorism
DAP Defensive Armed Penetrator
DUI Distinctive Unit Insignia
EGP Enlisted Green Platoon
FARP Forward Arming and Refueling Point
FI Flight Instructor
FLIR Forward Looking Infrared Radar
FLQ Flight Lead Qualified
FMQ Fully Mission Qualified
FORSCOM Forces Command
GWOT Global War on Terror
HRC Human Resources Command
IPC Instructor Pilot Course
JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff
JMUA Joint Meritorious Unit Award
JSOC Joint Special Operations Command
JTF Joint Task Force
LB Little Bird
MARSOC Marine Corps Forces Special
Operations Command
Medevac Medical Evacuation
MOS Military Occupational Specialty
MOUT Military Operations in Urbanized Terrain
MTP Maintenance Test Pilot
MUC Meritorious Unit Citation (Army)
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NRCM Non-rated Crew Member
NVG Night-Vision Goggles
ACRONYMS 86
ODA Operational Detachment-Alpha
OEF Operation ENDURING FREEDOM
OGP Officer Green Platoon
OIF Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
OIR Operation INHERENT RESOLVE
PA Physician’s Assistant
PCS Permanent Change of Station
POW Prisoner of War
PUC Presidential Unit Citation
RCO Regimental Commanding Officer
Rgt Regiment
S&T Selection and Training (Detachment)
SERE Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape
SF Special Forces
SI Standardization Instructor
SIMO Systems Integration
Management Office
SOA Special Operations Aviation
SOAD Special Operations Aviation Detachment
SOAG (A) Special Operations Aviation
Group (Airborne)
SOAMIC Special Operations Aviation
Medical Indoctrination Course
SOAR (A) Special Operations Aviation
Regiment (Airborne)
SOATB Special Operations Aviation
Training Battalion
SOATC Special Operations Aviation
Training Company
SOCP Special Operations
Communications Package
87 160th SOAR
SOF Special Operations Forces
SORB Special Operations Recruiting Battalion
SSI Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
STOL Short Takeoff and Landing
SWAD Special Warfare Aviation Detachment
T/O&E Table of Organization and Equipment
TAPO Technology Applications
Program Office
TDA Table of Distribution and Allowances
TDSC Training Development Support Cell
TF Task Force
TRADOC Training and Doctrine Command
UAS Unmanned Aircraft System
USAAF U.S. Army Air Forces
USAFRICOM U.S. Africa Command
USAJFKSWCS U.S. Army John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center & School
USASOAC U.S. Army Special Operations
Aviation Command
USASOC U.S. Army Special
Operations Command
USCENTCOM U.S. Central Command
USEUCOM U.S. European Command
USPACOM U.S. Pacific Command
USSOCOM U.S. Special Operations Command
USSOUTHCOM U.S. Southern Command
UW Unconventional Warfare
VUA Valorous Unit Award
WWI World War I
WWII World War II
ACRONYMS 88
89 160th SOAR
 Further
Reading

Further Reading 90
Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.
New York: Grove Press, 1999.

Briscoe, Charles H. “Helicopters in Combat: World War II.”

Special Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of the John F.
Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 14/3 (Summer
2001): 32-38.

Briscoe, Charles H., Richard L. Kiper, James A. Schroder,

and Kalev I. Sepp. Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special
Operations Forces in Afghanistan. Fort Leavenworth, KS:
Combat Studies Institute Press, 2003.

Briscoe, Charles H., Kenneth Finlayson, Robert W. Jones, Jr.,

Cherilyn A. Walley, A. Dwayne Aaron, Michael R. Mullins, and
James A. Schroder. All Roads Lead to Baghdad: Army Special
Operations Forces in Iraq. Fort Bragg, NC: USASOC, 2007.

Briscoe, Charles H. “Operation ZUMMARI 241: Braving Fire

Ambushes in Afghanistan.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special
Operations History 12/2 (2016): 51-63.

Brown, Bryan D. “The 160th SOAR: The Quiet Aviation

Professionals.” Special Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of
the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 14/3
(Summer 2001): 2-4.

Brown, Carl R. “‘Green Platoon’: The 160th SOAR’s Training

Program.” Special Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of the
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 14/3
(Summer 2001): 12-13.

Durant, Michael J. and Steven Hartov. In the Company of

Heroes: The Personal Story Behind Black Hawk Down. New
York: New American Library, 2003.

91 160th SOAR
Durant, Michael J. The Night Stalkers: Top Secret Missions of
the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Aviation Regiment. New
York: New American Library, 2006.

Dzwonchyk, Wayne M. Aviation. Washington, DC: U.S. Center

of Military History, 1986.

Eide, Thorwald and Greg Stewart. “20 Years of Army Special-

Operations Aviation Modernization.” Special Warfare: The
Professional Bulletin of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare
Center and School 14/3 (Summer 2001): 28-31.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “Helicopters in Combat: Korea.”

Special Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of the John F.
Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 14/3 (Summer
2001): 39-41.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “Night Stalkers in the Philippines: Tragedy

and Triumph in Balikatan 02-1.” Veritas: Journal of Army
Special Operations History 2/1 (2006): 54-59.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “Task Force 160 in Operation URGENT

FURY.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History 2/2
(2006): 36-41.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “A Tale of Two Units: The 129th Assault

Helicopter Company.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special
Operations History 3/1 (2007): 66-71.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “Lords of Darkness: 1/245th Aviation.”

Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History 3/4
(2007): 52-61.

Finlayson, Kenneth. “Valiant 41: 160th SOAR in Combat in

Iraq.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations History 5/3
(2009): 16-20.

Further Reading 92
Gray, Sidney J. and Charles W. Weigandt. “The 160th SOAR:
20 Years of Army Special Operations Aviation.” Special
Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of the John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center and School 14/3 (Summer 2001): 6-11.

Horwood, Ian. Interservice Rivalry and Airpower in the

Vietnam War. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute
Press, 2006.

Kyle, James H. The Guts to Try: The Untold Story of the

Iran Hostage Rescue Mission by the On-Scene Desert
Commander. New York: Ballantine, 1995.

Lenahan, Rod. Crippled Eagle: A Historical Perspective of U.S.

Special Operations, 1976-1996. Narwhal Press, 1998.

Library of Congress, Federal Research Division. A History of

the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Washington,
DC: Library of Congress, 2001.

Milani, Andy. “Evolution of the 3-160th SOAR Through Desert

Storm.” Special Warfare: The Professional Bulletin of the John
F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School 14/3 (Summer
2001): 14-22.

Raines, Jr., Edgar R. Eyes of Artillery: The Origins of Modern

U.S. Army Aviation in World War II. Washington, DC: Center of
Military History, 2000.

Rugen, Walter. “The Impact of Forward-Based Special-

Operations Aviation.” Special Warfare: The Professional
Bulletin of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and
School 14/3 (Summer 2001): 23-25.

93 160th SOAR
Ryan, Paul B. The Iranian Rescue Mission: Why It Failed.
Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1985.

Schroder, James. “Objective Beaver: The Search for the

Elusive Smoking Gun.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special
Operations History 1/1 (Winter 2005): 46-51.

Schroder, James. “‘The Beer’s on Us!’ Little Bird Support at

Haditha Dam.” Veritas: Journal of Army Special Operations
History 1/1 (Winter 2005): 61-64.

Smith, Joseph A. “The 160th Special Operations Aviation

Regiment After Next.” Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War
College, 1998.

Tolson, John J. Airmobility, 1961-1971. Washington, DC:

Center of Military History, 1989.

Turner, Holly. “Company E: The 160th SOAR’s Newest

Forward-Based Unit.” Special Warfare: The Professional
Bulletin of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and
School 14/3 (Summer 2001): 26-27.

Additional primary and secondary sources about the

160th SOAR can be found at the U.S. Army Center of Military
History, Fort McNair, Washington, DC; the Combined Arms
Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; the U.S. Army
Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and
other online and archival repositories.

Further Reading 94