522 SOS in the spotlight: A milestone moment

by Capt. Ryan Taylor
522nd Special Operations Squadron

12/4/2013 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 522nd Special Operations Squadron achieved the 1 millionth hour in the MC-130J in April. To commemorate this milestone and thank the men and women of Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., for their hard work toward this achievement, representatives from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company visited here Nov. 26.

Col. Sean Farrell, 27th Special Operations Group commander, described the partnership between Lockheed Martin and the 27 SOW as professional, tenacious and dependable, and highlighted the phenomenal accomplishments from Afghanistan, where Cannon Airmen produced 2,300 combat hours.

Col. David Wiesner, Commander of the 27th Special Operations Maintenance Group, congratulated the 522 SOS aircraft maintenance unit on their ability to take only five people with experience on the aircraft, then build and train a team that sets the standard for maintenance instruction.

Ray Fajay, director of U.S. Government Air Mobility Development, and Robert Lowe, director of Air Mobility Special Operation Forces programs, presented Farrell and Wiesner with a framed coin to recognize the contribution to the flight hours milestone and the incredible achievement in adapting a modified C-130J into a proven workhorse for special operations forces around the world.

"The word 'can't' is not in the dictionary for my Airmen and this phenomenal team of operations and maintenance continues to sharpen our spear at home and downrange," said Wiesner.

Fresh off the factory floor in 2011, the MC-130J Commando II made its debut at the 522 SOS and since then has performed operations in 13 countries to include not only combat flights, but also humanitarian relief.

"We began with only four Airmen in 2010 and now stand ready to respond 'any time, any place,'" said Lt. Col. John Buchanan, 522 SOS commander, at the beginning of the award ceremony.

The MC-130J Commando II replaced the US Air Force Special Operations Command's older MC-130N/P Combat Shadow fleet. It flies low visibility, single or multi-ship low-level air refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces by airdrop into politically sensitive or hostile environments.

"The contributions you make to preserve our freedoms as a country are vast and without equal," said Fajay. "The employees of Lockheed Martin wish to thank you for what you do every day to protect our freedom and values.