Physical and environmental stressors force Green Platoon candidates to push themselves beyond their perceived limitations, and to rely on one another as part of a team.

ARSOF AVIATION HISTORY

“The First Step in Night Stalking”

A History of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Training

By Jared M. Tracy, PhD and

Joshua D. Esposito, PhD

Published September 2019

“In this unit, everyone can honestly say that ‘that private has something in common with me, and with that sergeant, and even with that colonel.’ Everybody has ‘Green Platoon’ in common.”1 SGM Marcus B. Buker,* SOATB Sergeant Major
NOTES

IAW USSOCOM sanitization protocol for historical articles on recent operations, pseudonyms are used for majors and below who are still on active duty, unless names have been publicly released for awards/decorations or DoD news release. Pseudonyms are identified with an asterisk (*). The eyes of active ARSOF personnel in photos are blocked out when not covered with dark visors or sunglasses, except when the photos were publicly released by a service or DoD. Source references (end notes) utilize the assigned pseudonym.

This article was originally written in 2016. All information is current as of that date.

In August 1999, Aviation Operations Specialist (15P) Sergeant First Class (SFC) Thomas J. Smith  reported to a “run-down, one-story building” on Old Clarksville Base (OCB), Tennessee, originally a special weapons storage area outside Fort Campbell, Kentucky. With twelve years of conventional aviation experience, Smith had most recently served as an Equal Opportunity Advisor at Fort Rucker, Alabama, home of the U.S. Army Aviation Center.  Desiring a change of pace, Smith applied to join the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), though he knew little about it. A slightly apprehensive Smith got orders to Fort Campbell. However, before being assigned to 160th SOAR, he had to pass a four-week-long Combat Skills course, commonly known as ‘Green Platoon.’2

As one of four SFCs, Smith was ‘longer in the tooth’ than most of his enlisted and non-commissioned officer (NCO) classmates. He learned that ‘Green Platoon’ was a rite of passage designed “to weed out any substandard soldiers that clearly do not have what it takes to be a Night Stalker.” Those not passing the initial Army Physical Fitness Test or the ‘tape test’ (measuring body fat) would be reassigned. Those who qualified then completed administrative in-processing and received a lesson on 160th history from a former Regimental Command Sergeant Major (CSM). More demanding physical and mental tasks awaited them.3

These older, unassuming structures on Old Clarksville Base (background) currently house Company A, SOATB, and mark the entry point for Officer and Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’.
These older, unassuming structures on Old Clarksville Base (background) currently house Company A, SOATB, and mark the entry point for Officer and Enlisted ‘Green Platoon.’
Green Platoon itself is physically demanding, but soldiers need only meet basic Army standards on the Army Physical Fitness Test to continue training.
Green Platoon itself is physically demanding, but soldiers need only meet basic Army standards on the Army Physical Fitness Test to continue training.

Daily Physical Training (PT) was supplemented by rucksack road marches, ‘log PT’ with telephone poles, and vehicle tows. 160th flight medics provided five days of first responder skills that featured combat casualty care and mud pit low crawls with stretchers. This block of instruction culminated in a physically challenging, graded trauma response event. One day, called ‘Black Day’, featured grueling PT and obstacle courses designed to “smoke” students before a forced rucksack march that night. Subsequent training included day and night Land Navigation (with 5th Special Forces Group NCOs trying to catch them as opposition forces); combat marksmanship; and Combatives. ‘Black Shirt’ instructors monitoring the students demanded teamwork throughout training. “It wasn’t fun while doing it,” said Smith, who later became the 160th SOAR Operations Sergeant Major. However, ‘Green Platoon’ had “made us feel like we had earned the right to wear the maroon beret and be a Night Stalker.”4

Log PT and Land Navigation, both closely administered by ‘Black Shirt’ instructors, are longstanding features of the Combat Skills portion of ‘Green Platoon’.
Log PT and Land Navigation, both closely administered by ‘Black Shirt’ instructors, are longstanding features of the Combat Skills portion of ‘Green Platoon’.
Green Platoon graduates are formally awarded the maroon beret with the 160th SOAR flash and distinctive unit insignia, a symbol of unit tradition and esprit.
Green Platoon graduates are formally awarded the maroon beret with the 160th SOAR flash and distinctive unit insignia, a symbol of unit tradition and esprit.

‘Green Platoon’ not only enabled Smith and others to join the 160th; it made them alumni of a process going back to the 1980s. This article describes Army Special Operations Aviation (SOA) training since the establishment of the 160th Aviation Battalion (often referred to as Task Force-160 [TF-160]) in 1981. SOA training has improved greatly over 35 years as the organization evolved from ‘Green Platoon’ to the Selection and Training Detachment, to the SOA Training Company, and most recently to the SOA Training Battalion. However, the original name ‘Green Platoon’—a requirement for all 160th candidates, regardless of rank or Military Occupational Specialty—remains a symbol of community, tradition, and esprit. The path to an independent, first-rate, well-manned and -resourced SOATB was not easy or inevitable. Years of challenges, trial and error, lessons learned, and tragedies shaped today’s SOA training.

“Armed only with conventional Army doctrine,” original unit personnel had no “‘how-to’ manuals … to clarify the specialized operations that the 160th performed, to explain the use of night-vision goggles [NVGs], or to catalog the range of environmental conditions that the aviators might face,” remembered retired Master Warrant Officer 4 (MW4) Carl R. Brown, one-time Regimental Master Warrant Officer.5 “In the early days of the unit, crews pushed the envelope to test their abilities and see what they could get out of the [helicopters],” explained former Regimental CSM Greggory M. Chamberlain*.6 “Back then, there was very little guidance on degrees of risk,” remembered retired 1/160th and 2/160th CSM Mike C. Gallico*.7 Early high-risk training focused “on long range, low level, blacked-out, close-formation flying at night with primitive full-faced AN/PVS-5 night vision goggles. As proficiency increased, mission profiles became more demanding and complex, challenging the [160th] to develop additional capabilities and special skills.”8 This led to specific Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) for SOA, but not without a price. From 20 March to 4 October 1983, sixteen TF-160 aviators and crewmembers were killed in training and four aircraft were lost.9

The 160th SOAR honors Night Stalkers who died during training and operations since 1980 on this memorial wall outside of its regimental headquarters.
The 160th SOAR honors Night Stalkers who died during training and operations since 1980 on this memorial wall outside of its regimental headquarters.
Following many recent deadly training accidents, Operation URGENT FURY in Grenada in late 1983 was the 160th’s ‘baptism by fire’. The operation led to improved tactics, techniques, and procedures in SOA training and missions. Here, a damaged UH-60 rests on the USS Guam after inserting SOF teams into combat on 25 October.
Following many recent deadly training accidents, Operation URGENT FURY in Grenada in late 1983 was the 160th’s ‘baptism by fire’. The operation led to improved tactics, techniques, and procedures in SOA training and missions. Here, a damaged UH-60 rests on the USS Guam after inserting SOF teams into combat on 25 October.

Shocked by the personnel losses, the Department of the Army convened a “Blue Ribbon” panel at Fort Campbell in late 1983 to analyze and evaluate TF-160 training and operational tempo. The board recommended the formation of a dedicated training element for the Task Force. In less than two years, the 160th had a training ‘unit’ and program for officers and warrant officers called ‘Green Platoon.’  This ‘platoon’ applied Army “readiness-level [aviation] training program” standards and proficiency levels from “aircrew training manuals,” explained Brown, but the leadership also wrote Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Though ‘Green Platoon’ was a step forward, it was not a separate, self-sustaining SOA training unit. It had been created ‘out of hide’ (i.e., with existing unit equipment and personnel). The battalion operations officer (S-3) ran the ‘platoon,’ and the line companies provided the helicopters and instructor pilots (IPs). According to MW4 Brown, “[W]henever operations or exercises placed heavy demands on the [160th’s] personnel assets, the Green Platoon’s training was limited.”10

As the unit grew, recommendations for improving SOA training came from inside and outside of the 160th. In 1986, TF-160 became the 160th Special Operations Aviation Group (SOAG). While SOAG headquarters remained at Fort Campbell, it was re-assigned to the 1st Special Operations Command (1st SOCOM) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On 24 November 1987, the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS), a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) asset, formally recommended “institutionalizing” ‘Green Platoon’ and staffing it with military and civilian pilots. It submitted that proposal to 1st SOCOM, the U.S. Army Aviation Center, and the new U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The proposed stand-alone unit would train aviators and free flight companies to focus on wartime missions.11

Since 1985, Green Platoon has prepared soldiers physically, mentally, and technically to execute the unique, challenging, and dangerous 160th SOAR mission sets.
Since 1985, Green Platoon has prepared soldiers physically, mentally, and technically to execute the unique, challenging, and dangerous 160th SOAR mission sets.

The USAJFKSWCS recommendation did not result in a ‘separate’ training unit, but 160th SOAG did establish a new Selection and Training (S&T) Detachment in July 1988 ‘out of hide’. The promise was that the 160th units could “focus on mission support, knowing that their new aviators would be trained to a common high standard,” said Brown.12 After completing Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training at Camp Mackall, North Carolina (USAJFKSWCS), aviators had to complete the Academic and Flight Phases of S&T before being assigned to the 160th as a Basic Mission Qualified (BMQ) pilot. Four months later, S&T began training enlisted air crew, maintenance, and support personnel.

The S&T Academic Phase addressed Shipboard Operations, Visual Flight Rules, Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) Operations, 160th Local Flying Area, Army Flight Regulations, and SOA Mission Planning. Flight training and evaluations varied according to aircraft, but all programs assessed basic navigational skills and determined proficiency in cockpit systems. SOA training gradually improved, but conducting BMQ training “in addition to normal unit duties place[d] an excessive burden on the [company-provided instructor pilots] and reduce[d] the availability of trained aviators for operational missions.”13 While the 1987 USAJFKSWCS proposal had not resulted in a separate unit, it foretold another SOA training improvement—the use of civilian/contractor mission instructors (CMIs). In June 1990, the 160th was reorganized with other special operations aviation units into the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and was placed under U.S. Army Special Operations Command. In August 1990, the 160th SOAR hired six retired Night Stalker aviators as CMIs, two for each aircraft design (CH/MH-47, UH/MH-60, and AH/MH-6).14 Just before its 27 November 1990 dissolution, 1st SOCOM requested a study of the 160th CMI program by the U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI).

Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion coin
Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion coin

Anacapa Sciences, Inc., a research firm hired by ARI, was to “compare effectiveness of contractor and military instructors.” Anacapa observed the six CMIs and eighteen military mission instructors (MMIs) during three BMQ courses in 1991. Noting that MMIs could do BMQ training, Anacapa found CMIs to be equally qualified. CMIs brought other advantages: first, CMIs provided greater continuity and standardization, whereas MMIs rotated regularly; second, CMIs could improve BMQ training from one class to the next, while rotational MMI assignments were not conducive to improvement; finally, CMIs resolved the continuous problem of IPs being ‘lost’ when needed for ‘real-world’ missions. The Anacapa report found “that employing CMIs is an effective method of conducting the BMQ course, with a reduction in other problems associated with using MMIs.”15 This ARI validation affirmed the hiring of former Night Stalkers to train officer, warrant officer, and enlisted candidates. The CMI program remains the best practical solution while enabling the SOA community to retain the knowledge, experience, and wisdom of its veterans, further strengthening Night Stalker morale and esprit."

Actor Ron J. Eldard (third from left) consults with Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOATC) cadre. Eldard visited the 160th SOAR for his upcoming role as UH-60 pilot CW3 Michael Durant in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down about the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993.
Actor Ron J. Eldard (third from left) consults with Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOATC) cadre. Eldard visited the 160th SOAR for his upcoming role as UH-60 pilot CW3 Michael Durant in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down about the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993.
Green Platoon teaches A/MH-6 aviators to navigate in challenging urban terrain and conditions.
Green Platoon teaches A/MH-6 aviators to navigate in challenging urban terrain and conditions.

On 11 September 1992, “institutionalization of ‘Green Platoon’” became reality when S&T became the Special Operations Aviation Training Company (SOATC). With its own Table of Distribution and Allowances (TDA) for dedicated personnel and equipment, SOATC “centralized and standardized the fragmented training of the unit.”16 The hiring of CMIs, IPs, and other training personnel continued. By 2001, SOATC had sixteen officer, warrant officer, and enlisted Programs of Instruction (POIs), including orientation (ground combat skills), flight training, maintenance, and crewmember support.17 Four years later, the number of POIs had increased to twenty-three. During an October 2006 ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the provisional activation of the 160th, Colonel (COL) Kevin W. Mangum proudly remarked, “Green Platoon has come a long way … Our [SOATC] provided world class training to over 500 soldiers last year.”18

In July 2009, SOATC courses were formally incorporated into the Army Training Requirement and Resources System (ATRRS), the Army agency responsible for “centralization of training requirements and resources data”; “management of input to training”; and “evaluation of program execution.”19 This meant that SOATC POIs had formal TRADOC validation. Army recognition of SOATC courses showed how far ‘Green Platoon’ had come in training Night Stalkers. However, the company had room to grow.

Desert/mountain aviation features prominently in MH-47 pilot and crewmember training.
Desert/mountain aviation features prominently in MH-47 pilot and crewmember training.
A key difference between the 160th SOAR and conventional combat aviation brigades is aerial refueling for MH-60s (above) and MH-47s, a skill learned in Green Platoon.
A key difference between the 160th SOAR and conventional combat aviation brigades is aerial refueling for MH-60s (above) and MH-47s, a skill learned in Green Platoon.

Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. launched the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Providing aerial lift and attack support for U.S. Army and joint Special Operations Forces, 160th units deployed constantly. With four battalions by October 2007, the 160th SOAR had grown to support its worldwide operational commitments. SOATC, the ‘feeder’ for trained pilots, aircrew, and support personnel, struggled to meet demand. On 2 October 2010, following USSOCOM guidance, USASOC re-designated SOATC as the Special Operations Aviation Training Battalion (SOATB) and allotted it 7 officers, 9 warrant officers, 38 enlisted personnel, 12 civilians, and 188 contractors.20 Initially part of the 160th SOAR, SOATB formally became part of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) four years later.21 This was the first time that SOA training was done by a unit separate from the 160th itself. Still, the SOATB is collocated at regimental ‘command central’ and is ‘joined at the hip’ with the SOAR.

Headquartered in Feistner Hall22 on Brown Compound, Fort Campbell, the SOATB is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bradley D. Osterman. SGM Marcus B. Buker* is the Senior Enlisted Advisor. SOATB “conducts ARSOA individual training and provides education in order to produce crew members and support personnel with basic and advanced qualifications for the [USASOAC enterprise].”23 By late 2015, SOATB had 359 military, civilian, and contract personnel and its own helicopter fleet (16 A/MH-6s, 9 MH-60s, and 9 MH-47s).24 SOATB teaches 29 POIs ranging from Combat Skills to Dunker/METS (Modular Egress Training Simulator) Qualification to airframe-specific pilot and Non-rated Crewmember (NRCM) courses. Three SOATB companies develop, support, and teach these POIs: Headquarters Support Company (HSC); Company A (Combat Skills); and Company B (Flight Company).

Activated on 23 July 2015, HSC consists of the battalion command group, staff, and support elements, and three specialty, contractor-dependent sections: the Training Development Support Cell (TDSC), the Allison Aquatics Training Facility (AATF), and the Aviation Maintenance Section. These elements provide critical administrative, maintenance, and training support for SOATB. HSC also administratively supports the Aviation Maintenance Sustainment Office (AMSO) and the Systems Integration Management Office (SIMO).  Captain (CPT) Cliff J. Marone* and First Sergeant (1SG) Mark B. Myers*, the command team, are among the 33 active duty HSC personnel. CPT Marone* emphasizes the special hybrid nature of the HSC: “It is unique to have contractors, green-suiters, and GS employees all under the same umbrella, but it works really well.” The TDSC, AATF, and Aviation Maintenance Section thrive because of the contractors. As 1SG Myers* reminded, “Contractors are the continuity within this battalion.”25

Run entirely by 30 IDR (International Development and Resources, Inc.) contractors (many retired Night Stalkers), the TDSC functions as the 160th Knowledge Management hub. Located in Chapman Hall on Brown Compound, the TDSC has five functional sections: structural systems developers, publications/technical writers, graphic designers, photographers and videographers, and computer programmers.26 The TDSC “develop[s], manage[s], and produce[s] training courseware in support of SOA flight and ground training requirements and SOATB POIs. Additionally, TDSC develop[s], publish[es], maintain[s], and distribute[s] USASOAC and 160th-authored publications.” According to the TDSC Project Lead, retired 160th chief warrant officer Daniel E. Fizer*, “We strive to develop products that are technically accurate and instructionally sound with no obvious errors.”27

After completing the Combat Skills course, aviation personnel take dunker training at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility to learn how to egress from a helicopter downed in water.
After completing the Combat Skills course, aviation personnel take dunker training at the Allison Aquatics Training Facility to learn how to egress from a helicopter downed in water.

Staffed by nine Survival Systems USA, Inc. contractors, the Allison Aquatics Training Facility has trained approximately 7,000 soldiers in water survival techniques since its opening in March 2009.28 The AATF follows four TRADOC-approved POIs. First is the two-day Dunker Qualification Course, with A/MH-6, MH-60, and MH-47 helicopter mock-ups used in a manufactured windy, ‘wave-pool’ environment to teach underwater escapes from disabled aircraft. Second is the one-day Dunker Currency Course, required for flight crewmembers every four years. Third is the annually required use of a Helicopter Emergency Egress Device (HEED) (or Emergency Breathing Device [EBD]), a four-hour practical refresher (the HEED requirement is satisfied during initial/refresher dunker training). Lastly, the AATF provides a one-day SOF Ground Forces Water/Survival Egress Course for 160th ‘customers’ to prepare them as passengers for a downed aircraft situation. According to the Facility Manager, retired 5th SFG diver Christian D. Schmidt*, “We get a lot of positive feedback. Soldiers and aviators who have gone through dunker training at other facilities say that our training here far exceeds the others.”29

The Aviation Maintenance Section under the HSC, SOATB, performs all maintenance and repairs on the 35-40 helicopters ‘owned’ by SOATB.
The Aviation Maintenance Section under the HSC, SOATB, performs all maintenance and repairs on the 35-40 helicopters ‘owned’ by SOATB.

The final, HSC contractor-dependent element is the Aviation Maintenance Section. The Production Control Officer, retired CSM Mike C. Gallico*, has an NCOIC to help him manage the 130 Lockheed-Martin general maintenance contractors, many of whom are former Night Stalkers. This group does scheduled (or ‘phased’) maintenance (MH-47s and A/MH-6s every 300 flight hours and MH-60s every 360 hours) and regular maintenance on the SOATB helicopters used by Company B. According to Gallico*, “There’s a lot of effort that goes into this. Kudos go to the guys with the wrenches working in the cold, rainy weather to keep these aircraft flying.”30

As the SOATB proponent for Combat Skills, Company A is truly the ‘first step’ for officers, warrant officers, and soldiers entering the 160th SOAR. It “reinforce[s] Army SOF attributes and prepare[s] soldiers for varying combat environments … The student and his or her corresponding team are purposefully placed under stress throughout the course utilizing scenario-based training.”31 The Officer and Enlisted Combat Skills POIs have four distinct areas of instruction: First Responders (medical), Land Navigation, Modern Army Combatives, and Advanced Combat Shooting, with basic soldiering skills reinforced throughout. SOATB Combat Skills POIs are explained in subsequent articles on Officer and Enlisted ‘Green Platoon’ training.

Night Stalker candidates negotiate many obstacles, including mud pits, during the team-building portion of Combat Skills.
Night Stalker candidates negotiate many obstacles, including mud pits, during the team-building portion of Combat Skills.
A ‘Black Shirt’ instructor teaches students combatives techniques during Combat Skills.
A ‘Black Shirt’ instructor teaches students combatives techniques during Combat Skills.
Under the watchful eye of a ‘Black Shirt’ instructor, students conduct advanced weapons training during Combat Skills.
Under the watchful eye of a ‘Black Shirt’ instructor, students conduct advanced weapons training during Combat Skills.

Company B, SOATB “is responsible for all SOA flight training POIs.” Officer courses include Basic Skills, a non-flying course emphasizing navigation and mission planning; airframe-specific Advanced Skills Courses to learn the nuances of the helicopters that they will be flying in their units; Advanced Qualification Courses, for 160th pilots wishing to switch airframes; and the A/MH-6M IP and Maintenance Test Pilot (MTP) Courses. Its enlisted POIs include maintainer and avionics courses for all aircraft, MH-60 and MH-47 NRCM courses, and MH-60 and MH-47 flight instructor courses. Company B also conducts the Special Operations Aviation Medical Indoctrination Course (SOAMIC), the SOF-peculiar [MQ-1C] Gray Eagle Operator Course, and the SOF Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Instructor Operator/Standardization Operator Course. The aviation force provider to the 160th, Company B “focuses on providing challenging, realistic, and flexible training for its students.”32 Its ability to train and adapt is facilitated by its mixture of active Army and contract personnel. More detail on Company B is also provided in other articles.

Even though they are already trained aviators, Night Stalker candidates must spend twenty days in a state-of-the-art Combat Mission Simulator (CMS) before jumping into the cockpits of real helicopters during their airframe-specific Basic Mission Qualification Courses.
Even though they are already trained aviators, Night Stalker candidates must spend twenty days in a state-of-the-art Combat Mission Simulator (CMS) before jumping into the cockpits of real helicopters during their airframe-specific Basic Mission Qualification Courses.
Aviators apply what they have learned in classroom, simulator, and practical instruction in their BMQ Courses, which include Overwater training.
Aviators apply what they have learned in classroom, simulator, and practical instruction in their BMQ Courses, which include Overwater training.

SOATB accomplishments in a year highlight the pivotal role that it plays in SOA training. In 2014 alone, 151 classes produced 538 SOA qualified pilots, transitioned crewmembers, staff, and support personnel (64 aviators; 35 staff officers [Combat Skills only]; 389 enlisted soldiers in aviation courses; and 50 non-aviation enlisted soldiers [Combat Skills only]). This was done with over 9,300 accident-free flying hours (4,066 under NVGs). SOATB conducted 83 aerial and 77 ground gunnery qualifications without incident, expending 4.3 million small arms rounds and 1,158 aerial rockets. The battalion conducted desert, mountain, urban, overwater, and deck landing qualifications (DLQs) during thirty-four stateside deployments, as well as 204 Helicopter Air-to-Air Refueling (HAAR) sorties. One thousand two hundred forty-seven unit members and ground customers did water survival and egress training. SOATB issued 44,356 certificates for TDSC-developed and -operated online learning classes. Finally, the battalion did thirty phase maintenance cycles and kept thirty-four specially modified SOA helicopters flying.33

A crew chief fires his mini-gun during aerial gunnery training. In Fiscal Year 2014 alone, SOATB ran 83 aerial gunnery ranges and expended 3.5 million rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and 1,158 rockets.
A crew chief fires his mini-gun during aerial gunnery training. In Fiscal Year 2014 alone, SOATB ran 83 aerial gunnery ranges and expended 3.5 million rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and 1,158 rockets.

SOA training has come a long way since the ad hoc, high-risk training of the early 1980s. With each organizational evolution (‘Green Platoon’ in 1985 to S&T in 1988 to SOATC in 1992 and to SOATB in 2010) came better resourcing, training, and TTPs. Vital contractor support to SOA training began in 1992 with six CMIs and has grown to some 300 training and maintenance contractors today. According to LTC Osterman, “The contractor force allows me to retain the skills of those who retire and desire to continue serving. It also allows me to capture decades of Night Stalker history and culture.”34

Today, SOATB produces the best-trained SOA pilots, aircrews, and aviation support personnel in the world. The American Council on Education has even qualified sixteen SOATB POIs for undergraduate college credit and one POI for graduate level credit. SOATB graduates “are highly trained and proficient [BMQ] officer and enlisted Soldiers, postured for service in all aspects of SOF rotary-wing and [UAS] areas of employment … [R]apid and continual technological advances will be met with an adaptive cadre of instructors committed to … develop[ing] students able to deal with new and evolving threats.”35 Just as important as technical instruction, “‘Green Platoon’ inculcates the Night Stalker culture,” according to LTC Osterman. “It makes you understand that Night Stalkers Don’t Quit. It makes you understand that we are not a maneuver element, that we exist to serve our SOF ground-based customers. Our processes are designed to inculcate those values.”36

‘Green Platoon’ inculcates the Night Stalker culture, making students understand that the 160th SOAR exists to serve its SOF ground-based customers and that Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.
‘Green Platoon’ inculcates the Night Stalker culture, making students understand that the 160th SOAR exists to serve its SOF ground-based customers and that Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.

ENDNOTES

  1. Sergeant Major (SGM) Marcus B. Buker*, SOATB SGM, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 28 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  2. Sergeant Major (SGM) Thomas J. Smith, 160th SOAR Operations SGM, U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy Class Paper, “Enlisted Green Platoon,” 1 February 2007, Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, KS, hereafter Smith USASMA Paper. [return]
  3. Smith USASMA Paper. [return]
  4. Smith USASMA Paper. [return]
  5. MW4 Carl R. Brown, “‘Green Platoon’: The 160th SOAR’s Training Program,” Special Warfare 14/3 (Summer 2001): 12. [return]
  6. MSG Greggory M. Chamberlain*, U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy Class Paper, “SSG Kisling, SGT Svitak, and the 160th SOAR (A),” 24 February 2006, 3, Combined Arms Research Library, Fort Leavenworth, KS. [return]
  7. Mike C. Gallico*, Aviation Maintenance Section, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 25 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  8. 160th SOAR, “Historical Summary of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne),” no date, 2, U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH), Fort Leslie J. McNair, Washington, DC. [return]
  9. Federal Research Division (FRD), A History of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (Washington, DC: Library of Congress, 2001), 6; “In Memory,” Special Warfare 14/3 (Summer 2001): 5. The four aircraft lost in 1983 were CH-47 #527 on 20 March, CH-47 #845 on 10 July, UH-60A #993 on 26 August, and UH-60A #999 on 4 October. [return]
  10. Brown, “Green Platoon,” 12-13; FRD, History of the 160th, 6. [return]
  11. Memorandum, USAJFKSWCS to USSOCOM et al., “SUBJECT: Command and Control of Special Operations Aviation (SOA),” 24 November 1987, Folder “160th Aviation Regimental Information,” CMH. [return]
  12. Brown, “Green Platoon,” 13. [return]
  13. Carl R. Bierbaum, D. Michael McAnulty, and Kenneth D. Cross, Effectiveness of Contractor Mission Instructors in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Basic Mission Qualification Course (Fort Rucker, AL: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, 1992), 1, 4, 6, quotation from 1. [return]
  14. Brown, “Green Platoon,” 13. [return]
  15. Bierbaum et al., Effectiveness of Contractor Mission Instructors, i, 1, 4-10, 24, quotations from 1, 24. Class 91-02 had three AH-6, three MH-6, four CH-47, and three UH-60 students; Class 91-03 had seven AH-6, four CH-47, and three UH-60 students; and Class 91-04 had two AH-6, four MH-6, three CH-47, and four UH-60 students. [return]
  16. FRD, History of the 160th, 6. [return]
  17. Brown, “Green Platoon,” 12. [return]
  18. COL Mangum quotation from Kimberly T. Laudano, “160th SOAR Night Stalkers Celebrate 25 Years,” Army Aviation (December 2006): 42. [return]
  19. Special Operations Training Battalion (SOATB), Power Point Presentation, “SOATB 101: SOATB—The FIRST Step in Night Stalking,” 1 September 2015, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC, hereafter “SOATB 101.” [return]
  20. USASOC, “Permanent Order 295-1,” 22 October 2010, Folder “160th Aviation Regimental Information,” CMH. [return]
  21. USASOC, “U.S. Army Special Operations Command Annual Command History, Calendar Year 2011,” 428, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC; “SOATB 101.”  USASOAC was provisionally activated under USASOC on 25 March 2011 as the one-star higher headquarters of the 160th SOAR. [return]
  22. Named after MAJ Curtis D. Feistner, killed in an MH-47 crash on 22 February 2002 near Mindanao, Philippines. USASOC History Office, The Last Full Measure of Devotion: U.S. Army Special Operations Fallen from 2001-2019 (Fort Bragg, NC: USASOC, 2019), 10. [return]
  23. This is a slight change from the official mission statement, which states that SOATB provides training and education to benefit the 160th, which is but one—albeit the main—‘customer’ supported by SOATB. MAJ Roger E. Hinton*, SOATB, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 28 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  24. The 359 personnel consisted of 7 officers, 8 warrant officers, and 37 enlisted personnel assigned; 9 General Schedule (GS) employees; 27 “borrowed military manpower” positions from other USASOAC/160th elements; and 167 training and 104 maintenance contractors. [return]
  25. CPT Cliff J. Marone* and 1SG Mark B. Myers*, HSC, SOATB, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 25 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  26. Named after SSG Christopher J. Chapman, killed on 21 February 1991 in a MH-60 crash during Operation DESERT STORM. [return]
  27. “SOATB 101”; Daniel E. Fizer*, TDSC, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 25 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  28. Named for SGT Thomas F. Allison, killed on 22 February 2002 in the same crash as Feistner while serving in an Aviation Life Support Equipment section. USASOC History Office, The Last Full Measure of Devotion, 8. [return]
  29. “SOATB 101”; Christian D. Schmidt*, AATF, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 25 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  30. Gallico* interview, 25 January 2016. [return]
  31. SOATB, “SOATB requirements: Chg 1 OPORD 16-02 (160th SOAR support to USASOC Historian): TAB A,” 1-2, copy in USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  32. “SOATB requirements: Chg 1 OPORD 16-02 (160th SOAR support to USASOC Historian): TAB A,” 2. [return]
  33. U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (Airborne) (USASOAC), “Annual History Report, Calendar Year 2014,” 59-60, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  34. LTC Bradley D. Osterman, Commander, SOATB, interview with Jared M. Tracy, 28 January 2016, USASOC History Office Classified Files, Fort Bragg, NC. [return]
  35. “SOATB requirements: Chg 1 OPORD 16-02 (160th SOAR support to USASOC Historian): TAB A,” 1-2; “SOATB requirements: Chg 1 OPORD 16-02 (160th SOAR support to USASOC Historian): TAB B,” 1. [return]
  36. Osterman interview, 28 January 2016. [return]