Special operations history echoes 'have guts to try'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Benjamin Kim
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  The commander of the 19th Special Operations Squadron made a special visit and presentation to new Airmen at the Commando Pride Airman Center on Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 17.

Before the presentation of certificates to Airmen graduating from CPAC, the Airmen received a short history lesson during a presentation of street signs with the names of fallen Airmen from Desert One of Operation Eagle Claw to illustrate its significance today.

"It's important for us to know where we came from as a special operations community and as an Air Force community, and it's most important for you guys to understand because many of these things happened a long time ago and they won't have relevance unless you ask questions and you don't learn about what this history means," said Lt. Col. Jocelyn Schermerhorn, commander of the 19th SOS. "It's important to learn the lesson that without working together, we fail."

Desert One was a staging area for Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis occuring before and leading up to the formation of joint military special operations.

"It drives home the point we can be much better collaboratively, as a team, than we can individually, trying to figure out things on our own," Schermerhorn said. "It's really important to stress that coordination, whether it's just you and your buddy on your team that's executing the task your supervisor gave you, or if it's us, as the Air Force Special Operations Command, supporting special operations forces requirements and coordinating with other support units."

The history imparted by Schermerhorn echoed the importance of teamwork, innovation and a never-say-never attitude in the new Airmen. As a tangible reminder of lessons learned from Desert One, Schermerhorn presented CPAC with two street signs named after Maj. Harold L. Lewis, pilot and aircraft commander, and Maj. Lyn D. McIntosh, co-pilot.

"When things are challenging and things are tough, know that this isn't new," said Schermerhorn. "This command knows struggle, and knows what it mean to have to look and defy the odds in figuring out how to get things done even if it looks like a bridge too far. From a special operation perspective, we look at things and we think how we can do it rather than why it can't be done."