The 1st Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It operates the MC-130J Commando II, providing special operation capabilities. Air crews are trained in night low-level flying, using night vision goggles to deliver troops and equipment into denied areas during adverse weather conditions at night by airdrop or landing.
MC-130J Commando II
Image: 1st Special Operations Squadron
Image: 1 Air Commando Sq Patch
A-1E Skyraiders of the 1st SOS.
The Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base (NKP), formerly Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is approximately 587 km (365 mi) northeast of Bangkok, 14.5 km (9.0 mi) west of Nakhon Phanom city in Nakhon Phanom Province in the northeastern region of Thailand, and 411 km (255 mi) from Hanoi in Vietnam. The Mekong River is NKP's border with Laos. The airfield at NKP is jointly used as a civilian airport.
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in the 1960s looking to the southwest
Bob Hope's 1966 Christmas Show at Nakhon Phanom
A 609th SOS B-26K/A-26A starting engines in 1969
U.S. Air Force air rescue team: Four NKP based A-1 Skyraiders and a Lockheed HC-130P Hercules recovery aircraft refueling a Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopter