The 21st Special Operations Squadron is a unit within the 353rd Special Operations Wing, United States Air Force based at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The unit has been activated and inactivated a number o
CV 22 Ospreys over Tokyo
A HH-53 helicopter of the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron as seen from the gunner's position in a helicopter of the 21st Special Operations Squadron in Vietnam, October 1972
MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopter approaches the refueling basket of an MC-130P Combat Shadow for in-flight refueling as they fly over flooded Central Mozambique, 20 March 2000
The Mayaguez incident took place between Kampuchea and the United States from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the Khmer Rouge took control of the capital Phnom Penh, ousting the U.S.-backed
21st Special Operations Squadron
…Command, later being redesignated the 21st Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968. The squadron took part in both Operation Frequent Wind, and the Mayaguez incident. In addition to its combat duties, the unit has taken part in a number of humanitarian aid operations. The 21st Special Operations Squadron, which fell…
The wreckage of U.S. Air Force CH-53 helicopters Knife 23 (left) and Knife 31 (right), shot down during the battle, lying on Koh Tang's East Beach shortly after the battle
The acting Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General David C. Jones (standing), briefs the National Security Council at The White House on possible military options during the second meeting on the Mayaguez crisis on 12 May 1975.
An aerial surveillance photo showing two Khmer Rouge Swift Boats during the initial seizing of the SS Mayaguez
These 23 USAF Security Policemen were killed when their helicopter crashed due to a mechanical failure.