Members of the 20th SOS salute the flag during the squadron's reactivation ceremony. US Air Force image/Sgt. Heather R Redman
Green Hornets fly again
The 20th Special Operations Squadron, known as the ‘Green Hornets’, has reformed.
Gary Parsons - 18-Jan-2010
January 15: The 20th Special Operations Squadron, known as the ‘Green Hornets’, has reformed at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico with the CV-22 ‘Osprey’ tilt-rotor aircraft.
Now part of the 27th Special Operations Group within the US Air Force Special Operations Command, the squadron will provide support for Special Forces teams in potentially hostile and politically sensitive areas.
Colonel James Cardoso, commander of the 27th SOG, said "It should be clear that the machine alone, this new ‘steel horse we ride’, no matter how awesome it is, does not give the squadron its identity," he said. “The essence of the Green Hornets lies not in wonder of its machines, but in the spirit of its people and its leadership.”
The 20th SOS previously flew the MH-53M Pave Low IV, retired in 2008.