SAN DIEGO — A ceremony was held at the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial on Wednesday morning to honor 22 Combat Controllers who were killed in action. At the service a plaque was dedicated in the honor of the 22 men who have been lost.
Combat Control Teams originated out of World War II. U.S. Army paratroopers would often miss their drop zones, once by over 55 miles and the Army created Pathfinders to fix this issue. It was the Pathfinder’s job to parachute into the area alone prior to any large airdrops to provide operational coverage. This is where the CCT motto, “First There” originated.
According to a press release, “Pathfinders were instrumental in the success of the many important Allie offensives in WW2. In 1953, the Air Force activated Air Force Pathfinder Teams. The name was later changed to Air Force Combat Controllers (CCTs) and they are the Quiet Professionals of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.”
The 22 Combat Controllers honored at this event are listed below:
• Master Sgt. Don Baker, Special Tactics Combat Controller, May 14, 1961
• Technical Sgt. Richard Foxx, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Oct. 15, 1962
• Senior Master Sgt. Andre Guillet, Special Tactics Combat Controller, May 18, 1966
• Airmen First Class. William Jenkins, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 4, 1967
• Master Sgt. Charles Paradise, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 4, 1967
• Technical Sgt. Frederick Thrower, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 4, 1967
• Senior Master Sgt. Paul Foster, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Dec. 29, 1967
• Capt. Arthur Galvan, Special Tactics Officer, Jan. 31, 1991
• Master Sgt. John Chapman, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Mar. 4, 2002
• Staff Sgt. Scott Sather, Special Tactics Combat Controller, April 8, 2003
• Capt. Derek Argel, Special Tactics Officer, May 30, 2005
• Capt. Jeremy Fresques, Special Tactics Officer, May 30, 2005
• Staff Sgt. Casey Crate, Special Tactics Combat Controller, May 30, 2005
• Senior Airman Adam Servais, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 19, 2006
• Technical Sgt. William Jefferson, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Mar. 22, 2008
• Staff Sgt. Timothy Davis, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Feb. 20, 2009
• Senior Airman Daniel Sanchez, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 16, 2010
• Senior Airman Mark Forester, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Sep. 29, 2010
• Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 6, 2011
• Capt. Matthew Roland, Special Tactics Officer, Aug. 26, 2015
• Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Aug. 26, 2015
• Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, Special Tactics Combat Controller, Nov. 27, 2018
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