Air Force Special Operations Command’s enlisted force bestowed its highest honor on AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, inducting him into the Order of the Sword last week. “I think Gen. Fiel will go down in history as one of those commanders who always put the enlisted [force] first,” said retired CMSAF Jim Binnicker, in a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 9. “It is extremely overwhelming and humbling to receive such an honor,” said Fiel. “Words will never express the love and admiration both me and Donna have for each and every one of you that have been involved in AFSOC,” he added, thanking his wife for her support over his 33-year special operations career. Fiel was nominated as the ninth AFSOC officer to join the command’s order last year, following former Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, states the May 13 release.
Retired Col. Carlyle "Smitty" Harris, known for introducing the "tap code" by which American POWs in North Vietnam could surreptitiously communicate with one another, died July 6. Harris was brutalized by the North Vietnamese over almost eight years of captivity.