Medics assigned to the 31st Combat Air Base Squadron gained proficiency with an air transportable clinic, becoming the first medical personnel to undergo specialized, expeditionary training during an Air Force unit of action’s pre-deployment training window at Tyndall Air Force Base, Feb. 8-20, 2026. Personnel also followed a course of instruction developed by the 31st Air Task Force’s medical planner in coordination with Special Operations Forces Medical Element (SOF-ME) cadre from the 1st Special Operations Wing.
At 4:30 a.m., while most of Hurlburt Field is still dark and quiet, a security forces handler assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing begins his shift. He checks his gear, reviews the night’s incidents and prepares for a long day of patrol. But before he heads out, he makes sure his partner is ready.
That partner doesn’t grab a radio or lace up boots. He waits patiently in a kennel, tail thumping against the gate.
