Remembering STRAY 59: Airmen honor fallen special operators
A STRAY 59 memorial plaque rests on a ramp of a U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Wing during a memorial ceremony at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Feb. 26, 2026. The ceremony preceded a memorial flight honoring the 23 service members who died when a 1st Special Operations Squadron MC-130E Combat Talon I, call sign STRAY 59, crashed during an exercise in 1981. The victims included personnel from the United States, the Philippine Navy, the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and the New Zealand Special Air Service.(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Arnet Tamayo)