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AFSOF dedicates conference room to enlisted hero

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kelly Ogden
  • 1st SOW Public Affairs
Air Force Special Operations Forces dedicated a conference room in the Air Force Special Operations Command building's new wing in honor of a former Air Commando Tuesday morning. 

Chief Master Sgt. Atwell Livingston "Duke" Wiley, who served in the Air Force for more than 45 years, 31 years on active duty and 14 years in civil service, supported numerous Air Force operations as a loadmaster for the MC-130E Combat Talon during his career. 

Chief Wiley has a colorful way of speaking and getting his point across, said Col. Michael Callan, AFSOF commander. I've enjoyed hearing his ideas and spin on things throughout my entire flying career.
 
The conference room is the only room in all of AFSOC to be dedicated to an enlisted member. 

Chief Wiley flew more than 50 humanitarian airlift missions in support of the Dominican Republic crisis in 1964, and was the first loadmaster selected as a cadre for the Combat Talon Program in 1965. 

While in Vietnam, he flew more than 400 combat hours on classified missions, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. 

During his time at Hurlburt Field, he was influential in developing, testing and approving special tactics capabilities that are still in use today. After his retirement and induction into AFSOC civil service, the chief continued to plan and coordinate classified and sensitive requirements with joint/combined military and civilian agencies during tests, exercises and real world crisis situations until his death in December 2002. 

"This is a small token of our appreciation to Chief Wiley," Colonel Callan said. "AFSOC would not be what it is without him."