29 Feb 2020

Fallen Special Tactics Airman honored with hometown bridge dedication

Family, teammates and local community members commemorated the life and legacy of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, a Special Tactics combat controller, with a bridge dedication at the Veterans of Foreign War Post 128, Rochester, Pennsylvania, Feb. 29, 2020.

4 Mar 2019

Special Tactics Airmen culminate 830-mile ruck march to honor fallen brethren

Aches, blisters, exhaustion, pain…830 miles, five states, 11 days…are a minute price to pay to honor the fallen. The push to continue on for these Air Commandos come from their communities’ legacy of never forgetting a fallen comrade, from the pride instilled within themselves, and from reaching down and grabbing one of 20 batons that contained an inscribed name of a fallen teammate. Air Force Special Operations Command Special Tactics Airmen, along with a mission support force of 19 Air Commandos assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing, began the 5th iteration of the Special Tactics Memorial March in the pre-lit dawn, Feb. 22 at Medina Annex at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to pay tribute to U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan J. Elchin. 

28 Feb 2019

Behind the scenes of the Special Tactics Memorial March

Alongside highways and back roads of the southern U.S. states, there are two Special Tactics Airmen trekking in the name of their fallen brethren killed in combat. What most people won’t see, is the Individual Duty Medical Technicians putting moleskin on painful blisters, or the communication Airman ensuring the operators are following the correct route, or supply Airmen servicing safety vehicles and the list goes on. A support force of 19 Air Commandos from nine different career specialties are working around-the-clock, 24/7, behind the scenes of Air Force Special Operations Command’s Special Tactics Memorial March, as 10 two-man teams ruck 830 miles to Hurlburt Field.

24 Jan 2019

‘Til Valhalla’: Special Tactics combat controller laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery

Known for his grit, loyalty, unwavering character, and the author of quick-witted military cadences, often referred to as “jodies,” Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin was tough, dedicated, and easy going—often making light of difficult situations. He was a good teammate, a selfless friend and a true patriot who expressed a willingness to lay down his life for what he believed in—God and country. Elchin, a Special Tactics combat controller assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, was honored as hundreds gathered in the rain and he was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, Jan. 24, 2019.

6 Dec 2018

Fallen Special Tactics operator remembered during hometown memorial

Hundreds of Special Tactics Airmen, family and friends gathered to commemorate a fallen teammate, son, fiancé, and warrior during a memorial service, Dec. 6, 2018, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The memorial honored the life and legacy of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, a Special Tactics combat controller assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, who was killed Nov. 27, 2018, when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb while deployed in support of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.

28 Nov 2018

Special Tactics Airman killed in action in Afghanistan

A Special Tactics Airman was killed when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 27, 2018. Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, 25, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, was deployed in support of OPERATION Freedom’s Sentinel.