Skyhook Recovery:
A Brief History

By Lonny Holmes
Originally published in the April 2019 Sentinel

The recovery of personnel from the ground by a flying aircraft became practical in the early 1960s and continued until early 1982 using the Fulton Skyhook procedure or as the Air Force named it, Surface to Air Recovery System (STARS). The STARS system was developed by inventor Robert Edison Fulton Jr. during a long career and the first human pick-up was on August 12, 1958.

Click on image above to view this video on Special Forces Association Chapter LX Facebook page. Fulton Skyhook: Explanation of the Skyhook by Mr. Fulton. 1979 pickup of LTC Quijano in Spain by 7th SOS MC-130 pilot Major Mark Tuck. Presentation on Project 46. `Classification: Unclassified.

During World War II recovery systems were studied and prototypes produced to recover shot down pilots but due to technical difficulties were never perfected. Following the Korean War the CIA furthered the development of the All American System which became a forerunner of the STARS and on November 29, 1952 attempted the recovery of two American CIA Agents from the Kirin Province of Manchuria. A double agent had alerted the Chinese and the C-47 was shot down and the pilots killed. Agents Richard G. Feateau and John T. Downey spent twenty plus years as POW’s and were released on December 1971 and March 1973 respectively.

The first live pick-up using STARS occurred on August 12, 1958 at Quantico Marine Base, recovering Marine SSG Levi Wesley Woods of the 2nd Recon Force.

The first operational recovery using STARS occurred on Operation Coldfeet in the Arctic on a Soviet Union research ice station that they had developed then abandoned. Two American agents were parachuted in to gather information and equipment then extracted under difficult weather conditions on May 31, 1962.

The first Green Beret recovered was Captain Farrington on February 24, 1964, at Fort Bragg by a CV-2 Caribou. On March 18, 3rd Special Forces Group Commander EB Smith was picked up, again at Fort Bragg. Continuing the saga of famous Green Beret Officers picked up by the STARS are: Major General William P. Yarborough on May 21, 1964 at Camp Mackall and Brigadier General Joseph Stillwell on August 13, 1964 at Fort Bragg.

Major General William P. Yarborough, father of the modern Green Berets, was picked up the STARS on May 21, 1964 at Camp Mackall.

On May 3, 1966 the first dual (side by side) recovery was performed at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, when Air Force Colonel Allison C. Brooks and A3C Ronald L. Doll were picked up.

A number of STARS recoveries were performed in Viet Nam, Thailand and the Philippines. Major General, then MACV-SOG Commander Colonel Jack Singlaub was extracted from Long Thanh, Viet Nam on February 24, 1967 by a C-130E aircraft which was by then the designated primary recovery vehicle. Colonel Singlaub’s story written by Chapter 78 President John S. Meyer is featured in this issue of the Sentinel.

Following my return from Viet Nam to Thailand and working at the SFOB dispensary waiting for my team assignment I was involved in the STARS recovery of Green Beret Major Douglas Horne at Lopburi, Thailand on May 23, 1969. Yes, it was exciting and was over in seconds for those of us on the ground.

Of the 166 STARS pickups recorded by Richard Green, USSOCOM Historian, there was one death — SFC Clifford W. Strickland, B-32, 10th SFGA on April 26, 1982 in Germany. This was the last STARS. The STARS historical collection effort is a work in progress by the SOCOM Historian.

Editor’s note: Richard Greene has reported that the document is the final stages as of now, September, 2025, and being prepared for review and approval for publication. We hope to be able to post it on our site sometime in the near future.

For detailed information on STARS I refer you to the story by Colonel John Gargus in this issue of the Sentinel who has participated in a number of live pickups. The single most compete source of STARS information is Colonel Jerry L. Thigpen’s book, The PRAETORIAN STARship: The Untold Story of the Combat Talon.

About the Author:

If you are reading the Sentinel, you owe a debt of gratitude to Lonny Holmes. Lonny served as the editor of the Sentinel from March 2012 to December 2019. During that time he transformed the publication. To learn about Lonny and also his work with SFA Chapter 78, read “If it’s not written, it didn’t happen.” Lonny Holmes, Former SF Medic, Commits to Printing SF History.”

Our site also includes his biography/member profile, which includes many photos from his military career and a tribute to SSG Wallace Wilfred Gumbs who he served with in ODA 4624.

Lonny is a past president of SFA Chapter 78. He is currently located in Las Vegas and is now a member of SFA Chapter 51.