SOWTs were on the ground ahead of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, according to military sources, and their work has helped nail pirates, free hostages and respond to humanitarian disasters. Overall, their ranks have tripled in recent years, with more growth expected. No position in the Air Force is a higher priority for recruiters.
But the work of SOWTs is still invisible to the general public; it's often overshadowed by members of the military's rougher quarters, who rarely seem to tire of mocking their colleagues with the weather balloons.
The valedictorians of the military parachute into enemy territory and launch weather balloons. Grand article.