633d Air Base Wing
Encyclopedia
The United States Air Force
's 633rd Air Base Wing (633 ABW) is the host at Joint Base Langley-Eustis
, Va., headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, as directed by BRAC
2005. Its commander is Col. Korvin Auch, with / Chief Master Sgt. Kevin J. Howell as its command chief master sergeant.
as part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at Pleiku Air Base 62
, South Vietnam
, and later at Andersen AFB, Guam
. During the Vietnam War
, Airmen of the 633rd ABW participated in numerous campaigns, air offensives and Operations Arc Light
, Bullet Shot and Linebacker
.
The 633rd Special Operations Wing
was activated at Pleiku on 15 July 1968. Its mission was to assess, train, advise and assist South Vietnamese Air Force personnel in airpower employment, sustainment and force integration. 633rd personnel also advised the South Vietnamese sustain their own airpower resources and, when necessary, integrate those resources into joint and combined operations with the USAF. The 633rd was formed from elements of the 14th Special Operations Wing at Nha Trang Air Base
and the 1st Special Operations Wing
on Temporary Duty from Hurlburt Field
, Florida.
On 1 October 1989, the wing aligned under the 13th Air Force, activated on Andersen AFB and became the host unit, providing services for various tenant units. This marked the transfer of Andersen AFB control from Strategic Air Command
to PACAF.
In August 1990, 633rd ABW personnel began shipping more than 37,000 tons of munitions to forces in the Persian Gulf
during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm - more than 30,000 tons went by sealift, and more than 2,200 troops and 2,200 tons of cargo processed aboard 200 aircraft. Operation Fiery Vigil
spun into action June 1991, when 633rd ABW personnel cared for more than 20,000 American evacuees and 1,100 pets following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo
, Philippines
.
On 1 October 1994, the 633rd ABW was inactivated and the 36 ABW
was activated in keeping with the policy of the Air Force Chief of Staff to maintain the most highly decorated and longest-serving Air Force units on active-duty.
On 7 January 2010, the Ninth Air Force
reactivated the 633rd ABW and declared it to be the host unit for Joint Base Langley-Eustis
in Virginia.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's 633rd Air Base Wing (633 ABW) is the host at Joint Base Langley-Eustis
Joint Base Langley-Eustis
Joint Base Langley–Eustis is a United States military facility located in Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 633rd Air Base Wing, Air Combat Command...
, Va., headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, as directed by BRAC
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
2005. Its commander is Col. Korvin Auch, with / Chief Master Sgt. Kevin J. Howell as its command chief master sergeant.
History
Originally designated the 633rd Combat Support Group, the 633rd ABW was established and activated 14 March 1966 and organized 8 April 1966. It was originally assigned to the Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
as part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at Pleiku Air Base 62
Pleiku Air Base
Pleiku Air Base is a former air force base in Vietnam. It was established by the South Vietnamese Air Force in 1962 at an undeveloped airstrip, and was used by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone of South Vietnam. It was seized by the Vietnam People's...
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, and later at Andersen AFB, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Airmen of the 633rd ABW participated in numerous campaigns, air offensives and Operations Arc Light
Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52D Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam...
, Bullet Shot and Linebacker
Operation Linebacker
Operation Linebacker was the title of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 aerial interdiction campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War....
.
The 633rd Special Operations Wing
633d Special Operations Wing
The 633d Special Operations Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam...
was activated at Pleiku on 15 July 1968. Its mission was to assess, train, advise and assist South Vietnamese Air Force personnel in airpower employment, sustainment and force integration. 633rd personnel also advised the South Vietnamese sustain their own airpower resources and, when necessary, integrate those resources into joint and combined operations with the USAF. The 633rd was formed from elements of the 14th Special Operations Wing at Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province....
and the 1st Special Operations Wing
1st Special Operations Wing
The 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of two United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command ....
on Temporary Duty from Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the...
, Florida.
On 1 October 1989, the wing aligned under the 13th Air Force, activated on Andersen AFB and became the host unit, providing services for various tenant units. This marked the transfer of Andersen AFB control from Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
to PACAF.
In August 1990, 633rd ABW personnel began shipping more than 37,000 tons of munitions to forces in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm - more than 30,000 tons went by sealift, and more than 2,200 troops and 2,200 tons of cargo processed aboard 200 aircraft. Operation Fiery Vigil
Operation Fiery Vigil
Operation Fiery Vigil was the emergency evacuation of all non-essential military and United States Department of Defense civilian personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Base and U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay during the June 1991 volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines...
spun into action June 1991, when 633rd ABW personnel cared for more than 20,000 American evacuees and 1,100 pets following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. It is located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon from the central plains, and is west of the dormant and...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
On 1 October 1994, the 633rd ABW was inactivated and the 36 ABW
36th Wing
The United States Air Force's 36th Wing is the host wing for Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. It is part of United States Pacific Air Forces Thirteenth Air Force...
was activated in keeping with the policy of the Air Force Chief of Staff to maintain the most highly decorated and longest-serving Air Force units on active-duty.
On 7 January 2010, the Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
reactivated the 633rd ABW and declared it to be the host unit for Joint Base Langley-Eustis
Joint Base Langley-Eustis
Joint Base Langley–Eustis is a United States military facility located in Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 633rd Air Base Wing, Air Combat Command...
in Virginia.