63d Airlift Wing
Encyclopedia
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...
. Its last assignment was with Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
, being stationed at Norton Air Force Base
Norton Air Force Base
Norton Air Force Base is a former front-line United States Air Force facility located east of downtown San Bernardino, California in San Bernardino County.-Overview:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was inactivated on April 1, 1994.
Origins
The 63d Troop Carrier Wing was established on 10 May 1949. It was activated in the Air Force Reserve on 10 May 1949 as part of Tactical Air CommandTactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
It was equipped with C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s and assigned to Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was activated to Federal Service on May 1, 1951, and its personnel and equipment were sent to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to be used in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
with the 61st Troop Carrier Group
61st Air Base Wing
The 61st Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California....
. With its personnel and equipment deployed, the group was inactivated on May 9, 1951.
After the Korean War, the unit was redesignated as the 63d Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy and activated at Altus Municipal Airport (later Altus AFB), Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on June 20, 1953, being assigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. It trained on C-124 Globemaster II
C-124 Globemaster II
The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
s and transported personnel and supplies, and participated in exercises and maneuvers with Army airborne troops.
Donaldson AFB
On October 15, 1953 the 63d Troop Carrier Wing was transferred to Donaldson AFB, South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. At Donaldson, the unit participated in maneuvers, exercises and the airlift of personnel and cargo to many points throughout the world. Large hangars and expansive ramps were constructed to support these large aircraft, and the base was known as the “Troop Carrier Capitol of the World”. In 1955 the wing transported construction equipment from bases in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to points north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
for use in setting up the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
network in the Canadian Arctic; for this operation, accomplished in severe weather and without adequate navigational equipment, the group received an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
In the following years, the 63d's special humanitarian airlift role continued to increase. This included an airlift by the 14th Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS) in March 1956 of 21 Iron Lungs from Boston, Massachusetts, to polio stricken Argentina. Thirteen months later, a crew from the 15 TCS transported U.S. Ambassador Charles E. Bohlen and his family from Moscow, Russia, to Rhein Main AFB, Germany (enroute to his new assignment as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. Thus, the 15th became the first to land a C-124 "Globemaster" in the Soviet capital.
In 1957 a reorganization of troop carrier forces included the transfer of TAC's heavy-lift C-124 wings to the Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(MATS) where they retained their troop carrier identity and were remained dedicated to support TAC on troop deployments. Under MATS, the 63d performed global airlift missions, including occasional humanitarian or mercy missions, using C-124s as its primary aircraft in the 1958 Lebanon crisis; the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis
Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was a conflict that took place between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China governments in which the PRC shelled the islands of Matsu and Quemoy in the Taiwan Strait in an attempt to seize them from...
; where the 63d assisted in a complete operational Air Force squadron being airlifted in a single-package operation; the Congo Crisis
Congo Crisis
The Congo Crisis was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph Mobutu...
of 1962 and to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
where wing C-124s transported Thai and United States Marines to locations near the Mekong River in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
to deter communist aggression in 1962.
Hunter AFB
With the closing of Donaldson, the wing was reassigned to Hunter Air Force BaseHunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in January 1963. By this time, the wing flew only the C-124 aircraft. Although the wing relocated, its mission remained unchanged. In November 1964, the 63d flew 15 missions behind the Iron Curtain and provided relief in the flooded areas of Yugoslavia during an outbreak of hepatitis. During that same month, 15 of the wing's C-124s (and their associated aircrews) supported Belgian C-130 paratroop operations to free hostages held by rebel forces in Belgium. The paratroopers' efforts proved successful with the liberation of the hostages. After a military siege of the elected government in the Dominican Republic, the wing supported Operation Red Fox/Power Pack (29 April to 8 May 1965), by providing 23 aircraft. At Huner the wing coordinated with Army infantry and airborne units at Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...
, and flew many thousands of troops to air bases in 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...
in the mid-1960s.
On 8 January 1966, the 63d Troop Carrier Wing was reassigned from the inactivating Military Air Transport Service to the newly-established USAF Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
(MAC). With this reassignment, the wing was redesignated as the 63d Military Airlift Wing (MAW). Less than six months later, on 1 July, the wing sent a small provisional element to Norton AFB, California, to begin the wing's eventual move to the Southern California airfield on 1 April 1967.
Vietnam War era
On 1 April 1967, Headquarters, Military Airlift Command (MAC) discontinued the provisional unit, and officially transferred the 63 MAW to its new home Norton AFB, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and entered the jet age, being equipped with the new C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
. From Norton, the wing's notable operations were airlifts and airdrops to floating ice islands in support of scientific stations in the Arctic Ocean, airlift and airdrop support in the Antarctic in support of the Navy's Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
and airlifting of a complete army units on rotation to Europe in support of Reforger Exercises
Exercise REFORGER
Exercise Reforger was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact.The Reforger exercise itself was first conceived in 1967...
.
Within the next few years, the 63d MAW expanded its mission by providing airlift support for the astronauts assigned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Apollo program. On 22 July 1969, an aircrew from the 14th Military Airlift Squadron (MAS) flew to Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and transported the crew of the history-making Apollo 11 flight (the first men to walk on the moon) in the Mobile Quarantine Facility to Ellington AFB, Texas. The wing continued to play a vital role in future NASA programs by providing transportation for personnel, biological samples, and equipment.
During the Vietnam War, 63d MAW C-141s were common sights throughout Japan, the Philippines and Southeast Asia, flying airlift missions to Asia during the Vietnam War. 63d MAW C-141 66-0177 flew Bob Hope to USO shows in South Vietnam and in March 1973, was used in the final days of the Vietnam War to repatriate American POWs from North Vietnam. Arizona Senator John McCain was one of the POWs who flew home on the aircraft, known as the "Hanoi Taxi
Hanoi Taxi
Hanoi Taxi is a Lockheed C-141 Starlifter strategic airlift aircraft that was in service with the United States Air Force and became famous for bringing back the first returned prisoners of war in Operation Homecoming...
". The Hanoi Taxi's name comes from the writing on the flight engineer's panel by the POWs aboard the plane for the freedom flight.
In 1975, C-141s from Norton took part in the airlift of Vietnam refugees from their homeland to the United States (Operation New Life
Operation New Life
Operation New Life was the U.S. military evacuation of about 110,000 Southeast Asian refugees displaced by the Vietnam War out of South Vietnam....
). Throughout the last half of the 1970s, the 63 MAW continued to provide assistance in a variety of humanitarian relief efforts. These missions included support in the aftermath of the 1976 Guatemalan earthquake; quick response to typhoon victims in Guam in both 1976 and 1977; and the 1978 blizzard that left the northeastern portion of the U.S. virtually crippled.
Post-Vietnam era
Beginning in 1977, the 63d's C-141s were modified to the C-141B configuration by adding sections before and after the wings. This lengthened the fuselage and allowed the carriage of 103 litters for wounded, 13 standard pallets, 205 troops, 168 paratroopers, or an equivalent increase in other loads. Also added at this time was a boom receptacle for inflight refueling. The conversion program was completed by 1982. It was estimated that this stretching program was the equivalent of buying 90 new aircraft, in terms of increased capacity.Man-made disasters also required help from the 63d. On 2l November 1978, two C-141s and their 14 MAS aircrews retrieved over 900 corpses from the Jonestown mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. And, as a result of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant meltdown in April 1979, the 63d flew two missions that provided approximately 100,000 pounds of charcoal filters needed in the cleanup.
Captain Kathy LaSauce-Arlington became the first female pilot in Air Force history to command a C-141 when she received her certification by the 63 MAW's Review and Certification Board on 8 January 1980. The wing logged three more firsts when it received its first C-141B aircraft on 19 July 1980, and on 22 June 1981 when the wing accomplished the first-ever C-141B air-refueling mission on a flight that delivered fresh produce, mail, and other supplies to the South Pole and McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Almost a year to the day later (21 June 1982), a 63 MAW C-141B received fuel from the new KC-10 aerial tanker, in total darkness and on a similar South Pole mission.
Throughout the 1980s, the 63 MAW continually responded to both military and humanitarian needs. The wing launched 14 C-141s in response to Operation Urgent Fury—the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983—where they flew troops and equipment from Pope AFB, North Carolina, to the Caribbean island. Two years later, on 21 September 1985, the wing flew respiration equipment and lights to Mexico City to help in the recovery efforts following a massive earthquake. In November and December of 1985, the 15 MAS flew members of Joint Casualty Recovery Center and some heavy earth-moving equipment to Hanoi to assist in the recovery of the remains of seven Americans from the Vietnam War. And on the home front, the 63d flew supplies to the cattle ranchers in the southeastern U.S. during Operation Hayride in July 1986.
Two military operations in the late 1980s reflected the quick responses of the 63 MAW. In 1988 the wing supported Exercise Golden Pheasant--an emergency deployment of U.S. Army troops to Honduras to show American support to the democratic government of that Central American nation. Then, on 20 December 1989, aircrews and aircraft from the 63d participated in the initial airdrop of troops in the assault on Panama's Torrijos International Airport. During the three week contingency, the 63d's accounted for 72 of the 147 missions flown by aircraft under the Twenty Second Air Force (22 AF) during Operation Just Cause.
Modern era
During Operation Desert Shield and Desert StormGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, C-141s from the 63d MAW flew American Army and Air Force units and equipment into Saudi Arabia, transporting more than 41,400 passengers and 139,600 tons (125,690 metric tons) of cargo. Shortly after the end of hostilities in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the wing was redesignated as the 63d Airlift Wing (AW).
The 63d AW provided assistance throughout the world that included relief help to the Kurds in Northern Iraq, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)--the former Soviet Union, and war-torn Yugoslavia. Additionally, the 63d took part in the efforts to transport food and supplies to hurricane-ravaged southern Florida, Hawaii, and Guam. The May 1992 riots in Los Angeles, California, also required the aid of the 63d Airlift Wing (redesignated as such on 1 January 1992). The wing transported riot personnel and equipment from various locations into Norton AFB. The 63d Transportation Squadron (TRNS) then provided ground transportation into the Los Angeles area for these assets. And even though the wing operated only two C-141 squadrons, it still managed to take an active role in the support of relief efforts to famine-stricken Somalia as part of Operation Restore Hope.
With the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the general drawdown of American military forces, Norton AFB was selected for closure due to environmental wastes, inadequate facilities, and air traffic congestion (due to air traffic from Ontario International Airport, twenty miles (32 km) west, and Los Angeles International Airport, 60 miles (97 km) west) .
The 63d Airlift Wing was inactivated on April 1, 1994 along with Norton AFB.
Lineage
- Established as 63d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on May 10, 1949
- Allocated to the reserve May 10, 1949
- Activated in the Reserve on June 27, 1949
- Ordered to active service on May 1, 1951
- Inactivated on May 9, 1951
- Redesignated 63d Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, on December 18, 1952
- Activated on January 8, 1953
- Redesignated 63d Military Airlift Wing on January 8, 1966
- Redesignated 63d Airlift Wing on January 1, 1992
- Inactivated April 1, 1994
Assignments
- First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, June 27, 1949 – May 9, 1951 - Eighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It was activated on 1 October 2003 and headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...
, January 8, 1953 - Continental Division, Military Air Transport Service (later, Western Transport Air Force), July 1, 1957
- Eastern Transport Air Force (later, Twenty-First Air ForceTwenty-First Air ForceThe 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command. It is headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey$3...
), October 1, 1958 - Twenty-Second Air ForceTwenty-Second Air ForceTwenty-Second Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command . It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
, April 1, 1967 – June 1, 1992 - Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
June 1, 1992 – April 19, 1994
Components
Wings- 64th Troop Carrier64th Air Expeditionary GroupThe 64th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....
: attached October 15, 1953 – March 1, 1954 - 445th Military Airlift445th Airlift WingThe 445th Airlift Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio...
: attached July 1, 1973 – April 1, 1994
Groups
- 61st Troop Carrier61st Air Base WingThe 61st Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California....
:
- Attached August 25, 1954 – June 30, 1957
- Assigned July 1, 1957 – October 8, 1959 (detached July 23 – c. September 15, 1958)
- 63d Troop Carrier Group63d Troop Carrier GroupThe 63d Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 63d Troop Carrier Wing, Eastern Transport Air Force , stationed at Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 18 January 1963....
: 27 Jun 1949-9 May 1951; 20 Jun 1953- 18 Jan 1963- 64th Troop Carrier64th Air Expeditionary GroupThe 64th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time....
: attached October 15, 1953 – February 15, 1954 - 465th Troop Carrier465th Bombardment WingThe 465th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 57th Air Division, stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 21 July 1968....
: attached October 15 – November 30, 1953 - 944th Military Airlift944th Fighter WingThe United States Air Force's 944th Fighter Wing is an initial fighter training unit located at Luke AFB, Arizona.-Mission:The mission of the 944th Fighter Wing is to train F-16 pilots and provide combat ready fighter pilots for the Air Force....
: attached March 25, 1968 – July 1, 1973
- 64th Troop Carrier
Squadrons
- 7th Air Transport Squadron: July 1, 1964 – January 8, 1966.
- 14th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift; later Airlift) Squadron14th Airlift SquadronThe 14th Airlift Squadron is part of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-Mission:...
: January 18, 1963–1994. - 15th Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift; later Airlift) Squadron15th Airlift SquadronThe 15th Airlift Squadron is part of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
: August 25, 1954–1994 (not operational, c. February – August 14, 1967). - 21st Helicopter Squadron: attached July 9, 1956 – June 30, 1957.
- 52nd Transport (later Troop Carrier; Later Military Airlift; Later Airlift) Squadron52nd Airlift SquadronThe 52d Airlift Squadron is a Regular Component United States Air Force unit. Its currently assigned to the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, but is based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado...
: 1942–1944; 1949–1957; January 18, 1963 – January 8, 1967; June 1, 1988 - September 30, 1992. - 53rd Troop Carrier (later Military Airlift; later Airlift) Squadron: January 18, 1963 – July 8, 1966; January 8, 1972–1994.
- 54th Troop Carrier Squadron: July 1, 1957 – October 8, 1959; January 18, 1963 – June 25, 1965.
- 58th Military Airlift Squadron, Special: January 8 – July 1, 1966.
- 309th Troop Carrier Squadron: attached October 8, 1954 – July 9, 1956.
Stations
- Floyd Bennett NASFloyd Bennett FieldFloyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, June 27, 1949 – May 9, 1951 - Altus Muni Aprt (later, AFB), OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, January 8, 1953 - Donaldson AFB, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, October 15, 1953 - Hunter AFBHunter Army AirfieldHunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, April 1, 1963 - Norton AFB, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, April 1, 1967 – April 1, 1994
Aircraft Assigned
- C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
1949–1951 - C-119 Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying BoxcarThe Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
1953–1954 - C-124 Globemaster IIC-124 Globemaster IIThe Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
1953–1967 - C-141 StarlifterC-141 StarlifterThe Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
1967–1994