908th Airlift Wing
Encyclopedia
The 908th Airlift Wing is a C-130 theater airlift unit assigned to Air Force Reserve Command
. The wing is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base
, Alabama.
908th Airlift Wing's mission is to recruit, organize and train Air Force reservists for active duty in time of war, national emergency or when otherwise required. When mobilized, the mission of the 908th Airlift Wing is to provide theater airlift forces to the supported theater commander.
, on February 11, 1963, the unit flew C-119 "Flying Boxcars," a two-engine transport aircraft that could fly as slowly as 85 mph.
In October 1964, the unit moved to Brookley Air Force Base
also in Mobile. There, the 908th built a substantial record of humanitarian airlifts, as well as taking care of regular cargo and mail missions to free Military Airlift Command
aircraft committed to Southeast Asia.
On July 16, 1966, a 908th C-119 crashed near Jacksonville, Florida
, after losing an engine in a fire. The four crewmen and all 30 Florida National Guard
members on board bailed out safely, thanks to the pilot, Maj. Robert C. Coyle of Biloxi, Mississippi
. Before ditching the aircraft, Major Coyle saw to it that every passenger and his three crewmen had jumped. For his heroism, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Florida Cross.
In February 1969, another move was announced. The 908th would move to Maxwell Air Force Base
, Montgomery, Alabama
, the following spring and fly the small, twin-engine U-3H, a forward control aircraft.
The 800-member unit dropped down to a mere 275 people. However, another change was planned: to switch from the U-3H to the O-2A Skymaster
, another twin-engine forward air control aircraft.
A year after the March 1970 conversion to O-2As, word arrived that the unit would convert to A-37
jets. Amidst plans for receiving the jets, there was yet another change: the 908th would return to the airlift business flying the C-7A Caribou, a twin-engine utility transport. In December 1971, the 908th was redesignated the 908th Tactical Airlift Group, and the first "Bou" came on board in March 1972.
The 908 TAG was declared combat ready in February 1973, the first C-7 unit in the Air Force Reserve to achieve that status. In its nearly 10 years in the C-7, the 908th won three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards and dozens of other unit and individual honors.
In October 1983, the 908th converted to C-130E Hercules
aircraft. Less than three years later, in June 1986, the unit began receiving new C-130Hs. The transition to the new aircraft culminated in May 1987 at the International Airlift Rodeo
competition at Pope Air Force Base
, N.C., where the 908th placed as first overall C-130 unit in the world, and fourth place overall among all aircraft competing. This winning tradition continued in 2000 with the 908th winning best C-130/C-160 airdrop aircrew.
In January 1991, medical support personnel from the 908th Medical Squadron and the 35th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
were activated and deployed in support of Desert Storm. Sixty-two members (doctors, nurses, dentist and lab technicians)of the 908th Medical Squadron were deployed. About 20 members went to Saudia Arabia; the remainder went to Andrews AFB, MD. Members of the 35th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (flight nurses and medical technicians) were deployed to the United Kingdom to provide in-flight medical care aboard C-130s and C-141s, to casualties evacuated from the battle zone to hospitals in Europe and CONUS.
In 1992 the 908th Tactical Airlift Group was redesignated the 908th Airlift Group (AG), reporting directly to Tenth Air Force
. In 1994, under an Air Force Reserve restructuring, the 908 AG was upgraded to wing status.
Throughout the 1990s the 908 AW supported numerous contingencies, including repeated deployments of volunteers to Europe in support of airlift operations into the former Yugoslavia.
From November 1998 to January 1999, the 908 AW assisted in relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Mitch
in Central America
.
Within two days of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
, 26 908th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) members were called to active duty primarily augmenting the security forces at Maxwell and Gunter in their heightened security efforts. On Nov. 8, fifty-two 908th SFS personnel joined the legions of reservists and Guard members called to active duty in support of the homeland defense effort, Operation Noble Eagle.
In 2002, volunteers from the wing's 908th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They were the first group of airmen to deploy to the war from the wing and received numerous awards including the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Unit Award with Valor.
In December 2003, nearly 250 unit personnel from the wing's C-130 operations and maintenance units were called to active duty to support Operation Enduring Freedom, with more than 180 aircrew members and maintenance and support personnel initially deploying to Central Asia. During the mobilization, the units also supported Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying to the Persian Gulf region. The units demobilized in November 2005.
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
. The wing is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Alabama.
908th Airlift Wing's mission is to recruit, organize and train Air Force reservists for active duty in time of war, national emergency or when otherwise required. When mobilized, the mission of the 908th Airlift Wing is to provide theater airlift forces to the supported theater commander.
History
Established as the 908th Troop Carrier Group at Bates Field, Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, on February 11, 1963, the unit flew C-119 "Flying Boxcars," a two-engine transport aircraft that could fly as slowly as 85 mph.
In October 1964, the unit moved to Brookley Air Force Base
Brookley Air Force Base
Brookley Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Mobile, Alabama. After it closed in 1969, it became Mobile Downtown Airport.- History :...
also in Mobile. There, the 908th built a substantial record of humanitarian airlifts, as well as taking care of regular cargo and mail missions to free 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...
aircraft committed to Southeast Asia.
On July 16, 1966, a 908th C-119 crashed near Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, after losing an engine in a fire. The four crewmen and all 30 Florida National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
members on board bailed out safely, thanks to the pilot, Maj. Robert C. Coyle of Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
. Before ditching the aircraft, Major Coyle saw to it that every passenger and his three crewmen had jumped. For his heroism, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Florida Cross.
In February 1969, another move was announced. The 908th would move to Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, the following spring and fly the small, twin-engine U-3H, a forward control aircraft.
The 800-member unit dropped down to a mere 275 people. However, another change was planned: to switch from the U-3H to the O-2A Skymaster
O-2 Skymaster
The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster utilized as an observation and forward air control aircraft...
, another twin-engine forward air control aircraft.
A year after the March 1970 conversion to O-2As, word arrived that the unit would convert to A-37
Cessna T-37
The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
jets. Amidst plans for receiving the jets, there was yet another change: the 908th would return to the airlift business flying the C-7A Caribou, a twin-engine utility transport. In December 1971, the 908th was redesignated the 908th Tactical Airlift Group, and the first "Bou" came on board in March 1972.
The 908 TAG was declared combat ready in February 1973, the first C-7 unit in the Air Force Reserve to achieve that status. In its nearly 10 years in the C-7, the 908th won three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards and dozens of other unit and individual honors.
In October 1983, the 908th converted to C-130E Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
aircraft. Less than three years later, in June 1986, the unit began receiving new C-130Hs. The transition to the new aircraft culminated in May 1987 at the International Airlift Rodeo
Air Mobility Rodeo
The Air Mobility Rodeo is a biennial, international airlift competition hosted by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. AMC gathers wings from active duty, reserve, and Air National Guard units from across the United States and around the world to test and improve tactics in a...
competition at Pope Air Force Base
Pope Air Force Base
Pope Field is a United States Army facility located 12 miles northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.-Units:...
, N.C., where the 908th placed as first overall C-130 unit in the world, and fourth place overall among all aircraft competing. This winning tradition continued in 2000 with the 908th winning best C-130/C-160 airdrop aircrew.
In January 1991, medical support personnel from the 908th Medical Squadron and the 35th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
35th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
The 35th Aeromedical Squadron was an aeromedical evacuation unit assigned to Air Force Reserve Command. The unit was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and assigned to the 908th Airlift Wing. The 35th mission was to recruit, organize and train Air Force reservists for active duty in time...
were activated and deployed in support of Desert Storm. Sixty-two members (doctors, nurses, dentist and lab technicians)of the 908th Medical Squadron were deployed. About 20 members went to Saudia Arabia; the remainder went to Andrews AFB, MD. Members of the 35th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (flight nurses and medical technicians) were deployed to the United Kingdom to provide in-flight medical care aboard C-130s and C-141s, to casualties evacuated from the battle zone to hospitals in Europe and CONUS.
In 1992 the 908th Tactical Airlift Group was redesignated the 908th Airlift Group (AG), reporting directly to Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
. In 1994, under an Air Force Reserve restructuring, the 908 AG was upgraded to wing status.
Throughout the 1990s the 908 AW supported numerous contingencies, including repeated deployments of volunteers to Europe in support of airlift operations into the former Yugoslavia.
From November 1998 to January 1999, the 908 AW assisted in relief and recovery efforts following Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...
in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
.
Within two days of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, 26 908th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) members were called to active duty primarily augmenting the security forces at Maxwell and Gunter in their heightened security efforts. On Nov. 8, fifty-two 908th SFS personnel joined the legions of reservists and Guard members called to active duty in support of the homeland defense effort, Operation Noble Eagle.
In 2002, volunteers from the wing's 908th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. They were the first group of airmen to deploy to the war from the wing and received numerous awards including the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Unit Award with Valor.
In December 2003, nearly 250 unit personnel from the wing's C-130 operations and maintenance units were called to active duty to support Operation Enduring Freedom, with more than 180 aircrew members and maintenance and support personnel initially deploying to Central Asia. During the mobilization, the units also supported Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying to the Persian Gulf region. The units demobilized in November 2005.