62d Airlift Wing

62d Airlift Wing
	C-124, C-130, and C-141 with Mt. St. Helens in the background
Active	1947-1950; 1951-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift
Size	~2300 Airmen
Part of	Air Mobility Command
Garrison/HQ	McChord Air Force Base, Washington
Motto(s)	Combat Airlift
Engagements	; Armed Forces Expeditionary Grenada, 1983;
Decorations	; Meritorious Unit Award; ; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (12x)
Commanders
Current; commander	Colonel Leonard J. Kosinski [1]
Notable; commanders	Duncan McNabb ; George Scratchley Brown
Insignia
62d Airlift Wing Emblem

Last updated March 05, 2019

The 62d Airlift Wing (62 AW) is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington. It is assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force of Air Mobility Command and is active duty host wing on McChord. The wing is composed of more than 2,200 active duty military and civilian personnel. It is tasked with supporting worldwide combat and humanitarian airlift contingencies. Aircraft of the 62d fly around the world, conducting airdrop training; it also carries out the Antarctic resupply missions.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62d Airlift Wing located 9.1 miles (14.6 km) south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis–McChord. The facility is an amalgamation of the United States Army's Fort Lewis and the United States Air Force's McChord Air Force Base which merged on 1 February 2010 into a Joint Base as a result of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations of 2005.

Eighteenth Air Force is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and re-activated on 1 October 2003. 18 AF is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Units

62d Operations Group (62 OG)

4th Airlift Squadron (4 AS)

7th Airlift Squadron (7 AS)

8th Airlift Squadron (8 AS)

62d Operations Support Squadron (62 OSS)

62d Maintenance Group (62 MXG)
627th Air Base Group (627 ABG) )
62d Medical Squadron (62 MDS)
62d Comptroller Squadron (62 CPTS)

History

For additional history and lineage, see 62d Operations Group

The 62d Airlift Wing was first constituted as the 62nd Troop Carrier Wing on 28 July 1947, at McChord Field, Washington. It owes its numerical designation, and its first seven years of history prior to 1947, to the present day 62d Operations Group.

Cold War

Since the wing was established in 1947 it conducted troop carrier operations, tactical exercises, and humanitarian missions. The wing trained at McChord Air Force Base, Washington until late 1951 when it moved to Larson Air Force Base. From Larson the 62nd routinely performed troop carrier, air transport, and humanitarian missions on a global scale: fling mail to Japan for U.S. troops in Korea in 1952; bringing medical supplies to the flooded areas of Pakistan in 1954; and transporting French troops and equipment from France to Indochina as part of Operation Bali-Hai from April–May 1954. The wing airlifted radar equipment and supplies for the construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line in northern Alaska and Canada from, 1955–1956, and thereafter periodically resupplied DEW stations. During the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958, and subsequently through 1962 the wing supported scientific stations in the Arctic Ocean by airlanding and airdropping supplies on the drifting ice. It helped transport United Nations troops and supplies to the Congo in 1960. In 1963 the wing assumed responsibility for worldwide airlift of nuclear weapons and associated equipment, continuing this mission through early 1971. It also assumed airlift of Minuteman missiles from depots to operating sites in April 1971. In 1972 it supported Presidential trips to China and the Soviet Union. From 12 February to 1 April 1973 the wing transported former prisoners of war from North Vietnam to the Philippines and the United States. That same year it transported United Nations troops from Indonesia to Israel and Egypt as part of a peacekeeping effort. In the summer of 1975, the wing assumed control of the 36th Tactical Airlift Squadron (36 TAS) and their C-130E aircraft, which transferred from Langley AFB, Virginia following the transfer of all C-130 aircraft from Tactical Air Command (TAC) to Military Airlift Command (MAC), and the disestablishment of the 316th Tactical Airlift Wing at Langley to make way for the arrival of the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing (1 TFW) and their F-15A and F-15B aircraft. From October 1975 to October 1977, the 62 AW maintained a detachment of C-130Es in the Panama Canal Zone to support USAF needs in Central and South America. The 62nd airlifted troops and supplies during invasion of Grenada and airlifted university students to safety from, October–November 1983. During 1988 62 AW aircraft were used to transport inspectors to the Soviet Union under terms of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. 62 AW aircraft were also used that year to transport firefighters and supplies to Wyoming to fight major forest fires in Yellowstone National Park. It participated in the airdrop of heavy equipment and personnel during military action in Panama, 20 December 1989. During Operation Desert Shield the 62nd airlifted personnel and equipment to Southwest Asia and operated airlift control elements at Zaragoza, Spain, to direct cargo and personnel destined for Southwest Asia from, August 1990-March 1991. Additionally, during 1991, 62 AW personnel and aircraft facilitated the evacuation of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Station following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.

Indochina, originally Indo-China, is a geographical term originating in the early nineteenth century and referring to the continental portion of the region now known as Southeast Asia. The name refers to the lands historically within the cultural influence of India and China, and physically bound by the Indian Subcontinent in the west and China in the north. It corresponds to the present-day areas of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and (variably) peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. The term was later adopted as the name of the colony of French Indochina, and the entire area of Indochina is now usually referred to as the Indochinese Peninsula or Mainland Southeast Asia.

Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, or velocity of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. A radar system consists of a transmitter producing electromagnetic waves in the radio or microwaves domain, a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna and a receiver and processor to determine properties of the object(s). Radio waves from the transmitter reflect off the object and return to the receiver, giving information about the object's location and speed.

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. It was set up to detect incoming Soviet bombers during the Cold War, and provide early warning of any sea-and-land invasion.

In addition, some activities of the 62nd Military Airlift Wing did not take place at McChord AFB. For instance, one unit that belonged to the 62nd MAW -- the 602 Military Airlift Support Squadron (MASS) -- was assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base during the rapid buildup of forces in Vietnam. The 602 MASS supported the flights of C-141 and C-130 aircraft from bases in the continental USA along the great circle route to Japan and Southeast Asia (SEA) by providing refueling services and basic mechanical maintenance for aircraft while enroute to and from SEA. The 602 MASS was in operation at Elmendorf around the mid 1960s to about the end of America's involvement in Vietnam.

End of the Century

In 1992, 62 AW flew relief mission to Guam following Typhoon Omar, Hawaii following Hurricane Iniki, Florida following Hurricane Andrew, as well as Somalia, the former Yugoslavia, and the former Soviet Union. In 1993, the 62 AW divested itself of the then-redesignated 36th Airlift Squadron (36 AS), transferring the squadron and its C-130E aircraft to the 374th Airlift Wing (374 AW) at Yokota AB, Japan. In 1994, the 62 AW dispatched personnel and aircraft to deliver equipment and supplies in support of Operation Support Hope in Rwanda. During 1995, the 62 AW deployed personnel and aircraft to the U.S. Virgin Islands following Hurricane Marilyn and to Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. 62 AW personnel delivered relief supplies to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam following torrential following spawned by Typhoon Linda in 1997. In 1998, the 62 AW delivered relief supplies to Guam following Super Typhoon Paka, to Papua New Guinea following a tsunami, to Changsha, China following severe flooding, and to Nairobi, Kenya following the bombing of the U.S. Embassy there.

Guam is an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States in Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost point and territory of the United States, along with the Northern Mariana Islands. The capital city of Guam is Hagåtña and the most populous city is Dededo. The inhabitants of Guam are called Guamanians, and they are American citizens by birth. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian natives of Eastern Indonesia and Philippines and Taiwan.

Typhoon Omar of 1992, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Lusing, was the strongest and costliest typhoon to strike Guam since Typhoon Pamela in 1976. The cyclone formed on August 23 from the monsoon trough across the western Pacific Ocean. Moving westward, Omar slowly intensified into a tropical storm, although another tropical cyclone nearby initially impeded further strengthening. After the two storms became more distant, Omar quickly strengthened into a powerful typhoon. On August 28, it made landfall on Guam with winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). The typhoon reached its peak intensity the next day, with estimated 1‑minute winds of 240 km/h (150 mph), making it a "super typhoon" according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Omar weakened significantly before striking eastern Taiwan on September 4, proceeding into eastern China the next day and dissipating on September 9.

Hurricane Iniki was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990–95 El Niño, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during that season. It attained tropical storm status on September 8 and further intensified into a hurricane the next day. After turning north, Iniki struck the island of Kauaʻi on September 11 at peak intensity; it had winds of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h) and reached Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. It had recorded wind gusts of 225 as evidenced by an anemometer that was found blown into the forest during clean up. It was the first hurricane to hit the state since Hurricane Iwa in the 1982 season, and the first major hurricane since Hurricane Dot in 1959. Iniki dissipated on September 13 about halfway between Hawaii and Alaska.

Recent activities

Following the September 11 attacks the 62 AW has been flying missions in support of the Global War on Terror, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Nobel Eagle, and Operation Infinite Justice. In 2003 the 62 AW assisted in the troop buildup leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom and conducted the airdrop of the 173rd Airborne Brigade into northern Iraq at the onset of the war. In late 2004 and early 2005 the 62 AW was dispatched with emergency relief supplies to areas throughout Southeast Asia in response to the tsunami that struck on 26 December 2004.

The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, and caused at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. Additional people died of 9/11-related cancer and respiratory diseases in the months and years following the attacks.

Iraq, officially known as the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad. Iraq is home to diverse ethnic groups including Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians and Kawliya. Around 95% of the country's 37 million citizens are Muslims, with Christianity, Yarsan, Yezidism and Mandeanism also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish.

War is a state of armed conflict between states, governments, societies and informal paramilitary groups, such as mercenaries, insurgents and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, aggression, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. Warfare refers to the common activities and characteristics of types of war, or of wars in general. Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties.

2009 Air Mobility Rodeo

In 2009 the 62 AW won the Best Air Mobility Wing at the Air Mobility Rodeo, a biennial, international airlift competition hosted by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. In addition to taking the top prize, the 62 AW also won Best C-17 Team and Best Airdrop Team. Beyond the major awards, sub-category awards won include Best Aerial Port Challenge Course Team, Best Joint Inspection Team, Best C-17 Low-level Airdrop Crew, Best C-17 Aircrew, and Best C-17 Post-flight Team.^[2]

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 competitive environment. In this environment units are able to demonstrate capabilities, improve procedures, compare notes, and enhance standardization for global operations.

Lineage

Established as 62nd Troop Carrier Wing on 28 July 1947

Organized on 15 August 1947

Redesignated: 62nd Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 22 August 1948

Redesignated: 62nd Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, on 12 October 1949

Inactivated on 1 June 1950

Activated on 17 September 1951

Redesignated: 62nd Air Transport Wing, Heavy, on 1 January 1965

Redesignated: 62nd Military Airlift Wing on 8 January 1966

Redesignated: 62d Airlift Wing on 1 December 1991.

Designated 62d Air Expeditionary Wing in September 2001 when wing elements deployed to combat areas.

Assignments

Twelfth Air Force, 15 August 1947
Fourth Air Force, 10 December 1948 – 1 June 1950
Eighteenth Air Force, 17 September 1951
Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 July 1957

The Twelfth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California.

Twenty-Second Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia.

Fifteenth Air Force, 1 July 1993
Eighteenth Air Force, 1 October 2003–present
Air Mobility Command when wing elements deployed to combat areas any time after 11 September 2001.

Components

Wings

302d Troop Carrier Wing: attached 27 June 1949 – 5 May 1950

Groups

61st Troop Carrier Group: attached 21 November 1952 – 24 August 1954
62nd Troop Carrier (later, 62 Operations) Group: 15 August 1947 – 1 June 1950 (detached 2 May-1 June 1950); 1 October 1951-15 January 1960; 1 December 1991–present

Squadrons

4th Troop Carrier (later, 4 Air Transport; 4 Military Airlift; 4 Airlift) Squadron: attached 8–14 January 1960, assigned 15 January 1960-1 December 1991
7th Troop Carrier (later, 7 Air Transport; 7 Military Airlift) Squadron: attached 8–14 January 1960, assigned 15 January 1960-22 December 1969
8th Troop Carrier (later, 8 Air Transport; 8 Military Airlift) Squadron: attached 8–14 January 1960, assigned 15 January 1960-1 December 1991.
10th Airlift Squadron: 1 October 2003 - 6 December 2016
19th Air Transport (later 19th Military Airlift) Squadron: 1 July 1963 – 22 December 1969
28th Air Transport (later 28th Military Airlift) Squadron: 1 July 1963 – 22 December 1969
36th Tactical Airlift (later, 36 Military Airlift) Squadron: 1 July 1975 – 1 December 1991.

Stations

McChord Field (later, McChord AFB), Washington, 15 August 1947 – 1 June 1950; 17 September 1951
Larson AFB, Washington, 21 April 1952
McChord Air Force Base (Later became part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Washington, 13 June 1960–present

Aircraft

C-82, 1947–1950
C-54, 1949–1950
C-124, 1951–1969
C-54, 1952

C-141, 1966–2002
C-130, 1975–1989
C-17, 1999–present

Operations

Unit shields

62 AW
62 CPTS
62 OG
4 AS
7 AS
8 AS
10 AS
62 OSS
62 MXG
62 AMXS
62 MXS
62 MOS
62 MSG
62 APS
62 CES
62 CS
62 CONS
62 LRS
62 MSS
62 SFS
62 MDG
Historical Wing Shields

References

↑ "Team McChord Biographies". Team McChord. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
↑ "RODEO 2009: Winners announced for competitions". RODEO 2009, Public Affairs. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2017.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
McChord AFB Home Page

External links

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[McChordBios-1] "Team McChord Biographies". Team McChord. Retrieved 23 February 2017.

[2] "RODEO 2009: Winners announced for competitions". RODEO 2009, Public Affairs. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2017.