914th Airlift Wing
| 914th Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 15 January 1963 — present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Airlift |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station |
| Decorations |
 AFOUA  RVGC w/ Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Allan Swartzmiller |
The 914th Airlift Wing (914 AW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York.
Overview
The 914th Airlift Wing trains and equips reservists to perform the combat mission of aerial re-supply.
Units
- 914th Operations Group (914 OG)
- 328th Airlift Squadron (328 AS)
- 914th Maintenance Group (914 MXG)
- 914th Mission Support Group (914 MSG)
- 914th Aeromedical Staging Squadron (914 ASTS)
- 914th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (914 AES)
History
Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.
To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.
As a result, the 914th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.
The 914th TCG was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 512th TCW in 1963, the others being the 912th and 913th Troop Carrier Group at Willow Grove NAS, Pennsylvania.
The group trained for and participated in air transport of airborne forces, equipment and supplies with delivery by airdrop, extraction, and airlanding, as well as air evacuation within a theater of operations.
It provided airlift to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and for other contingency operations, as well as numerous humanitarian missions. Beginning in 1978 the 914th supported the U.S. Southern Command by periodically fulfilling airlift requirements throughout Latin America. Between September 1990 and April 1991 the group deployed all aircraft and numerous aircrews and support personnel to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to provide airlift in support of the war in Southwest Asia, including a tactical resupply airdrop to troops of the XVIII Airborne Corps. A 314th crew provided the first medevac mission of the war. Other personnel deployed to Saudi Arabia and backfilled positions in the U.S. and Europe. Since the early 1990s the wing has frequently deployed personnel in support of contingency operations in Southwest Asia and the Balkans.
Following recommendations from the Base Realignment and Closure program, the wing's Lockheed C-130H Hercules aircraft were pooled with the 107th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard, also stationed at Niagara Falls. In 2014, the 107th Airlift Wing began transition to their new mission.[1]
Lineage
- Established as the 914th Troop Carrier Group, Medium and activated on 15 January 1963 (not organized)
- Organized in the Reserve on 11 February 1963
- Redesignated 914th Tactical Airlift Group on 1 July 1967
- Redesignated 914th Airlift Group on 1 February 1992
- Redesignated 914th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1994
Assignments
- Continental Air Command, 15 Jan 1963
- 512th Troop Carrier Wing, 11 Feb 1963
- 94th Troop Carrier Wing, 1 Jan 1964
- 302d Troop Carrier (later, 302d Tactical Airlift) Wing, 1 Jul 1966
- 440th Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 Sep 1969
- 403d Composite (later, 403d Tactical Airlift) Wing, 21 Apr 1971
- 439th Tactical Airlift (later, 439th Military Airlift; 439th Airlift) Wing, 25 Jan 1976
- 94th Airlift Wing, 1 Aug 1992
- Tenth Air Force, 1 Oct 1994
- Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 Apr 1997–Present
Components
- 914th Operations Group: 1 Aug 1992–Present
- 328th Tactical Airlift Squadron: 11 Feb 1963-1 Aug 1992.
Stations
- Niagara Falls Intl Aprt (later, Niagara Falls IAP-ARS), New York, 11 Feb 1963–Present
Aircraft
- C-119 Flying Boxcar (1963–1971)
- C-130 Hercules (1971 – Present)
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
External links
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