305th Air Mobility Wing

305th Air Mobility Wing
A wing KC-10A Extender taxis to a parking area during operations at Nashville Air National Guard Base
Active	1951-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Airlift and Air Refueling
Garrison/HQ	Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey
Motto(s)	"Can Do"
Engagements	Operation Urgent Fury
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Current commander	Col Richard E. Williamson
Notable commanders	Lt Gen Gerald W. Johnson
Insignia
305th Air Mobility Wing emblem (approved 15 June 1994)

The 305th Air Mobility Wing (305 AMW) is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC). The 305 AMW is a tenant unit at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in central New Jersey.

The 305th Air Mobility Wing extends America's global reach by generating, mobilizing and deploying C-17 Globemaster III and KC-10 Extender aircraft to conduct strategic airlift and air refueling missions. In addition to aircraft and aircrew generation, the 305th Air Mobility Wing controls one of the Air Force's busiest aerial ports, and the air operations at both McGuire Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Lakehurst.

The wing's motto is "Can Do," a description formulated in World War II when its predecessor unit, the 305th Bombardment Group, earned its reputation as courageous, innovative warriors. The legendary 305th Bomb Group was first commanded by then-Colonel Curtis E. LeMay.

Notably, the 305th is the only Air Force unit with two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients in its history (Lts William Lawley and Edward Michael who earned them on separate B-17 missions during WWII).

The following squadrons make up the 305th Operations Group (305 OG):

The following squadrons make up the 305th Maintenance Group (305 MXG):

The 305th Bombardment Wing was established on 20 December 1950 and activated on 2 January 1951 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The wing took charge of the 305th Bombardment Group's former flying squadrons when the Air Force reorganized its wings into the tri-deputate system. Initially training with the Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress, the 305th received its first Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker later that year. Following this, the group began training heavily in its new dual mission of strategic bombardment and aerial refueling.

In June 1952, the wing became the second Strategic Air Command (SAC) wing to receive the Boeing B-47A Stratojet bomber. Operational squadrons of the wing were the 305th, 364th, 365th and 366th Bombardment Squadrons, while the 306th Bombardment Squadron was intended to act as a training unit to prepare future B-47 crews. The B-47As were primarily training aircraft and were not considered as being combat-ready, since most of them were unarmed and were initially without almost any of their vital electronic components