376th Air Expeditionary Wing
| 376th Expeditionary Operations Group | |
|---|---|
376th Air Expeditionary Wing emblem
|
|
| Active | 1951–1966; 1970–1991; 2001–2014 |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Type | Air Refueling |
| Role | Combat Support |
| Part of | Air Combat Command/United States Air Forces Central |
| Garrison/HQ | Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan |
| Motto(s) | LIBERANDOS |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Col. Corey Martin |
| Notable commanders |
Richard W. Fellows |
The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing (376 AEW) is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic, supporting U.S. and ISAF operations in Afghanistan.
During the Vietnam War, the 376th Strategic Wing was a Strategic Air Command unit activated to perpetuate the lineage of inactive World War II bombardment units with illustrious records. It performed strategic bombing and air refueling missions over Southeast Asia with deployed elements from wings in the United States. From 1973 until the end of the Cold War it performed air refueling of Pacific Air Forces tactical and Military Airlift Command transport aircraft in the Theater as well as performing strategic reconnaissance operations. It was inactivated as part of the drawdown of USAF strategic forces in 1991.
The 376th Expeditionary Wing is responsible for providing air combat power projection throughout the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility, including tactical airlift and air refueling, principally in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. C-17, KC-135, and C-5 aircraft are involved in this effort. Additionally, the wing serves as a hub for strategic airlift operations and as an intermediate staging base for transiting personnel and equipment in support of operations in Afghanistan. The wing hosts transient forces from coalition nations, as well as transient forces of the United States Army, Marine Corps and Navy.
The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing is authorized to display the honors earned by the 376 Expeditionary Operations Group before 1 June 1951, however the lineage and history of the units are separate prior to that date.
The wing's operations group, as the 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was the first B-24 Liberator group to be based on European Continent. It engaged in combat with the Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces in the Egypt-Libya and Italian Campaigns. the 376th was awarded Distinguished Unit Citations: for operations over North Africa and Sicily, November 1942-17 August 1943; Ploesti, Romania, 1 August 1943 and Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, 16 June 1944. The B-24 "Lady Be Good" was from the 514th Bomb Squadron.
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