437th Airlift Wing
| 437th Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Airlift |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Charleston Air Force Base |
| Engagements |
  
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| Decorations |
 DUC AFOUA.svg){kind=small} ROK PUC
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel John Lamontagne |
The 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW) is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to 18th Air Force, Air Mobility Command. It is the mission wing at Charleston Air Force Base, Joint Base Charleston, in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina.
The 437 AW is responsible for flying and maintaining the C-17 Globemaster III jet cargo aircraft, the newest aircraft in the AMC airlift system. Its mission is to command assigned airlift and supporting units; provide for the airlift of troops and passengers, military equipment, cargo and aeromedical airlift and to participate in operations involving the airland or airdrop of troops, equipment and supplies when required.
437th Operations Group (437 OG)
437th Maintenance Group (437 MXG)
The 437th stood up as a wing and trained in the reserve from June 1949 to August 1950. On 15 August 1950, the main contingent of the 437th Troop Carrier Wing was called up for active service in the Korean War.
Moved to Shaw AFB, South Carolina, At that time 1,441 men were assigned to the 437th Troop Carrier Wing, and began a training program. On 15 October, the day before the 437th left Shaw, it got up to its full wartime strength of 1,569. Most of the additional men came from the Regular Air Force, including 60 from Sewart AFB, Tennessee, and another 59 fresh from basic training at Lackland AFB. The Wing had a total of forty-eight C-46s, obtained from various units.
Augmented by a few maintenance personnel, the command and operations elements of the wing deployed their C-46s to Japan. They arrived at Brady AB, Kyushu, Japan, at sundown on 8 November, just as the main body of the wing, which had crossed the Pacific aboard ship, marched in from the railroad station. The maintenance force quickly removed the long-range fuel tanks which had been installed for the overwater flight. Thirty-six hours after the first plane had landed, the 437th Troop Carrier Wing sent its first three planes on a routine combat cargo mission to Pyongyang Airfield (K-21) in North Korea, at the time under United Nations control.
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Wikipedia