61st Air Base Wing | |
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C-124 Globemaster II at Hickam AFB in 1967
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Active | 1948—1951; 1966-1980; 1994-2010 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Base support |
Part of | Air Force Space Command |
Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
Insignia | |
61st Air Base Wing emblem (Approved 30 November 2006) | |
61st Military Airlift Wing emblem (Approved 4 May 1966) |
The 61st Air Base Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California. The 61st was the host unit at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and commanded all the Air Force support groups and units assigned to the base. When active. the wing is entitled to temporary bestowal of the history and honors stems of the 61st Troop Carrier Group.
Its mission was to provide base operating support to Los Angeles Air Force Base customers.
The wing was first activated as the 61st Troop Carrier Wing by the United States Air Forces in Europe in 1948 to control C-47 Skytrain and C-54 Skymaster units. The wing was the host organization at Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany. It also operated Tempelhof Air Base, in Occupied Berlin until 5 November 1948 and Tulln Air Base in the American Occupation Zone of Austria until 10 December 1948.
Its initial mission was to coordinate Berlin Airlift operations for USAFE in conjunction with units deployed from the United States and the Royal Air Force. With the end of Berlin Airlift operations in 1949, flew theater airlift missions within USAFE and participated in numerous exercises. With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, wing deployed its operational component, the 61st Troop Carrier Group to Ashiya Air Base, Japan on 21 July 1950 to reinforce Far East Air Forces transport units and perform combat transport operations within South Korea and Japan. With the group deployed to Japan, the wing was inactivated in West Germany in June 1951.