928th Airlift Wing

928th Airlift Wing
928th Airlift Wing - Emblem
Active	1963-1997
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force Reserve
Role	Airlift

The 928th Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the Twenty-Second Air Force, based at O'Hare Air Reserve Station, Illinois. It was inactivated on 1 July 1997

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 comprised 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 928th 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 group was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 403d TCW in 1963, the others being the 927th Troop Carrier Group, at Selfridge AFB, Michigan and the 929th Troop Carrier Group at Davis Field, Oklahoma.

In 1963, it moved US troops to the Dominican Republic and airlifted Christmas gifts destined for US servicemen in Vietnam. After a period of uncertainty in 1970, was re-designated a Tactical Airlift Group and reassigned to the 440th TAG at Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin, although remaining at O'Hare. Received newer C-130A Hercules and in 1978 responded to a severe weather emergency in New England, flying equipment and supplies into several areas after severe blizzards brought life on the coast to a standstill. in 1979 started a regular rotation with other Reserve and National Guard units that took them to Panama to support the operations of the U.S. Southern Command. Rotations to the Central American country lasted 2–3 weeks at a time.

Was upgraded to first-line C-130H transports during the 1980s, retiring the first-generation C-130As. Elements of the Group were part of Operations Desert Shield in 1990 and Desert Storm in 1991. Aircraft, flight crews, maintenance specialists and a variety of support specialists deployed to operating locations in several Persian Gulf States where they provided airlift support to U.S. and coalition military forces.

In 1994 was expanded to a Wing level. Took part in Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti) and Operation Safe Borders (support of U.S. Army forces in Honduras). .

BRAC93 shut down the Air Force Reserve presence at O'Hare in 1997, the Wings C-130 aircraft were reassigned to Air Force Reserve C-130 units at Dobbins ARB, Georgia and Peterson AFB, Colorado.

Lineage

• Established as 928th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 15 January 1963

Organized in the Reserve on 11 February 1963

Re-designated as 928th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 July 1967

Re-designated as 928th Airlift Group, 1 February 1992

Status changed from Group to Wing, 1 October 1994

Re-designated as 928th Airlift Wing, 1 October 1994

Inactivated on 1 July 1997

Assignments

• Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963
• 403d Troop Carrier Wing, 11 February 1963-1 December 1969
• Eastern Air Force Reserve Region, 1 December 1969-17 September 1970
• 440th Tactical Airlift (later Airlift) Wing, 17 September 1970-1 Oct 1994
• Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 October 1994-1 July 1997

Components

• 928th Operations Group, 1 October 1994-1 July 1997
• 64th Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift, Airlift) Squadron, 11 February 1963-1 October 1994

Stations

• O'Hare International Airport (later O'Hare Air Reserve Station), Illinois, 11 February 1963-1 July 1997

Aircraft

• C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963-1970
• C-130 Hercules, 1970-1997

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Cantwell, Gerald (1987), Citizen Airmen, A History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program: GPO, 1997 ISBN: 0-16049-269-6
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
• AFHRA search 928th Tactical Airlift Group
• AFHRA search 928th Airlift Wing