64th Air Expeditionary Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 64th Air Expeditionary Group


caption= 64th Air Expeditionary Group emblem
dates= 3 July 1952 — 30 September 1997
23 Sep 2005 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role=
size=
command_structure=
current_commander=
garrison= Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=


* World War II: European-Mediterranean Campaign (1942-1945): Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1944)
* Vietnam Service (1966-1967)
* Global War on Terrorism (2005-TBD):: Campaigns (TBD)
notable_commanders= Roger A. Brady
anniversaries=
decorations=


* Distinguished Unit Citation (World War II)
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device: 1 Jul 1966- 30 Jun 1967
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jun 1969-31 May 1971; 30 Apr 1981-29 Apr 1983; 1 Apr 1984-31 Mar 1986; 1 Apr 1988-31 Mar 1990.
anniversaries=The United States Air Force's 64th Air Expeditionary Group (64 AEG) is a group of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing located at Eskan Village in Saudi Arabia, [ [http://www.sheppard.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=10087 Biographies : COLONEL KRIS D. BEASLEY ] ] a compound about 20 km southeast of Riyadh.

Overview

The group is made up of about 300 security forces, support Airmen, and civilians. Their mission is to stand guard all day, every day, providing integrated defense, emergency response, and combat support for the base, which houses military and host-nation tenant agencies. Most days the Airmen are fighting the war on terrorism in temperatures of more than 100 degrees. [U.S. Air Force News Service, [http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123066097] ]

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 64th Transport Group on 20 Nov 1940: Activated on 4 Dec 1940: Inactivated 31 Jul 1945
* Activated on 19 May 1947.:: Not manned during 1947-1948: Inactivated on 10 Sep 1948.
* Established as 64th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 3 Jul 1952: 64th Troop Carrier Group, Medium redesignated, activated and assigned to Wing 14 Jul 1952: Activated on 14 Jul 1952: Inactivated on 21 Jul 1954
* Activated on 24 Oct 1960: Organized on 8 Feb 1961. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 Jan 1963
* Redesignated 64th Troop Carrier Wing, and activated, on 7 Mar 1966: Organized on 1 Jul 1966: Redesignated 64th Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 May 1967: Inactivated on 31 May 1971
* Redesignated 64th Flying Training Wing on 14 Apr 1972: Activated on 1 Oct 1972: Inactivated on 30 Sep 1997
* Redesignated 64th Air Expeditionary Group 2005 (Date TBD): Activated 2005 (Dates of Activation/Deactivation TBD)

Assignments

* Fourth Air Force: IV Ground Air Support Command, 4 Dec 1940
* Twelfth Air Force: Detached to Eighth Air Force, Aug-Nov 1942: XII Troop Carrier Command , Nov 1942:: Most of group detached to Tenth Air Force Apr-Jun 1944
* Tactical Air Command: Eighteenth Air Force, 14 Jul 1952-21 Jul 1954:: Group attached to 63d Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, 15 Oct 1953-1 Mar 1954
* Air Transport Command 4 Jun-31 Jul 1945
* Continental Air Command: First Air Force, 19 May 1947-10 Sep 1948 (Not Manned or equipped)
* Tactical Air Command, 24 Oct 1960: Ninth Air Force, 8 Feb 1961: Twelfth Air Force, 1 Jan 1962- 1 Jan 1963
* Tactical Air Command, 7 Mar 1966: 839th Air Division, 1 Jul 1966: Twelfth Air Force, 9 Mar 1970-31 May 1971
* Air Training Command, 1 Oct 1972
* Air Education and Training Command: Nineteenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1993-30 Sep 1997
* Air Combat Command: Ninth Air Force/CENTAF (2005 - Dates TBD)

tations

* Duncan Field, Texas, 4 Dec 1940
* March Field, California, c. 13 Jul 1941;
* Hamilton Field, California, c. 1 Feb 1942
* Westover Field, Massachusetts, c. 8 Jun-31 Jul 1942;
* RAF Ramsbury, England, Aug-Nov 1942
* Blida, Algeria, Dec 1942
* Kairouan, Tunisia, 28 Jun 1943
* El Djem, Tunisia, 26 Jul 1943
* Comiso, Sicily, 29 Aug 1943
* Ciampino, Italy, 10 Jul 1944
* Rosignano Airfield, Italy, 10 Jan-23 May 1945
* Waller Field, Trinidad, 4 Jun-31 Jul 1945
* Langley Field, Virginia, 19 May 1947-10 Sep 1948.
*Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina (1952 – 1954)
*Dyess Air Force Base, Texas (1961 – 1963)
*Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee (1966 – 1970)
*Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas (1970 – 1971)
*Reese Air Force Base, Texas (1972 – 1997)
*Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia (23 Sep 2005 - Present)

Components

Groups
* 64th Troop Carrier (later, 64th Operations): 14 Jul 1952-21 Jul 1954 ; 15 May 1991- 30 Sep 1997: Detached 15 Oct 1953-15 Feb 1954)
* 443d Troop Carrier: attached 8 Jan-1 Feb 1953
* 465th Troop Carrier: attached 1 Feb-15 Oct 1953.

Squadrons
* 4th Liaison: attached 22 Jul 1952-23 Jan 1953
* 7th Liaison: attached 20 Oct 1952-9 Jan 1953
* 16th Transport: 1940-1945, 1947-1948
* 17th Transport (later Troop Carrier): 1940-1945; 1947-1948; 1952-1954; 8 Feb 1961-1 Jan 1963
* 18th Transport (later Troop Carrier): 8 Jan 1962-1 Jan 1963
* 33d Flying Training: 11 May 1990-15 Dec 1991
* 35th Transport (later Flying Training): 1940-1945; 1947-1948; 1 Oct 1972-15 Dec 1991
* 52d Flying Training: 11 May 1990-15 Dec 1991
* 54th Transport (later Flying Training): 1942; 1 Oct 1972-15 Dec 1991
* 61st Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift): 1 Jul 1966-31 May 1971: Detached 5 May-14 Aug 1967, 28 Mar-29 Jun 1968, 28 May-7 Jul 1970, 12 Oct-19 Dec 1970
* 62d Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift): 1 Jul 1966-31 May 1971: Detached 13 Dec 1967-c. 28 Mar 1968, 1 Jul-2 Oct 1968, 5 Nov 1969-17 Jan 1970, 2 Jul-31 Aug 1970, 2 Apr-31 May 1971
* 64th Expeditionary Security Forces 2005- TBD
* 64th Expeditionary Support 2005- TBD

Aircraft

*C-82 Packet (1952 – 1953)
*L-20 (1952 – 1953)
*C-119 Flying Boxcar (1953 – 1954)
*C-130 Hercules (1961 – 1963, 1966 – 1971)
*T-41 Mescalero (1972 – 1973)
*T-37 Tweet (1972 – 1997)
*T-38 Talon (1972 – 1997)
*T-1 Jayhawk (1992 – 1997)

Operational History

World War II

Constituted as 64th Transport Group on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 4 Dec 1940. Used C-47’s for training and flying transport missions in the US.

Redesignated 64th Troop Carrier Group in Jul 1942. Moved to England in Aug 1942 and received additional training. Assigned to Twelfth Air Force. Moved to the Mediterranean theater, Nov-Dec 1942. Flew first mission on 11 Nov, landing paratroaps at Maison Blanche. Dropped paratroops to capture airfields during the battle for Tunisia. Released paratroops near Gela and Catania when the Allies invaded Sicily in Jul 1943. Dropped paratroops near Avellino during the invasion of Italy in Sep 1943 to destroy a bridge on the enemy’s supply line to Salerno. Participated in the assault on southern France in Aug 1944 by releasing gliders and paratroops in the battle zone. Supported the partisans in northern Italy early in 1945 by dropping paratroops, supplies, and propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines.

When not engaged in airborne combat operations, the group continually transported men and supplies to the front lines and evacuated wounded personnel.

Most of the group was on detached service in the CBI theater, Apr-Jun 1944, while a skeleton force remainedin Sicily. With its squadrons operating from separate bases in India, the 64th group aided the Allied offensive in Burma, being awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for flying unarmed over rugged enemy territory to carry food, clothing, medical supplies, guns, ammunition, and mules to the combat zone and to evacuate waunded personnel.

Moved to Trinidad in Jun 1945. Assigned to Air Transport Command. Inactiuated on 31 Jul 1945

Actiuated in the US on 19 May 1947. Not manned during 1947-1948. Inactivated on 10 Sep 1948.

Cold War

The 46th performed airlift and airdrop/airlanding of troops and cargo, routinely and during frequent maneuvers, 1952–1953. It began phasing down for inactivation in mid-October 1953, at which time tactical operations passed to 63d Troop Carrier Wing. In February 1954, however, the wing began building up again in preparation for an overseas movement, but was inactivated instead.

The 64th was activated at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in February 1961 with a troop carrier/airlift mission, plus resupply of Distant Early Warning Line sites on the Greenland ice cap. The wing was again inactivated on 1 January 1963.

It was reactivated and replaced Troop Carrier Wing Provisional, 4413th, in July 1966 at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee. The wing provided global airlift and aeromedical evacuations, July 1966–May 1971. It also provided C–130 combat crew training for other C–130 units from, 1 July 1966–6 March 1970, with this being the wing’s primary activity from 9 August 1968 to 6 March 1970. It was replaced at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, in May 1971 by 314th Tactical Airlift Wing. The 64th replaced 3500th Pilot Training Wing in October 1972 and assumed mission of undergraduate pilot training and operation and maintenance of Reese Air Force Base, Texas. It supported Accelerated Co-Pilot Enrichment Program through operating locations at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, and Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota from, 1976–1991. The 64th began specialized undergraduate pilot training in July 1992, using T–1A to prepare students for airlift tanker/transport training and T–38 for students in fighter/ bomber track.

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
* [http://www.379aew.afnews.af.mil/library/factsheet.asp?id=6039 Official factsheet]
* [http://www.379aew.afnews.af.mil/photos/index.asp?galleryID=5164 Photo gallery]
* [http://www.zianet.com/jpage/airforce/ Joe's USAF Blue Book] (Deactivated Link)

External links