9th Operational Weather Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
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caption= 9th Operational Weather Squadron emblem
dates= 5 Jun 1945 - 9 Nov 1945
1 Mar 1949 - 1 Jul 1971
1 Jul 1980 - 30 Sep 1991
17 Feb 1999 - 31 May 2008
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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command_structure= 1st Weather Group
garrison= Shaw AFB, SC
garrison_label= Garrison/HQ
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mascot= Hurricanes
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The 9th Operational Weather Squadron (9OWS), based out of Shaw AFB, SC, is the Squadron responsible for the Southeastern United States. In recent, the 9OWS is deactivating and merging with the 26th Operational Weather Squadron out of Barksdale AFB, Louisiana., the current states in the Area of Responsibility (AoR) are Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Mission

The 9th Operational Weather Squadron is responsible for producing and disseminating mission planning and execution weather analyses, forecasts, and briefings for Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, Guard, Reserve, USSTRATCOM, and USNORTHCOM forces operating at 40 installations/sites in a 4 state region of the Southeastern United States.

This weather squadron is responsible for base or post forecasting, developing weather products, briefing transient aircrews, and weather warnings for all of their geographical units. Using automatic observing systems located at all military installations and communicating with their combat weather flights, the squadron is able to 'watch' the weather in their entire area of responsibility from one central location.

The Operational Weather Squadron is the first place a newly schooled weather apprentice will report. At the squadron, working alongside a seasoned weather professional, the forecaster is trained in all aspects of Air Force meteorology, from pilot briefing to tactical forecasting.

The weather squadron works closely with the combat weather flights they support to ensure a flawless exchange of weather information.

Personnel and resources

9th Operational Weather Squadron’s manning consists of active duty, reserve, civilian and contract personnel and is located on Shaw Air Force Base, SC., Under the 1st Weather Group, Offutt Air Force Base, NE.

Lineage

Activations and Deactivations of the 28th Weather Squadron, 28th Operational Weather Squadron and 9th Operational Weather Squadron

Constituted 28th Weather Squadron on 30 May 1945Activated on 5 Jun 1945
Deactivated on 9 Nov 1945
Activated on 1 Mar 1949
Deactivated on 1 Jul 1971
Activated on 1 Jul 1980
Deactivated on 30 Sep 1991
Redesignated 28th Operational Weather Squadron on 5 Feb 1999
Activated on 17 Feb 1999
Redesignated 9th Operational Weather Squadron on 20 July 2006, the 28th OWS is still in operations but has the overseas missions of USCENTCOM .

Duty Assignments

List of duty assignments and parent units from 1945 to present.

Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, Army Air Forces Weather Wing, 5 June 1945 – 9 November 1945

Bushy Park, England, 2105th Air Weather Group (later, 2058th Air Weather Wing), 1 March 1949 – 7 June 1949

South Ruislip, England, 2105th Air Weather Group (later, 2058th Air Weather Wing), 7 June 1949 – 22 March 1951

Bushy Park, England, Air Weather Group (later, 2058th Air Weather Wing), 22 March 1951 – 8 February 1954

Bushy Park, England, 2nd Weather Wing, 8 February 1954 – 24 October 1962

RAF Northolt, England, 2nd Weather Wing, 24 October 1962 – 1 July 1971

RAF Mildenhall, England, 2nd Weather Wing, 1 July 1980 – 30 September 1991
Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 609th Air Operations Group, 17 February 1999 – 20 July 2006

Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1st Weather Group, 20 July 2006 – present

Emblem

Approved on 10 Apr 1959

The blue and black background colors indicate day and night and are symbolic of the around-the-clock mission of the unit. The three lightning flashes are symbolic of the commands the squadron supports. The cumulonimbus cloud is a weather symbol. It is commonly known as an "anvil top" cloud and this is again repeated in the iron anvil. The arm and the hammer indicate the drive of the unit. Taken together, the arm and hammer, the iron anvil, the cloud and the lightning symbolize the forcefulness of the squadron.

History

On January 26, 1945, the commanding general of the Army Air Forces in the Pacific requested two mobile weather squadrons be activated for projected land operations in the theater's forward area. The Weather Wing constituted the 27th and 28th Weather Squadrons on May 30, 1945. The squadrons activated at Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, on June 5, 1945, and underwent intensive training.

The squadrons were ordered to port for movement to the Pacific in August 1945, but the order was soon thereafter rescinded when Japan capitulated. Both squadrons were inactivated on November 9, 1945.

The 28th Weather Squadron was reactivated on March 1, 1949, at Bushy Park, England to provide weather services for Air Force and Army units within the British Isles. The squadron was assigned to the 2105th Air Weather Group, redesignated the 2058th Air Weather Wing in October 1951.

The 28th's predominant customer was the 3d Air Division which was activated in 1948 under the command of then-Maj Gen Leon W. Johnson, a member of the initial cadre of officers assigned to the Air Corps weather service 28 OWS had Deep Cold War Roots in England when it was formed in 1937 and a World War II Medal of Honor recipient.

The headquarters of the 28th Weather Squadron was relocated to South Ruislip, England, near 3d Air Division headquarters, on June 7, 1949; but returned to Bushy Park in March 1951. The headquarters moved to Royal Air Force Northolt, England, on October 24, 1962.

The 28th was reassigned to the 2d Weather Wing on February 8, 1954, in concert with an Air Weather Service overseas wing reorganization. The 28th Weather Squadron's emblem was in use by 1952. The Air Force officially approved its use on April 10, 1959.

As one of seven weather squadrons eliminated as part of an Air Force directed Military Airlift Command programming action to reduce Air Weather Service command elements, the 28th Weather Squadron was deactivated on July 1, 1971, and its detachments assigned to the 31st Weather Squadron.

Air Weather Service commander Brig Gen Albert J. Kaehn, Jr., approved a reorganization plan in 1979 that included reactivation of the 28th Weather Squadron, which he officiated on July 1, 1980, at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England.Detachments of the 28th at Lakenheath, Bentwaters, Woodbridge, Mildenhall, Upper Heyford, Fairford, and Alconbury Royal Air Force stations were activated simultaneously.

With the Air Force directed divestiture of Air Weather Service "to give mission commanders ownership of their weather support resources," the 28th Weather Squadron and its detachments were again deactivated on September 30, 1991.

Under the Air Force Weather re-engineering effort, the 28th Weather Squadron was redesignated the 28th Operational Weather Squadron on February 5, 1999. The 28th was activated at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, on February 17, 1999, and assigned to the Air Combat Command's 609th Air Operations Group, severing its deep roots planted in England during the Cold War.

20 July 2006, the 28th Operational Weather Squadron was split into the USCENTCOM which would stay the 28th Operational Weather Squadron, and the 9th Operational Weather Squadron which would continue the CONUS based operations.

Awards

Fawbush-Miller Award 2001-2003, 2005

Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for periods: 1 Jan 1968 – 31 Dec 1969; 1 Jul 1982 – 30 Jun 1984; 1 Jul 1990 – 30 Sep 1991.

External links

* [http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/owslh.pdf 28WS/28OWS/9OWS Article]
* [https://afweather.afwa.af.mil/about/history/docs/AFW_Historian_Newsletter_Summer2004.pdf 28WS/28OWS/9OWS Article]
* [http://www.shaw.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123021879 28OWS/9OWS Article]
* [http://www.afweather.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5097 28OWS/9OWS Article]