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633d Air Base Wing | |
|---|---|
 Members of the 633d Air Base Wing participate in Exercise Eagle Flag | |
| Active | 1966–1970; 1989–1994; 2010–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Support for Air Force and Army units |
| Garrison/HQ | Joint Base Langley-Eustis |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat V device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Matthew Altman |
| Vice Commander | Colonel Harry D. Hung (USA) |
| Command Chief | Chief Master Sergeant Greg G. Peterson |
| Insignia | |
| 633d Air Base Wing emblem(Approved 25 June 1993)[1] |  |
TheUnited States Air Force's633rd Air Base Wing is the host organization forJoint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Itsheadquarters are atLangley Air Force Base. The unification of support for Langley andFort Eustis was directed by the2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
Thewing was first activated atPleiku Air Base, where it supportedspecial operations andforward air control units in the Central Highlands of South Viet Nam. It served as the host organization forAndersen Air Force Base on Guam when that base was transferred fromStrategic Air Command toPacific Air Forces in 1989 until it was replaced by the36th Air Base Wing in 1994.
Thewing was originally organized as the633d Combat Support Group atPleiku Air Base in April 1966, when it took over the mission, personnel and equipment of the 6254th Combat Support Group, which was simultaneously discontinued. The 6254th had been organized on 8 July 1965 to provide security and maintenance support for Air Force organizations operating from Pleiku, primarily the19th Tactical Air Support Squadron.[2]
Operations at Pleiku expanded in February 1968, when the6th Air Commando Squadron moved to Pleiku fromEngland Air Force Base, Louisiana and began flyingDouglas A-1 Skyraiders from the base.[3] The expanded operations resulted in the633d Special Operations Wing being activated on 15 July 1968 from elements of the14th Special Operations Wing and1st Special Operations Wing personnel on temporary duty at Pleiku to command operations at Pleiku. The 633d Group was assigned to the 633d Wing upon its formation. The 633d Wing conducted strike missions and advised the South Vietnamese. The wing and group inactivated in March 1970 and Pleiku was turned over to theRepublic of Vietnam Air Force.
The group was redesignated the633d Air Base Wing and was activated on 1 October 1989, whenPacific Air Forces took overAndersen Air Force Base, Guam fromStrategic Air Command. The base replaced the 43d Combat Support Group, which was inactivated, although the 633d continued to support the43d Bombardment Wing until it inactivated the following September.
In August 1990, 633d personnel began shipping more than 37,000 tons of munitions to forces in thePersian Gulf duringOperations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. – More than 30,000 tons went by sealift, and more than 2,200 troops and 2,200 tons of cargo moved aboard 200 aircraft. Wing personnel cared for more than 20,000 people and 1,100 pets in June 1991 whenOperation Fiery Vigil evacuated Americans fromLuzon following the eruption ofMount Pinatubo in the Philippines.
On 1 October 1994, the 633d inactivated and the36th Air Base Wing was activated and absorbed its mission in keeping with the policy of theAir Force Chief of Staff to maintain the most highly decorated and longest-serving Air Force units on active duty.
The2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended the consolidation of support functions for military installations located close to one another. This consolidation included installations that served different services.Langley Air Force Base, aUnited States Air Force station andFort Eustis, aUnited States Army post, are both located nearHampton, Virginia, and the commission recommended combining them intoJoint Base Langley-Eustis. This recommendation was implemented on 7 January 2010, when the wing was reactivated, taking over support activities at Langley from the 1st Mission Support Group, which was inactivated.[4] Later that month, the 733d Mission Support Group was activated to manage support functions at Ft Eustis.
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device | 8 April 1966 – 30 April 1967 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 15 July 1968 – 31 May 1969 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 3 June 1990 – 1 June 1992 | 633d Air Base Wing[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 August 1992 – 31 July 1994 | 633d Air Base Wing[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 2014 – 31 May 2016 | 633d Air Base Wing[citation needed] |
 | Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm | [8] April 1966 – 15 March 1970 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Vietnam Air | 8 April 1966 – 28 June 1966 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Air Offensive | 29 June 1966 – 8 March 1967 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II | 9 March 1967 – 31 March 1968 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Air/Ground | 22 January 1968 – 7 July 1968 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III | 1 April 1968 – 31 October 1968 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV | 1 November 1968 – 22 February 1969 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Tet 1969/Counteroffensive | 23 February 1969 – 8 June 1969 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 | 9 June 1969 – 31 October 1969 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
| Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 | 3 November 1969 – 15 March 1970 | 633d Combat Support Group[1] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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