| 442d Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
 442d Fighter Wing – Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II – 79-0164 | |
| Active | 1949–1951; 1952–1982; 1984–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Wing |
| Role | Fighter |
| Size | 1,100 personnel |
| Part of |  Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri |
| Mottos | Si Jeunesse Savait, Si Vieillesse PouvaitFrench If Youth Knew, If Age Could 1955–1996[1] |
| Decorations | AFOUA Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Wing Commander | Col. Michael D. Leonas |
| Deputy Commander | Col. Brian L. Leiter |
| Command Chief | CCM Kristoffer N. Berrien |
| Insignia | |
| 442d Fighter Wing emblem(approved 3 January 1996)[2] |  |
| 442d Troop Carrier Wing emblem(approved 23 January 1963)[1] |  |
| 442d Troop Carrier Wing emblem(approved 6 May 1955)[3] |  |
| Tail code | KC |
| Tail stripe | Yellow/red |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | A-10C Thunderbolt II |
The442d Fighter Wing is an Air Reserve Component of theUnited States Air Force. It is assigned toTenth Air Force,Air Force Reserve Command, stationed atWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The 442d Fighter Wing trainsreserve personnel and the303rd Fighter Squadron to operate, maintain and support theFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II at combat readiness.
The 442nd Fighter Wing is organized like most Air Force wings. There are three groups and a medical squadron under the wing that are physically located at Whiteman AFB:
The wing was first activated as the442d Troop Carrier Wing atFairfax Field, Kansas in June 1949,[2] whenContinental Air Command (ConAC) reorganized its flying units under thewing base organization system, which united the flying units and supporting units under a single wing. The wing was equipped withCurtiss C-46 Commandos andDouglas C-47 Skytrains, but also flew trainer aircraft under the supervision of the 2472d Air Force Reserve Training Center.[2] In May 1950 the wing and center moved to nearbyNaval Air Station Olathe, Kansas. Although the 442d was manned at only 25% of normal strength, its combat group was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units.[4]
The 442d was mobilized for theKorean War,[2] as were all reserve combat units.[5] This action was effective on 10 March 1951. Along with otherTenth Air Force units, it was activated in the second wave of reserve units being called up. Its personnel were distributed as fillers to other organizations, withStrategic Air Command getting first pick of these mobilizees.[6] The unit's aircraft were distributed to other organizations as well,[7] and the wing was inactivated two days after its call-up.[2]
The 442d was once again activated at Olathe in June 1952,[2] when it absorbed the resources of the 926th Reserve Training Wing, which was simultaneously inactivated. The reserve mobilization for the Korean war, however, had left the Reserve without aircraft, and the unit did not receive aircraft until July 1952.[8]
In 1955, the Air Force reserve presence at Olathe ended when the wing moved toGrandview Air Force Base, Missouri, which had opened as anAir Defense Command base, with the first active duty units moving there in 1954.[2][9] The wing move occurred in the same year that the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. The concept offered several advantages: communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning. As it finally evolved in the spring of 1955, the Continental Air Command's plan called for placing Air Force Reserve units at fifty-nine installations located throughout the United States.[10] The wing was not impacted by this reorganization until November 1957. At that time, its305th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had been inactivated in June 1955, was activated atTinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma to replace the69th Troop Carrier Squadron, which had moved there earlier.[11][12]
At the same time, theJoint Chiefs of Staff had been pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift and about 150Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in November 1956 the Air Force directed Continental Air Command to convert three fighter bomber wings to the troop carrier mission,[13] while cuts in the budget in 1957 led to a reduction in the number of reserve squadrons from 55 to 45. This included the inactivation of reserve fighter bomber units.[14] The wing gained the65th Troop Carrier Squadron atDavis Field, when it was activated to replace the713th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in November 1957.[15]
In the summer of 1956, the wing participated in Operation Sixteen Ton during its two weeks of active duty training. Sixteen Ton was performed entirely by reserve troop carrier units and movedUnited States Coast Guard equipment FromFloyd Bennett Naval Air Station toIsla Grande Airport in Puerto Rico andSan Salvador in the Bahamas. After the success of Operation Sixteen Ton, the wing began to use inactive duty training periods for Operation Swift Lift, transporting high priority cargo for the air force and Operation Ready Swap, transporting aircraft engines, betweenAir Materiel Command's depots.[16] By the mid-1950s, it participated regularly inairdrops,airlift andexercises.[2]
The 442d continued training at Olathe and Grandview with the 2472d Center, but in 1958, some center personnel were absorbed by the wing. In place of active duty support for reserve units, ConAC adopted theAir Reserve Technician Program, in which acadre of the unit consisted of full-time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and held rank as members of the reserves.[17] The transition to the program was completed in 1959.[2] In April 1959 the wing changed to the Dual Deputate organization,[note 1] all flying and maintenance squadrons were directly assigned to the wing.
Although the dispersal of flying units under the Detached Squadron Concept was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during theBerlin Crisis of 1961.[18] The wing was called to active service for this crisis in October 1961 and continued to remain on active duty until August 1962, during which time the wing completed conversion to theDouglas C-124 Globemaster II.[2][note 2]
To resolve the mobilization problem, at the start of 1962 ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishinggroups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed. However, as this plan was entering its implementation phase, another partial mobilization occurred for theCuban Missile Crisis. The formation of troop carrier groups was delayed until January for wings that had not been mobilized.[18] The935th and936th Troop Carrier Groups at Richards-Gebaur and the937th Troop Carrier Group at Tinker were assigned to the wing on 17 January.[2]
The wing also flew overseas missions, particularly to theFar East andSoutheast Asia during theVietnam War. In 1971, the wing began phasing out the C-124 and by 1972, had fully transitioned to theLockheed C-130 Hercules. In 1975, the wing's gaining command shifted fromTactical Air Command (TAC) toMilitary Airlift Command (MAC) as part of a USAF-wide shift of tactical airlift assets between the two major commands.
The 442d flewhumanitarian and mercy missions on numerous occasions in addition to worldwide airlift operations until conversion, in June 1982, to a fighter mission with theFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The 442d again returned to the operational control of TAC and in October 1982, the wing was inactivated while its 442d Tactical Fighter Group continued to train on the new aircraft. In February 1984, the wing was once again activated as the 442d Tactical Fighter Wing and trained for A-10 fighter operations, includingclose air support, anti-armor, battlefield air interdiction, andcombat search and rescue missions.
In 1992, as part of another USAF-wide reorganization, TAC was inactivated and the 442d was renamed as the442d Fighter Wing under the newly establishedAir Combat Command. With the pending closure of Richards-Gebaur due toBase Realignment and Closure action, the wing began relocation of its home base toWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri in 1993, completing the move by 1994.
On a recurring basis from December 1993, the wing deployed personnel and aircraft toAviano Air Base, Italy, to participate in operations overBosnia and Herzegovina. It also deployed personnel and aircraft toKuwait in support ofOperation Southern Watch, in September and October 1998.
18 August 2016, the 442nd returned from a deployment toÄmari Air Base,Estonia in support ofOperation Atlantic Resolve. The deployment gave the pilots the opportunity to practice highway landings on the Jägala-Käravete Highway in Northern Estonia.[19][20]
On 2 November 2019, Lt. Col. Tony "Crack" Roe and Maj. John "Sapper" Tice, pilots with the 442nd's303rd Fighter Squadron received theDistinguished Flying Cross for heroic actions that helped to save the lives of many U.S. servicemen in their respective close air support missions inAfghanistan.[21]
On 21 April 2018 the wing returned from a 90-day deployment toKandahar Air Base,Afghanistan, where the wing flew close air support missions for U.S. and Afghan forces. This marked the unit's sixth deployment to Afghanistan since the9/11 terrorist attacks.[22]
Squadrons
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
| Air Forces | | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bases | |||||||||
| Command | |||||||||
| Wings/Groups |
| ||||||||
 Tactical Air Command (TAC) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Forces | | ||||||
| Air Divisions | |||||||
| Named units | |||||||
| Wings |
| ||||||
| Former bases |
| ||||||
| Aircraft | |||||||
