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58th Special Operations Wing | |
|---|---|
 WingCV-22 Osprey | |
| Active | 1952–1958; 1969–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Special Operations Training |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Kirtland Air Force Base |
| Motto | Non Revertar InultusLatin I Will Not Return Unavenged[1] |
| Engagements | Korean War |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Col. Jason Allen |
| Deputy Commander | Col. Joshua Jackson |
| Command Chief | CMSGT. Christopher Ottenwess |
| Insignia | |
| 58th Special Operations Wing emblem(approved 18 November 1952)[1] |  |
The58th Special Operations Wing (58 SOW) is a combat unit of theUnited States Air Force stationed atKirtland Air Force Base,New Mexico. The 58 SOW is part of theAir Education and Training Command (AETC)Nineteenth Air Force.
The 58 SOW serves as the premier training site for Air Force special operations and combat search and rescue aircrews. The wing provides undergraduate, graduate and refresher aircrew training for special operations, rescue, missile site support and distinguished visitor airlift helicopter, fixed-wing, and tilt-rotor operations. The wing employs more than 2,000 personnel and trains over 2,000 students a year.
The 58th Special Operations Wing's mission is to train mission-readyUnited States Air Force special operations,combat search and rescue,missile site support, and UH-1 Distinguished Visitorairlift crews. In addition, the Wing conducts all Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion (SERE) training.
The wing operates eight different weapon systems: UH-1N, TH-1H, HH-60G, HH-60W, AC-130J, HC-130J, MC-130J, and CV-22 totaling more than 70 assigned aircraft. The wing teaches more than 100 courses in 18 different crew positions including pilot, combat systems officer, flight engineer, communications system operator, loadmaster and special mission aviator. The wing also responds to worldwide contingencies and provides search and rescue support to the local community. Additionally, the 58 SOW is responsible for training all Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion (SERE) students for the Air Force.
The unit also provides people and airlift needed in response to crises around the world and assists civilian authorities in regional rescues. Supporting the 58th SOW training mission are approximately 2,000 military and civilian personnel administering over 90 training systems courses in 18 different crew positions. Assigned units are:
The 58th SOW's Operations Group is composed of six flying and two support squadrons, as well as three geographically separated pilot training units, one unit atFort Novosel,Alabama, another unit atMCAS New River,North Carolina, and the third unit atFairchild AFB, WA.
Established as 58 Fighter-Bomber Wing on 25 June 1952. Activated on 10 July 1952 in Japan absorbing the personnel and equipment of theTexasAir National Guard136th Fighter-Bomber Group.[2]
The 58 FBW moved toK-2 Air Base, later known as Taegu Air Base, South Korea, in August 1952. Fighter-bomber units like the 58 FBW provided close air support for United Nations ground forces. Often flying deep intoNorth Korea's "MiG Alley," the 58 FBW targeted airfields, railways, enemy positions, bridges, dams, electric power plants and vehicles.
The 58th provided close air support for United Nations ground forces and attacked enemy airfields and installations. In 1952 and early 1953 the wing flew interdiction andclose air support missions in as well as attacking special strategic targets such as military schools, dams, and port facilities. Having entered the war with slow, short-rangedF-84D Thunderjets, the 58 FBW transitioned in late 1952 to the new "G" model, designed with more speed and range. The wing attacked the major supply port ofSinuiju in September, inflicting heavy damage without loss of personnel or aircraft. Combining with other fighter-bomber units, it attacked the Kumgang Political School at Odong-ni,Kumgang County in October 1952 and the North Korean tank and infantry school atKangso in February 1953. Truce talks between North Korea and the United Nations stalled in the spring of 1953. As a result, the Air Force began attacking previously excluded targets in the north. On 13 May 1953, Thunderjets from the 58 FBW struck the Toksan Dam, near Pyongyang causing a massive flood. Floodwaters from the breached dam destroyed ten bridges, ruined several square miles of rice crops, flooded over 1,000 buildings and rendered theSunan Airfield inoperable. Three days later, the wing attacked the Chosan irrigation dam with similar results. The Far East Air Forces commander later credited the 58 FBW by stating the destruction of the Toksan and Chosan irrigation dams resulted in the enemy coming to the truce talks in earnest. On 27 July 1953 it attacked runway atKanggye and, with the49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, bombed Sunan Airfield for the final action of the war. The wing earned a second DUC for its actions in the last three months of the war.
These missions were not easy and they came at a cost. By the end of December 1952, the war claimed 18 members of the 58 FBW. According to recent listings from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the fates of 14 members assigned to the 58th FBW are still unaccounted.
The 58th FBW served in three Korean War campaigns and earned the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in combat. After thearmistice the 58th provided air defense for South Korea and deployed tactical components on rotational basis toTaiwan from January 1955 – February 1957. From 15 March 1953 to 8 November 1954 the 58th service-tested a "reinforced" wing organization, exercising direct control of the tactical components of the attached wings. In October 1958 it was re-armed with theTM-61C (Matador) tactical missile to provide a deterrent against attacks on South Korea, a mission that continued until 1962.
On 22 August 1969, the Air Force redesignated the wing as the58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing and activated it underTactical Air Command atLuke Air Force Base, Arizona, where it absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 4510th Combat Crew Training Wing. The wing conducted training of US,German Air Force, and other friendly foreign nation aircrew and support personnel, and participated in numerousoperations andtacticalexercises while operating Luke until April 1977. It managed Tactical Air Command's Central Instructor School from 1971–1981. Beginning in early 1983 it performed tactical fighter training for US and foreign aircrews in theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The 58th deployed support personnel to Europe to augmentUnited States Air Forces Europe units during thewar againstIraq in 1991.
In the fall of 1991, its primary mission expanded to include tactical training in theF-15E Strike Eagle all-weather strike fighter. By 1994, the wing had trained pilots and support personnel from theNetherlands, South Korea,Turkey, Pakistan, theRepublic of Singapore, Norway,Greece, Egypt,Indonesia, andVenezuela.
In April 1994, the wing's mission changed from the training of USAF and Allied fighter pilots to the training of USAFhelicopter air crews and moved toKirtland Air Force Base. It also trained crews inspecial operations aircraft, including helicopters and modifiedC-130 Hercules aircraft. It performedpararescue training andsearch and rescue missions as well. Additionally, the wing trained for missile site support and airlift for distinguished visitors. At the same time the wing continued to deploy personnel worldwide for contingency and combat operations.
The wing airlifted afederal task force toPennsylvania to investigate the crash site of the fourth airliner following the11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Since that time the 58th has deployed personnel and equipment to supportOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom.
Today, the wing trains aircrews in theMC-130J Commando II and theCV-22 Osprey for theAir Force Special Operations Command; theHC-130J Combat King II and theHH-60G Pavehawk for theAir Combat Command (ACC),Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), andUnited States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE); theUH-1N Huey or Iroquois forAir Force Space Command; the TH-1H Huey or Iroquois for initial helicopter flight crew qualification; and those aircrew operationally gained to those commands from theAir Force Reserve Command and theAir National Guard.
Source:[4]
Wings
Groups
Squadrons
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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