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58th Special Operations Wing | |
|---|---|
 58th 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 Inultus (Latin for '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[a][1] |  |
The58th Special Operations Wing is a combat unit of theUnited States Air Force stationed atKirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.[2] Thewing is part of theAir Education and Training Command'sNineteenth Air Force.
The wing serves as the premiere training site for Air Force special operations and combat search and rescue aircrews. It provides undergraduate, graduate, and refresher aircrew training for special operations, rescue, missile site support, and distinguished visitor airlift via helicopter, fixed-wing, and tilt-rotor operations. In total, the wing employs more than 1,800 personnel, and trains over 2,000 students annually.[2]
The mission of the 58th Special Operations Wing 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, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) training.
The wing operates eight different weapon systems:UH-1N,TH-1H,HH-60G, HH-60W,AC-130J,HC-130J,MC-130J, andCV-22, totaling more than 60 assigned aircraft. It 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.[2] Additionally, the 58th is responsible for training all SERE students for theAir Force.
The unit also provides personnel and airlift in response to crises around the world, and assists civilian authorities in regional rescue operations. 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 Operations Group is composed of six flying and two support squadrons, as well as three geographically separated pilot training units, one unit atFort Rucker,Alabama, another unit atMCAS New River,North Carolina, and the third unit atFairchild AFB, WA.
This group was established as the58 Fighter-Bomber Wing on June 25, 1952. It was activated on July 10, 1952 inJapan, absorbing the personnel and equipment of theTexas Air National Guard136th Fighter-Bomber Group.[3] It traces its roots directly back to the58th Pursuit Group, established November 20, 1940 and activated January 15, 1941 inMichigan.[2]
Thewing moved toK-2 Air Base, later known asTaegu Air Base,South Korea, in August 1952, where it provided close air support for United Nations ground forces. Often flying deep into North Korea's "MiG Alley," the 58th targeted airfields, railways, enemy positions, bridges, dams, electric power plants and vehicles. In 1952 and early 1953 the wing flew interdiction andclose air support missions as well as attacking special strategic targets such as military schools, dams, and port facilities. Having entered the war withRepublic F-84D Thunderjets, the wing transitioned in late 1952 to the new F-84G 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. Combined 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.[2]
Later, 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 May 13, 1953, Thunderjets from the 58 FBW struck the Toksan Dam, near Pyongyang, causing a torrential 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 theChosan irrigation dam with similar results. The Far East Air Forces commander later credited the 58 FBW, stating that 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 the 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.[2]
At the end of December 1952, 18 members of the 58 FBW had died in combat. According to recent listings from the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, the fates of 14 members assigned to the 58th are still unaccounted for.[2]
The wing served in three Korean War campaigns and earned theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for its actions in combat.[2] After thearmistice, the 58th providedair defense for South Korea and deployed tactical components on a rotational basis toTaiwan from January 1955 – February 1957. From March 15, 1953, to November 8, 1954, the 58th tested a "reinforced" wing organization, exercising direct control of the tactical components of the attached wings. They switched to F-86 Sabres in 1954 and relocated to Osan Air Base in 1955. They were deactivated on July 1, 1958.[2]
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.[4]
On August 22, 1969, the Air Force re-designated 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.[2] The wing conducted training of U.S.,German Air Force, and other friendly foreign-nation aircrew and support personnel, and participated in numerousoperations andtacticalexercises while operating at Luke Air Force Base until April 1, 1977 when it became the58th Tactical Training Wing. In November 1974, they received the first F-15 Eagle withPresident Ford included in the welcoming committee. It managed Tactical Air Command's Central Instructor School from 1971–1981. On June 29, 1982, they graduated the last F-4 class. Beginning in early 1983, the wing performed tactical fighter training for U.S. and foreign aircrews in theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (adopted on December 6, 1982).
They were redesignated in 1991 as the58th Fighter Wing.[2] The 58th deployed support personnel to Europe to augmentUnited States Air Forces Europe units during theGulf War.
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 the Netherlands, South Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, the Republic of Singapore, Norway, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, and Venezuela.
On April 1, 1994 they became the 58th Special Operations Wing.[2] That same month, the wing's mission changed from the training of USAF and Allied fighter pilots to the training of USAFhelicopter aircrews, and it 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.
Beyond training, this unit also participated in local/regional search and rescue operations. They are called up 2 or more times per year to support rescue operations; to date they have participated in over 300 of these operations, aiding in the rescue of at least 225 lives.[2]
The 58th airlifted afederal task force to Pennsylvania 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.[2] Since September 11, they deployed over 200 personnel. Their first casualty recorded during this time occurred on November 23, 2003, during a crash in Afghanistan that took the life of helicopter pilot Major Steven Plumhoff.[2]
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,Pacific Air Forces, andUnited States Air Forces in Europe; 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. They received the first Osprey on March 20, 2006.[2]
Wings
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Squadrons
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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