| 62nd Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
 62nd Airlift Wing C-17A Globemaster III | |
| Active | 1947–1950; 1951–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Airlift |
| Size | ~2300 Airmen |
| Part of |  Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | McChord Air Force Base, Washington |
| Motto(s) | Combat Airlift |
| Engagements |  Armed Forces Expeditionary
|
| Decorations |  Meritorious Unit Award  Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (12x) |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Sergio E. Anaya[1] |
| Notable commanders | Duncan McNabb George Scratchley Brown |
| Insignia | |
| 62nd Airlift Wing Emblem |  |
The62nd Airlift Wing, sometimes written as62d Airlift Wing, (62 AW) is a wing of theUnited States Air Force stationed atMcChord AFB,Joint Base Lewis–McChord,Washington. It is assigned to theEighteenth Air Force ofAir Mobility Command and is active duty host wing on McChord. The wing is composed of more than 2,200 active duty military and civilian personnel. It is tasked with supporting worldwide combat and humanitarian airlift contingencies. Aircraft of the 62nd fly worldwide, conducting airdrop training; it also carries out theAntarctic resupply missions.
The 62d Airlift Wing was first constituted as the 62nd Troop Carrier Wing on 28 July 1947, at McChord Field, Washington. It owes its numerical designation, and its first seven years of history prior to 1947, to the present day62d Operations Group.
After the wing was established in 1947 it conducted troop carrier operations, tactical exercises, and humanitarian missions. The wing operated from McChord Air Force Base, Washington until late 1951 when it moved to Larson Air Force Base. From Larson the wing routinely performed troop carrier, air transport, and humanitarian missions on a global scale: flying mail to Japan for U.S. troops in Korea in 1952; bringing medical supplies to the flooded areas of Pakistan in 1954; and transporting French troops and equipment from France toIndochina as part of Operation Bali-Hai from April–May 1954. The wing airliftedradar equipment and supplies to help construct theDistant Early Warning Line in northern Alaska and Canada from 1955–1956, and thereafter periodically resupplied DEW Line stations. During theInternational Geophysical Year 1957–1958, and subsequently through 1962 the wing supported scientific stations in the Arctic Ocean by airlanding and airdropping supplies on the drifting ice. It helped transportUnited Nations troops and supplies to theCongo in 1960 ("Operation New Tape").[2] In 1963 the wing assumed responsibility for worldwide airlift ofnuclear weapons and associated equipment, continuing this mission through early 1971. It also assumed airlift ofMinuteman missiles from depots to operating sites in April 1971. In 1972 it supportedPresidential trips to China and theSoviet Union. From 12 February to 1 April 1973 the wing transported formerprisoners of war fromNorth Vietnam to thePhilippines and the United States. That same year it transported United Nations troops fromIndonesia toIsrael andEgypt as part of apeacekeeping effort.
In the summer of 1975, the wing assumed control of the36th Tactical Airlift Squadron (36 TAS) and their C-130E aircraft, which transferred fromLangley AFB, Virginia following the transfer of allLockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft fromTactical Air Command (TAC) toMilitary Airlift Command (MAC), and the disestablishment of the316th Tactical Airlift Wing at Langley to make way for the arrival of the1st Tactical Fighter Wing (1 TFW) and their F-15A and F-15B aircraft. From October 1975 to October 1977, the 62 MAW maintained a detachment of C-130Es in thePanama Canal Zone to support USAF needs inCentral and South America. The 62nd airlifted troops and supplies during invasion ofGrenada and airlifted university students to safety from, October–November 1983. During 1988 62 AW aircraft were used to transport inspectors to theSoviet Union under terms of theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. 62 AW aircraft were also used that year to transportfirefighters and supplies toWyoming to fight major forest fires inYellowstone National Park. It participated in the airdrop of heavy equipment and personnel during military action inPanama, 20 December 1989. DuringOperation Desert Shield the 62nd airlifted personnel and equipment toSouthwest Asia and operated airlift control elements atZaragoza, Spain, to direct cargo and personnel destined for Southwest Asia from, August 1990 – March 1991. Additionally, during 1991, 62 AW personnel and aircraft facilitated the evacuation ofClark Air Base andSubic Bay Naval Station following the eruption ofMount Pinatubo in thePhilippines.
In addition, some activities of the 62nd Military Airlift Wing did not take place at McChord AFB. For instance, one unit that belonged to the 62nd MAW—the 602 Military Airlift Support Squadron (MASS) – was assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base during the rapid buildup of forces in Vietnam. The 602 MASS supported the flights of C-141 and C-130 aircraft from bases in the continental USA along the great circle route to Japan and Southeast Asia (SEA) by providing refueling services and basic mechanical maintenance for aircraft while en route to and from SEA. The 602 MASS was in operation at Elmendorf around the mid-1960s to about the end of America's involvement in Vietnam.
In 1992, 62 AW flew relief mission toGuam followingTyphoon Omar, Hawaii followingHurricane Iniki,Florida followingHurricane Andrew, as well asSomalia, the formerYugoslavia, and the former Soviet Union. In 1993, the 62 AW divested itself of the then-redesignated36th Airlift Squadron (36 AS), transferring the squadron and its C-130E aircraft to the374th Airlift Wing (374 AW) atYokota AB, Japan. In 1994, the 62 AW dispatched personnel and aircraft to deliver equipment and supplies in support of Operation Support Hope inRwanda. During 1995, the 62 AW deployed personnel and aircraft to theU.S. Virgin Islands followingHurricane Marilyn and toBosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor. 62 AW personnel delivered relief supplies toHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam following torrential rains and flooding spawned byTyphoon Linda in 1997. In 1998, the 62 AW delivered relief supplies toGuam following SuperTyphoon Paka, toPapua New Guinea following a tsunami, toChangsha, China following severe flooding, and toNairobi,Kenya following the bombing of theU.S. Embassy there.
In 2009 the 62 AW won the Best Air Mobility Wing at theAir Mobility Rodeo, a biennial, international airlift competition hosted by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. In addition to taking the top prize, the 62 AW also won Best C-17 Team and Best Airdrop Team. Beyond the major awards, sub-category awards won include Best Aerial Port Challenge Course Team, Best Joint Inspection Team, Best C-17 Low-level Airdrop Crew, Best C-17 Aircrew, and Best C-17 Post-flight Team.[3]
Following theSeptember 11 attacks in 2001 the wing flew missions supporting theWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (Operation Enduring Freedom), and homeland defence activities underOperation Noble Eagle. In 2003 the wing assisted in the troop buildup leading up to the2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom) and conducted the airdrop of the173rd Airborne Brigade into northernIraq at the beginning of thewar. In late 2004 and early 2005 the 62 AW was dispatched with emergency relief supplies to areas throughoutSoutheast Asia in response to thetsunami that struck on 26 December 2004.
On 8 May 2020, the 62 AW saluted the healthcare workers at the forefront in the fight againstCOVID-19 by performing a 2.5-hourC-17 Globemaster III two-ship formation flyover throughoutWashington State'sPuget Sound Region.
In August 2021, aircraft from 62 AW joined efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan Allies fromKabul during the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban, during the2021 Taliban offensive and the subsequentFall of Kabul.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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