354th Fighter Wing, US Air Force
354TH FIGHTER WING, US AIR FORCE
History: Established as 354 Fighter-Day Wing on 26 September 1956. Activated on 19 November 1956. Redesignated as: 354 Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 July 1958; 354 Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991. Inactivated on 31 March 1993. Activated on 20 August 1993. Beginning in 1956, the wing trained for fighter and fighter-bomber missions. From July 1958 through April 1966, it had one or more squadrons constantly deployed overseas. During the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, part of the wing manned a provisional air division at McCoy AFB, FL. During the Dominican Republic crisis of 1965, the wing deployed more than 400 people and 18 fighters to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, and San Isidro AB, Dominican Republic. The conflict in Southeast Asia drained wing strength; one squadron moved to Japan in November 1965, another to Spain in April 1966, and another to South Vietnam in August 1966, leaving the wing with a single flying unit. This last squadron moved to South Vietnam in April 1968. The wing had no units and existed primarily on paper until it moved to South Korea in early July 1968. Several rotational squadrons operated under the wing there. The 354th returned to the United States in 1970, where it trained combat crews. An advance element of the wing moved to Thailand and commenced combat operations in Southeast Asia on 16 October 1972. It interdicted lines of communications to halt the flow of North Vietnamese supplies to enemy units in South Vietnam, provided close air support to ground troops, and escorted surface ship convoys up the Mekong River to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The wing flew combat operations in Vietnam until mid-January 1973, in Laos until 22 February 1973, and in Cambodia until 15 August 1973. Tactical units rotated between Thailand and the United States until 23 May 1974, when the advance element returned to join the rest of the wing. Upon its return to the US, it participated in numerous tactical exercises in both the United States and deployments overseas, focusing primarily on training for global contingencies. Elements of the wing participated in operations in Southwest Asia, 15 August 1990-25 March 1991, inflicting heavy damage to Iraqi armor and artillery emplacements, as well as cutting off enemy supply lines. Beginning in 2000, the wing trained for the defense of northwestern North America and for contingency operations worldwide. Prepared aviation forces for combat, deployed airmen in support of global operations, and enabled the staging of forces, 2006-.
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Origin/meaning
The Emblem was approved on 18 October 1957; slightly modified on 1 June 1971. Literature: Wikimedia Commons
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