| 61st Air Base Wing | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1948 — present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Base support |
| Part of | Air Force Space Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Los Angeles Air Force Base |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Frank Simcox |
The 61st Air Base Wing (61 ABW) is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California.
The 61st is the host unit as Los Angeles AFB, and commands all the Air Force support groups and units assigned to the base.
Contents |
Provide effective and efficient base operating support to improve wartime readiness and the quality of life of LAAFB customers.
Activated by the United States Air Forces in Europe in 1948 as a command and control organization of USAFE's C-47 Skytrain and C-54 Skymaster units. Was controlling organization at Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany (1 July 1948 – 2 June 1951); Tempelhof Air Base, American Occupation Zone, Berlin (1 July-5 November 1948), and Tulln Air Base, American Occupation Zone, Austria (1 July-10 December 1948).
Initial mission was to coordinate Berlin Airlift operations for USAFE in conjunction with units deployed from the United States and the Royal Air Force. With the end of Berlin Airlift operations in 1949, flew theater airlift missions within USAFE and participated in numerous exercises. With the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950, wing deployed its operational component, the 61st Troop Carrier Group to Ashiya Air Base, Japan on 21 July 1950 to reinforce Far East Air Force transport units and perform combat transport operations within South Korea and Japan. With the group deployed to FEAF, the Wing component of the organization was inactivated in West Germany in June 1951.
Reactivated at Hickam AFB, Hawaii in 1966 under Military Airlift Command, replacing inactivated Military Air Transport Service 1502d Air Transport Wing in January 1966. Provided air transport and support functions for airlift operations in the entire Pacific Ocean area, Alaska to Antarctica, and the United States to Southeast Asia. Supported both scheduled and unscheduled airlifts, primarily in support of United States military forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The Hickam Aerial Port was a primary destination for United States military personnel on Rest and Recreation (R&R) leave from South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, the 61st MAW operating the aerial port and coordinating R&R flights by civilian contract airlines to and from bases in South Vietnam.
Assigned airlift squadrons were inactivated in 1968 and 1969, after which became a Military Airlift Support Wing for Military Airlift Command flights within Pacific Air Forces as well as Naval and Marine Transports supporting their respective organizations in Hawaii. Inactivated 1 July 1993 as a result of the reorganization of Air Mobility Command assets at the end of the Cold War, with equipment and most personnel being reassigned to the 15th Airlift Wing.
The 61st Air Base Wing was reactivated as a non-flying unit at Los Angeles AFB under Air Force Space Command and has supported the Space and Missile Systems Center from 1994 to the present.
Groups
Squadrons
Military Airlift Support Squadrons
Military Airlift Support Squadrons were support units that had no aircraft of its own, but rather supported the forward operations of aircraft from other MAC units, principally from the CONUS. Furthermore, the support squadron was a consolidation of all the operations and maintenance functions that state-side airlift wings had organized as separate units.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||