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Show happy 45th HILL TOP TIMES 20 Drambw It, 19S7 From bombers to fig liters, 388th TFW history T 388th Tl By is long t. Jrold Hawkins Affairs Office Public It was Christmas Eve 1942 when one of the most decorated tactical fighter units in the U.S. Air Force came into being. Of course there was a twist the unit became part of the Army Air Force and it was equipped with 7 Flying Fortresses. Forty-fiv- e years ago, the 388th was activated at Gowen Field, Idaho, as the 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy). A bit later it was relocated to Wen-dovField, Utah, approximately 90 miles from Hill AFB as the crow flies where its four squadrons were readied for the defense of the nation. And, the same spirit of readiness and defense continues to permeate the modern 388th TFW. B-1- er In a congrafvlatory misag to the men and women of the wing, Gen. Robert D. Russ, commander of Tactical Air Command, noted the unit's 7 Flying Fortress These Were the first aircraft assigned to the 388th Bombardment Group (H) in December 1942. the 388th Fighter-Bombe- r Wing, flying the fledg6 Sabre first service's jets. ling Moving seemed to be a way of life for the 388th, because in December 1954, it was moved again, this time to Etain Rouvres AB, France. There the wing transitioned to the 0 Super Sabre jets, until it was again deactivated Dec. 10, 1957. Dormant again, this time for about five years, the Kan., wing was reactivated at McConnell AFB, Thunder-chiefs- . flew where its 1, pilots May 1962, There, it was again deactivated Feb. 9, 1964 not appearing again until the Vietnam War. Reactivated April 8,1 966, it was now named the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing and was assigned to Korat Royal Thai AB, Thailand. The unit also bePhantom II. Flying the two fightgan flying the to ers from 1966 1975, wing aircrews logged more than 60,000 combat hours. Whfl on attack missions over North Vietnam, the unit's aircrews faced some of the most intensive ' air defense systems in the history of air warfare. In early 1975, the 388th was involved in supporting the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Saigon. F-10- F-1- F-- 4 and eastern Europe. After the war, the group was transferred to Sioux Falls Army Air Field, S.D., and deactivated. Following a calm of eight years, the unit was reactivated on Nov. 23, 1953, at Clovis AFB, N.M. U.S. Air Force and as this time in the ld ici c 3 -- ijj yuu di laic lots of surorises , and S i SEASON'S GREETINGS TO F-1- F-1- 05 B-1- Wing airmen also flew strike, surveillance and search and rescue of the USS Mayaguez. Thoso and other missions earned the wing several awards: eight Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, a Presidential Unit Citation and 16 Vietnam Campaign Streamers. After Vietnam, the wing was transferred to Hill AFB, where it continued to fly the Phantom until 1979, when it transitioned to the 6 Fighting Falcon. The wing's 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which became mission ready in the Falcon Oct. 1, 1980, was the Air Force's first operational 6 squadron. The wing's 421st TFS was the second. Going back overseas, this time in February 1981, the wing touched down at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, to compete in the Royal Air Force Tactical Bombing competition. The wing won, receiving top honors in team and individual categories. The wing continued its winning ways this year, whipping all competitors at the Air Force's premier gunnery competition, Gunsmoke '87. It placed first in overall and portions and had the top .Vvv-munitions load team. close-air-suppo- rt, F-8- enviable record. "Since being activated as the 388th BG (H) on Dec. 24, 1942, you have compiled a distinguished record. I am confident your future will be even more productive. Happy Anniversary," wrote the general. While at Wendover, the 388th was ordered into World War II. So, less than six months later, on June 10, 1943, the group relocated to Knettishall, England. A bit more than a month after that, on July 17, 1943, group 7 flew their first bombing mission. That first strike was against an aircraft factory at Amsterdam. During the remainder of the war, the group bombed naval installations, oil storage plants, refineries, communication centers, aircraft factories and industrial targets located throughout western five-year-o- U.S. Air Force Photo B-1- i mnmnK manviov-fill- H V:4 SALE NOW! IN ALL OLYMPIA MTN. BIKE PEDERSEN'S LOCATIONS ALL STORES OPEN FRI. & SAT. 'TIL 10 P.M. OPEN SUNDAY NOON TO 5 P.M. SALE LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND J- -j CLOSE-OU- T Special Cantilever Stakes BURTON SNOW BOARDS SALOMOpi. ELITE REGULAR Sugg. Retail 300.00 ro 2 Ar7 I W& mm rcraura NSBSO MR 990 SKI SKI BOOTS BOOTS REG 310.00 275 00 NOW BEG. 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