23rd Wing, US Air Force
23RD WING, US AIR FORCE
History: Established as 23 Fighter Wing on 10 August 1948. Activated on 16 August 1948. Inactivated on 24 September 1949. Redesignated as 23 Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 19 December 1950. Activated on 12 January 1951. Inactivated on 6 February 1952. Redesignated as 23 Tactical Fighter Wing, and activated, on 28 January 1964. Organized on 8 February 1964. Redesignated as 23 Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991. Inactivated on 1 June 1992. Redesignated as 23 Wing, and activated, on 1 June 1992. Redesignated as: 23 Fighter Group on 1 April 1997; 23 Wing on 1 October 2006. Air defense of Guam, 1948-1949, and of the Canal Zone, 1949. Air defense of the northeastern United States, 1951-1952. Conducted basic training for about 500 Air Force recruits, 1951. Replaced 388 Tactical Fighter Wing in February 1964. Maintained proficiency in tactical fighter operations, frequently deploying whole units or segments thereof to support contingency and combat operations in overseas areas, 1964-1965. Conducted F–105 replacement training, January 1966-November 1970, and training for ANG units, November 1970-April 1971. Maintained proficiency in tactical fighter operations, 1970-1972. Replaced 4403 Tactical Fighter Wing at England AFB, LA, in July 1972 and switched to A-7 aircraft operations. Also controlled an A-37B special operations training squadron in 1974. Converted to the A-10 Thunderbolt in 1980. Trained in close air support, joint anti-armor operations and battlefield air interdiction. Deployed elements in support of operations in Grenada, October-November 1983. Deployed two squadrons (74 and 76) to Southwest Asia, August 1990-April 1991, where they performed close air support and joint anti-armor operations. On 1 June 1992, the wing inactivated at England AFB and activated at Pope AFB, SC. As a composite wing continued A-10 Thunderbolt training while adding an OA-10 reconnaissance mission and a C-130 airlift mission. Took part in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1992 and 1993. In 1997, when the wing was redesignated a group, it gave up its C-130 squadrons but kept A/OA-10s. One of its squadrons flew F-16s from 1993 to 1996, when it also converted to A-10s. Beginning in 2006, supported worldwide search and rescue missions utilizing HH-60 and HC-130 aircraft; operated and maintained the largest A-10 fighter group in the USAF; provided global war on terrorism (GWOT) force.
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Origin/meaning
The Emblem was approved on 24 January 1957; newest rendition approved on 16 April 2012.
Literature: Image from Wikimedia Commons. Information from https://www.afhra.af.mil/
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