Lineage

Established as 24th Composite Wing (Special) on 19 Nov 1942. Activated on 25 Dec 1942. Disestablished on 15 Jun 1944. Reestablished as 24th Composite Wing on 5 Aug 1946. Activated on 25 Aug 1946. Inactivated on 28 Jul 1948. Activated on 30 Oct 1967. Organized on 8 Nov 1967. Redesignated: 24th Air Commando Wing on 15 Mar 1968; 24th Special Operations Wing on 15 Jul 1968; 24th Special Operations Group on 30 Jun 1972; 24th Composite Group on 15 Nov 1973; 24th Composite Wing on 1 Jan 1976. Inactivated on 31 Jan 1987. Activated on 1 Jan 1989. Inactivated on 15 Feb 1991. Redesignated 24th Wing on 1 Feb 1992. Activated on 11 Feb 1992.

Assignments

Iceland Base Command, US Army Forces, Iceland, 25 Dec 1942?15 Jun 1944. Caribbean Air Command, 25 Aug 1946?28 Jul 1948. United States Air Forces Southern Command, 30 Oct 1967; United States Air Force Southern Air Division, 1 Jan 1976?31 Jan 1987. 830th Air Division, 1 Jan 1989? 15 Feb 1991. Twelfth Air Force, 11 Feb 1992?.

Components

Groups. 24th Operations: 11 Feb 1992?. 130th Special Operations: attached 30 Jan?27 Feb 1971; attached 5?14 Feb 1973. 134th Anti-Aircraft Artillery: attached 1 Nov 1943?15 Jun 1944. 143d Air Commando: attached 8 Feb? 9 Mar 1969. 342d Composite: 25 Dec 1942?18 Mar 1944.

Squadrons. 24th Air Transport: 15 Mar 1968?30 Jun 1971. 24th Special Operations (later, 24th Composite; 24th Tactical Air Support): 18 Mar 1969? 1 Jul 1975; 1 Jan 1976?31 Jan 1987; 1 Jan 1989?15 Feb 1991. 33d Fighter: 18 Mar?15 Jun 1944. 91st Reconnaissance: 12 Jan?26 Jul l948. 330th Transport: 25 Aug?15 Oct 1946. 605th Air Commando (later, 605th Special Operations): 8 Nov 1967?30 Apr 1972.

Detachments. Det A, Fighter Command (IBC, US Army Forces, Iceland): attached 12 Feb?15 Jun 1944. Det, 314th Troop Carrier Group: attached 1 Oct 1946?26 Jul 1948. TAC A?7 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached 13 Nov 1972?30 Sep 1978. ANG A?7 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached 1 Oct 1978?31 Jan 1987. ANG A?10 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached Feb?Apr 1985. TAC C?130 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached 8 Nov 1967?30 Nov 1974. MAC C?130 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached 1 Dec 1974?30 Sep 1977. AFRES and ANG C?130 Rotational Element (various detachments): attached 1 Oct 1977?c. 1 Dec 1984.

Stations

Camp Olympia, Reykjavik, Iceland, 25 Dec 1942; Camp Tripoli, Reykjavik, Iceland, 13 Mar?15 Jun 1944. Borinquen Field (later, Borinquen AAFld; Borinquen Field: Ramey AFB), Puerto Rico, 25 Aug 1946?28 Jul 1948. Albrook AFB, Canal Zone, 8 Nov 1967; Howard AFB, Canal Zone (later, Panama), 3 Jan 1968?31 Jan 1987. Howard AFB, Panama, 1 Jan 1989? 15 Feb 1991. Howard AFB, Panama, 11 Feb 1992?.

Commanders

Brig Gen George P. Tourtellot, 25 Dec 1942; Brig Gen Early E. W. Duncan, 5?15 Jun 1944. Col George H. Steel, 25 Aug 1946; Brig Gen John A. Samford, c. 6 Mar 1947?28 Jul 1948. None (not manned), 30 Oct?7 Nov 1967; Col Richard Jones, 8 Nov 1967; Col James G. Silliman, 13 Dec 1967; Col Joseph A. Stuart, Jr., 14 Jun 1968; Col Leslie E. Gaskins, 1 Jun 1971; Col Robert S. Beale, 30 Mar 1974; Col William E. Roth, 15 Aug 1975; Col Paul M. Davis, 1 Jan 1976; Col Alton J. Thogersen, 16 Jan 1976; Col Robert E. Patterson, 5 Jan 1979; Col Robert R. Reed, 10 Jun 1980; Col Wayne R. Topp, 5 Oct 1982; Col Loren E. Timm, 2 Jul 1984; Col Harold E. Watson, 3 Dec 1985?31 Jan 1987. Unkn, 1?16 Jan 1989; Col Lansford E. Trapp, Jr., 17 Jan 1989; Col David J. McCloud, 25 Jun 1990?15 Feb 1991. Brig Gen David Oakes, 11 Feb 1992; Brig Gen David A. Sawyer, 13 Jul 1992?.

Aircraft

P?38, 1942?1944; P?39, 1942?1943; P?40, 1943?1944; P?47, 1944. B?17, 1946?1947; B?17/F?9, 1948; C?47, 1946?1948; C?54, 1947?1948; F?2, 1948. A?26, 1967?1968; C?46, 1967?1968; C?47, 1967?1970; VC?47, 1967?c. 1970; C?54, 1967?c. 1972; C?118, 1967?1971; VC?118, 1967? unkn; C?130, 1967?1984; C?131, 1967?1968; CH?3, 1967?1970; HH?19, 1967?1969; T?28, 1967?1970; VT?29, 1967?1970; U?10, 1967?1971; UH?1, 1967?1983; A?37, 1969?1972; HU?16, 1969; C?123, 1970?1973; UC?123, 1970?1975; VC?123, 1970?1973; C?119, 1971, 1973; O?2, 1971? 1986; A?7, 1972?1985, 1985?1987; A?10, 1985; OA?37, 1985?1987. OA?37, 1989?1991. C?21, 1992?; CT?43, 1992?; C?27, 1992?; C?130, 1992?.

Operations

Served in the defense of Iceland, Dec 1942?Jun 1944. From Aug 1946 until replaced by the Antilles Air Division in Jul 1948, supervised large numbers of major and minor bases and Air Force units in the Caribbean area from Puerto Rico to British Guiana. Organized once more in Nov 1967 in the Canal Zone, replacing the 5700th Air Base Wing. The wing assumed operation and maintenance responsibilities for Howard and Albrook Air Force Bases and a special operations mission that included air transport, paramilitary operations, exercise participation, civic actions in Central and South America, search and rescue missions, humanitarian operations, mercy missions, aeromedical evacuation, and support of Army Special Forces, US military assistance units, and training of Latin American air forces. From activation in 1967 until mid-1972, the 24th Wing operated the USAF Tropic Survival School at Albrook. It controlled various rotational detachments, 1967?1987. Lost UH?1 helicopters and control of search and rescue missions in the area after 1 Mar 1983. Wing inactivated on 31 Jan 1987, its subordinate components reassigned directly to the USAF Southern Air Division. Wing activated on 1 Jan 1989, again assuming responsibilities for Howard AFB and Albrook AFS. The wing flew combat sorties in the invasion of Panama, Dec 1989?Jan 1990. Trained foreign and domestic pilots in forward air control. Flew search and rescue, aeromedical airlift and disaster relief missions in the Latin American region, 1989?1990. Members of the wing deployed to Southwest Asia to provide air liaison support between ground forces and air operations, 1 Oct 1990?c. Feb 1991. When the 24th Composite Wing inactivated in 1991, its assets were placed under Air Forces in Panama. On 11 Feb 1992 the wing activated, becoming the senior USAF organization in Panama, replacing the previous command and division-level Air Force host units. In Jun 1992, it began operating the only C?21, CT?43, C?27 and special mission C?130s in ACC. Provided control and support to multi-service units directed by United States Southern Command and United States Southern Air Force, 1992?. Missions included counternarcotics operations, aerial command and control, intratheater airlift, security assistance and defense of the Panama Canal. The wing operates both Howard AFB and Albrook Air Force Station.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Combat, European-African-Middle-Eastern Theater.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. Panama, 1989?1990.

Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 2 Jun?3 Jul 1970; 16 Mar 1971?15 Mar 1973; 1 Jul 1976?30 Jun 1978; 1 Apr 1982?31 Mar 1984; 1 May 1984? 31 Mar 1986; 20 Dec 1989?14 Feb 1991.

Emblem

Azure, a stylized square-rigged ship of three mast sails set, flag and pennants flotant sailing to sinister above an arced olive branch to dexter and an arced lightning flash to sinister conjoined in base Or, all within a diminished bordure of the like. Motto: LOS PROFESIONALES ? The professionals. Approved on 16 Aug 1994; replaced emblem approved in 1968 (KE 35833).