Lineage

Established as 36th Fighter Wing on 17 Jun 1948. Activated on 2 Jul 1948. Redesignated: 36th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 20 Jan 1950; 36th Fighter-Day Wing on 9 Aug 1954; 36th Tactical Fighter Wing on 8 Jul 1958; 36th Fighter Wing on 1 Oct 1991. Inactivated on 1 Oct 1994. Redesignated 36th Air Base Wing, and activated, on 1 Oct 1994.

Assignments

Caribbean Air Command, 2 Jul 1948 (attached to 6th Fighter Wing, 2?28 Jul 1948); United States Air Forces in Europe, 13 Aug 1948 (attached to 2d Air Division, 6?17 Sep 1949); 2d Air Division, 10 Oct 1949; Twelfth Air Force, 7 May 1951 (attached to Flight A, HQ Twelfth Air Force [Advanced Echelon], 7?20 May 1951; Twelfth Air Force [Advanced Echelon], 21 May 1951?26 Apr 1953); United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 Jan 1958 (attached to United States Air Forces in Europe [Advanced Echelon], 1 Jan 1958?14 Nov 1959); Seventeenth Air Force, 15 Nov 1959?1 Oct 1994. Thirteenth Air Force, 1 Oct 1994?.

Components

Wings. 121st: attached 12?27 May 1977. 7149th: attached 15 Apr?15 Sep 1969.

Group. 36th Fighter (later, 36th Fighter-Bomber; 36th Fighter-Day; 36th Operations): 2 Jul 1948?8 Dec 1957; 31 Mar 1992?1 Oct 1994.

Squadrons. 1st Pilotless Bomber (later, 1st Tactical Missile): attached 14 Mar 1955?15 Apr 1956. 7th: attached 2 Mar?4 Apr 1973; attached 3 Apr? 3 May 1974; attached 4 Oct?6 Nov 1975. 9th: attached 12 Sep?6 Oct 1970; attached 4 Feb?15 Mar 1973; attached 6 Sep?7 Oct 1975. 18th Tactical Reconnaissance: attached 12?28 Apr 1977. 22d: attached 1 Oct 1956?7 Dec 1957, assigned 8 Dec 1957?31 Mar 1992. 23d: attached 1 Oct 1956?7 Dec 1957, assigned 8 Dec 1957?31 Dec 1971. 32d: attached 1 Oct 1956?7 Dec 1957, assigned 8 Dec 1957?8 Apr 1960. 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare: 1 Apr 1969?31 Dec 1971. 45th Tactical Reconnaissance: attached 13 Aug 1948?25 Mar 1949. 53d: attached 1 Oct 1956?7 Dec 1957, assigned 8 Dec 1957?31 Mar 1992 (detached 20 Dec 1990?1 Jul 1991). 71st Tactical Missile: 1 Oct 1965?30 Apr 1969. 461st: attached 1 Oct 1956?7 Dec 1957, assigned 8 Dec 1957?1 Aug 1959. 525th: 1 Nov 1968?31 Mar 1992.

Stations

Howard AFB, Canal Zone, 2?25 Jul 1948; Furstenfeldbruck (later, Furstenfeldbruck AB), Germany, 13 Aug 1948; Bitburg AB, Germany, 13 Dec 1952?1 Oct 1994. Andersen AFB, Guam, 1 Oct 1994?.

Commanders

Col Henry R. Spicer, 2 Jul 1948 (additional duty); Col Malcolm N. Stewart, 13 Aug 1948; Col John C. Crosthwaite, 16 Sep 1948; Col Hubert Zemke, 2 Nov 1949; Col Thomas K. Hampton, 10 Nov 1949; Col Richard A. Legg,3 Dec 1949; Col Robert L. Scott, Jr., 1 Mar 1951; Col Thomas B. Whitehouse, 30 May 1953; Col William H. Dick, 5 Jun 1954; Col Roy R. Brischetto, 17 Aug 1954; Col William H. Dick, 11 Jan 1955; Col John A. Brooks III, 7 Feb 1955; Brig Gen Walter B. Putnam, 21 Jul 1956; Col James D. Berry, 10 Jun 1960; Brig Gen Robert L. Delashaw, 18 Jul 1960; Col John H. Buckner, c. 11 Jun 1963; Brig Gen Gordon F. Blood, 11 Jul 1963; Col James F. Hackler, Jr., 22 Aug 1964; Col Benjamin B. Cassiday, Jr., 6 Aug 1966; Col Charles C. Pattillo, 12 May 1967; Col Joseph C. Secino, 26 Mar 1968; Col Richard G. Cross, Jr., 15 May 1968; Col Forrest L. Rauscher, 15 Jun 1969; Brig Gen Edwin W. Robertson II, 19 Nov 1969; Col Billy F. Rogers, 8 Oct 1971; Brig Gen Don H. Payne, 25 May 1972; Brig Gen Frederick C. Kyler, 31 Jul 1974; Col Perry M. Smith, 31 May 1978; Col Harold N. Campbell, 28 Feb 1979; Col Marcus A. Anderson, 15 Jan 1981; Col Richard L. Craft, 12 Jul 1982; Brig Gen Larry R. Keith, 26 Mar 1984; Col Peter D. Robinson, 25 Jan 1985; Col John A. Warden III, 19 Aug 1987; Col Jeffrey G. Cliver, 22 Jan 1988; Col John A. Judd, 4 Oct 1989; Col Ronald E. Keys, 11 Jul 1991; Col Jerry D. Hokkannen, 3 Aug 1992; Brig Gen Roger E. Carleton, 7 Oct 1992?.

Aircraft and Missiles

Primarily flew: F?80, 1948?1950; F?84, 1950?1953; F?86, 1953?1956; F?100, 1956?1961; F?105, 1961?1966; F?4, 1966?1977; F?102, 1968? 1969; EB?66, 1969?1971; and F?15, 1977?; but also flew, in fewer numbers, B?17, 1948; B/RB?26, 1948?1949; Matador, 1955?1956, Mace, 1965?1969; RF?4, 1977; and A?7, 1977.

Operations

Wing headquarters activated in the Canal Zone but was not manned because of pending movement to Europe. Tactically operational from mid-Aug 1948, introduced the first US jet fighters in Europe. During the next three decades, introduced other new jet aircraft in Europe, including the F?84 in 1950, the F?86 in 1953, the F?100 in 1956, the F?105 in 1961, the F?4 in 1966, and the F?15 in 1977. Tactical operations included air defense, tactical exercises and maneuvers, photographic reconnaissance (1948?1949), tactical missile operations (1955?1956 and 1965?1969), and tactical electronic warfare operations (1969?1971). Formed the Skyblazers aerial demonstration team in May 1949 and controlled it until Aug 1952, and again from Oct 1956 to Jan 1962. In addition to its primary installation (Bitburg AB, Germany), the wing controlled Oberpfaffenhofen AB, Germany, Dec 1949?Feb 1950, and Spangdahlem AB, Germany, Sep 1969?Dec 1971. Assumed logistical responsibility for Ground Launched Cruise Missile base closure at Florennes, Belgium in 1989, arranging and accompanying Soviet Inspection Team visits to insure compliance with Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty. Deployed 53d Fighter Squadron, additional pilots and aircraft from the 22d and 525th Fighter Squadrons, and support personnel to Southwest Asia, Dec 1990? Jul 1991, to assist in UN operations to liberate Kuwait. Wing pilots were credited with seventeen enemy combat aircraft destroyed.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: [1] May 1956?[1] May 1958; 1 Jan? 31 Dec 1968; 1 Dec 1973?30 Apr 1975; 1 Jul 1975?30 Jun 1977; 1 Jul 1977? 30 Jun 1979; 1 Jul 1986?30 Jun 1988; 1 Jul 1988?30 Jun 1990; 1 Sep 1990? 31 Jul 1991.

Bestowed Honors. Authorized to display honors earned by the 36th Operations Group prior to 2 Jul 1948.

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: France, 1 Sep 1944; Germany, 12 Apr 1945. Cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian Army: 1 Oct?17 Dec 1944; 18 Dec 1944?15 Jan 1945. Belgian Fourragere. Luxembourg Croix de Guerre: [1944]?1945 (awarded in error in 1969 to the Wing).

Emblem

Or a flight symbol palewise ascending Gules, on a chief Azure a wing fesswise Argent, all within a diminished bordure of the first. Approved on 19 Jun 1940 for 36th Group and on 17 Jul 1952 for 36th Wing (K 4943). Motto: PREPARED TO PREVAIL. Approved on 14 Aug 1979.