172nd Military Airlift Group
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The 172nd Airlift Wing is a unit of the
Mississippi Air National Guard The Mississippi Air National Guard (MS ANG), commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is, along with the Mississippi Army National Guard, an element of the Missis ...
, stationed at Allen C. Thompson Field Air National Guard Base, Mississippi. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
.


Mission

The 172nd Airlift Wing operates the
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
, and has participated in an all-volunteer partial activation since 2005, flying weekly missions to return wounded patients of the military safely back to the United States. Also, the 172nd Airlift Wing provides the State of Mississippi support in the event of national emergency, maintains peace and order, and supports civil defense and pre-attack planning.


Units

The 172nd Airlift Wing consists of the following units: * 172nd Operations Group : 183rd Airlift Squadron : 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron * 172nd Maintenance Group * 172nd Mission Support Group * 172nd Medical Group


History

In December 1963, the Mississippi 183rd Air Transport Squadron was authorized to expand into a group which would include the 183rd and supporting organizations, and the 172nd Air Transport Group was established. The 183rd became the new group's flying squadron. The support units assigned into the group were the 183rd Material Squadron, 183rd Air Base Squadron, and the 183rd USAF Dispensary. Flying Lockheed C-121 Constellations at the time of its activation, the group soon converted to
Douglas C-124C Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...
heavy intercontinental
airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...
aircraft in 1966 which meant supplies and equipment could be carried around the world along with the personnel the Constellations could carry. The C-124 was being retired in the early 1970s and the 172nd airlift mission was changed to theater support, as it equipped with Lockheed C-130E Hercules aircraft in May 1972. It upgraded to new C-130H aircraft in 1980 and continued to fly tactical airlift missions until the mid-1980s. On 12 July 1986 the group returned to the strategic airlift role when the first
Lockheed C-141B Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the ...
to be released from active-duty Air Force control was assigned. With a total of eight aircraft, the unit began its new mission. In March 1988 the 172nd took part in the airlift of approximately 3200 troops and almost 1000 tons of cargo on an exercise to
Palmerola Air Base Soto Cano Air Base is a Honduras, Honduran military base to the south of Comayagua in Honduras and from November 2021 will be the principal gateway to Honduras. It houses 1,200–1,500 U.S. troops and is also used by the Honduran Air Force acade ...
, Honduras. The 172nd was the only Air National Guard unit that participated in this airlift to Honduras. On 6 December 1988 the Soviet Republic of Armenia suffered a powerful earthquake. The first Air Guard aircraft to fly to
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
was a C-141B from the 172nd. Before relief missions ended, the 172nd flew six missions with its own planes and crew and furnished a crew to fly a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
C-141 whose crew could not continue because they had reached the maximum number flying hours to continue safe operations. In September 1989 a devastating hurricane struck the tiny island of
St. Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorpo ...
, leaving the island crippled. The 172nd flew eleven emergency relief missions, hauling 465 tons of cargo and 472 passengers. From 20 December 1989 to 12 January 1990 the 172nd flew 21 sorties in support of
Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, the incursion into Panama to replace
Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritaria ...
as ruler. Cargo transported during the
operation Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
amounted to 403.6 tons and 1,274 passengers were airlifted. On 7 August 1990 the 172nd's support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm began when aircrew members started flying voluntary missions. Approximately 98
aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...
members flew these missions before 24 August 1990, when the 183rd Military Airlift Squadron was activated. The 183rd was one of the first two reserve and guard units to be activated. By May 1991 the 148 members of the 183rd had flown 2,880 sorties which transported 15,837 passengers and 25,949.2 tons of cargo. In 2000, the C-141C with electronic "glass cockpit" was phased into service with the group. In October 2000 after the
USS Cole bombing The USS ''Cole'' bombing was a suicide attack by the terrorist group al-Qaeda against , a guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, on 12 October 2000, while she was being refueled in Yemen's Aden harbor. Seventeen U.S. Navy sailo ...
in
Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
, seventeen members of the 172nd deployed to
Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...
Germany. Members of the 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation and 183rd Airlift Squadrons picked up four sailors from Ramstein and flew them home to Norfolk Naval Station. In February 2003 the 172nd retired its last C-141C Starlifter in preparation for the arrival of the wing's first
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
. On 17 December 2003, Lt. Gen.
Daniel James III Daniel James III (September 7, 1945 – August 1, 2017) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who served as the director of the Air National Guard from June 3, 2002, to May 20, 2006. Biography James was born in Tuskegee, Alaba ...
, Director, Air National Guard, handed off the "keys" to the first Globemaster III to Maj. Gen. James H. Lipscomb III, adjutant general of the Mississippi National Guard. The plane was the first Globemaster III assigned to the Air National Guard and was named the "Spirit of the Minutemen".


Lineage

* Established as the 172nd Air Transport Group, Heavy and allotted to the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
on 16 December 1963 : Activated in December 1963 and extended federal recognition : Redesignated 172nd Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966 : Redesignated 172nd Tactical Airlift Group on 30 June 1972 : Redesignated 172nd Military Airlift Group on 1 July 1986 : Redesignated 172nd Airlift Group on 16 March 1992 : Redesignated 172nd Airlift Wing on 1 October 1995


Assignments

*
Mississippi Air National Guard The Mississippi Air National Guard (MS ANG), commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is, along with the Mississippi Army National Guard, an element of the Missis ...
, 1 July 1965 – Present ; Gaining commands :
Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
, December 1963 : Military Airlift Command, 1 January 1966 :
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
, 1 June 1992 - present


Components

* 172nd Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – present * 183rd Air Transport Squadron (later 183rd Military Airlift Squadron, 183rd Tactical Airlift Squadron, 183rd Military Airlift Squadron, 183rd Airlift Squadron), December 1963 – 1 October 1995


Stations

* Hawkins Field, December 1963 * Allen C, Thompson Field (later Allen C. Thompson Field Air National Guard Base), Mississippi, 1 July 1965 : Elements operated from:
Charleston Air Force Base Charleston Air Force Base is a United States military facility located in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force's 628th Air Base Wing (628 ABW), a subordinate element ...
, South Carolina, 24 August 1990 – 30 May 1991


Aircraft

* Lockheed C-121 Constellation, 1963-1966 * Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, 1966-1972 * Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1972-1980 * Lockheed C-130H Hercules, 1980-1986 * Lockheed C-141B Starlifter, 1986-2000 * Lockheed C-141C Starlifter, 2000-2004 * Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, 2004–Present


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography


172nd Airlift Wing history page


* Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.


External links

*

{{Mississippi Wings of the United States Air National Guard Military units and formations in Mississippi 0172