The 65th Air Base Group is a

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

based at

Lajes Field Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; pt, Base Aérea das Lajes), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea Nº 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portug ...

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

, Portugal. The group provides base and

en route ''En route'' may refer to: * ''En Route'' (novel), an 1895 novel by Joris-Karl Huysmans * ''En Route'' (film), a 2004 German movie directed by Jan Krüger * En-route chart, in aeronautics * enRoute (credit card), Air Canada's credit card divisi ...

support for the U.S.

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

, allied nations and other authorized aircraft in transit, including those from the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Colombia, Germany, Venezuela and Great Britain.

Components

* 65th Civil Engineer Squadron * 65th Communications Squadron * 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron * 65th Operations Support Squadron * 65th Security Forces Squadron * 65th Comptroller Flight * 65th Force Support Flight * 496th Air Base Squadron

History

The 65th was first organized at

Mitchel Air Force Base Mitchel Air Force Base also known as Mitchel Field, was a United States Air Force base located on the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York, United States. Established in 1918 as Hazelhurst Aviation Field #2, the facility was renamed la ...

, New York as the 65th Troop Carrier Wing in 1952. It conducted "reserve training toward proficiency with troop carrier aircraft from 1952–1953. However, the wing was never fully manned or equipped." The 1605th Military Airlift Support Wing replaced the 1605th Air Base Wing as the

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of th ...

unit managing facilities at

in January 1982. Ten years later, the two units were consolidated as the 65th Support Wing. It has "provided en route support for aircraft transiting

Lajes Air Base Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base (; pt, Base Aérea das Lajes), officially designated Air Base No. 4 (''Base Aérea Nº 4'', BA4) , is a multi-use airfield near Lajes and northeast of Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island in the Azores, Portug ...

from 1982 to the present." Its commander also serves as Commander, United States Forces Azores. The unit also "provided base support to elements of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

in the area." The 65th "supported deployment of personnel and equipment through Lajes during operations in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

from August 1990 – April 1991" and in support of the

War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

(Operation Enduring Freedom) and the

War in Iraq This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states. Other armed conflicts involving Iraq * Wars during Mandatory Iraq ** Ikhwan raid on South Iraq 1921 * Smaller conflicts, revolutions, coups and periphery confli ...

(Operation Iraqi Freedom) since 2001 and 2003 respectively. On 14 August 2015, the wing was redesignated as a group and reassigned to the

86th Airlift Wing The 86th Airlift Wing (86 AW) is a United States Air Force wing, currently assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. The 86th AW is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The wing's primary mi ...

. On 21 August 2015, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, a medical technician of the 65th Medical Operations Squadron was one of 6 passengers, including three Americans who thwarted the attack on a high speed train travelling from Brussels to Paris by an armed gunman by tackling and subduing him, then helping to provide medical aid to a wounded passenger. On 16 September 2015, he received the

Airman's Medal The Airman's Medal (AmnM) is a military award and decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force for personnel who distinguish themselves by heroism involving voluntary risk of their life not involving actual combat with ...

and a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

medal from U.S. Secretary of Defense

Ashton Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States Secretary of Defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Be ...

at the Pentagon.

Lineage

65th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing * Established as the 65th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 26 May 1952 : Activated in the Reserve on 14 June 1952 : Inactivated on 1 April 1953 * Redesignated 65th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium on 1 April 1953 * Consolidated with the 1605th Military Airlift Support Wing as the 1605th Military Airlift Support Wing on 1 January 1992 65th Air Base Group * Established as the 1605th Military Airlift Support Wing and activated on 1 January 1982 * Consolidated with the 65th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 1 January 1992 : Redesignated 65th Support Wing on 27 January 1992 : Redesignated 65th Air Base Wing on 1 October 1993 : Redesignated 65th Air Base Group 11 August 2015

Assignments

* First Air Force, 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953 *

Twenty-First Air Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...

1 January 1982 * Eighth Air Force, 1 October 1993 *

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...

, 1 October 2002 *

United States Air Forces Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

, 1 November 2005 * Air Command Europe, 18 November 2005 * Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe), 1 December 2006 * 86th Airlift Wing, 11 August 2015

Components

; Groups * 65th Troop Carrier Group, 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953 * 65th Air Base Group (later 1605th Air Base Group, 65th Support Group, 65th Mission Support Group), 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953, 1 January 1982 – 14 August 2015 * 65th Logistics Group, 27 January 1992 – c. 1997 * 65th Medical Group (later USAF Hospital, Lajes, 65th Medical Group), 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953, 1 January 1982 – present ; Squadrons * 65th Civil Engineer Squadron, 14 August 2015 – present * 65th Comptroller Squadron (later 65th Comptroller Flight), 1 February 1996 – present * 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron, 14 August 2015 – present * 65th Security Forces Squadron, 14 August 2015 – present * 1605 Military Airlift Support Squadron (later 65 Military Airlift Support Squadron): 1 January 1982 – 1 October 1993 * 1936th Communications Squadron (later 1605th Communications Squadron, 65th Communications Squadron), 1 September 1990 – 1 September 1997, 14 August 2015 – present * 496th Air Base Squadron, 1 April 2019 – present ; Flights * 65th Comptroller Flight (see 65th Comptroller Squadron) * 65th Force Support Flight, 14 August 2015 – present

Stations

, New York, 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953 * Lajes Field,

, 1 January 1982 – present

Aircraft

* Curtiss C-46 Commando (1952–1953)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

Lajes Field Home Page
{{USAF Air Forces in Europe Terceira Island 0065