Page 5 - Desert Lightning News, D-M Airshow Edition March 2016 Update

Desert Lightning News March 4, 2016 5

www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
Facebook.com/DesertLightningNews

History of the 355th FighterWing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

On July 1, 1971 the Air Force reactivated the UJMMFSZ QJFDFT "EEJUJPOBMMZ
"T TIPU EPXO UXP &$&$PNQBTT$BMMBJSDSBGUXFSFBTTJHOFEUP

UI5BDUJDBM'JHIUFS8JOH 5'8
BU%BWJT.PO- *SBRJIFMJDPQUFSTXJUIUIF("6"WFOHFS(BUMJOH the 355th FW. These actions resulted in the 355th

UIBOXJUIUIF7PVHIU"%$PSTBJS**BTUIFQSJ- HVO%VSJOHUIFXBS
TFWFO"TXFSFTIPUEPXO
'8CFDPNJOHUIFUI8JOH 8(

NBSZXFBQPOTZTUFN*OFBSMZUIF5'8 GBS GFXFS UIBO NJMJUBSZ QMBOOFST FYQFDUFE %VS- ͳFBUUBDLTPO4FQUFNCFS

MFEUPUIFJOJ-

QSFQBSFEGPSDPOWFSTJPOUPUIFOBNFMFTT'BJSDIJME JOHUIJTUJNF
"TIBEBNJTTJPODBQBCMFSBUFPG UJBUJPOPGUISFFNJTTJPOT0QFSBUJPO&/%63*/(

3FQVCMJD" JUXPVMECFOFBSMZUISFFZFBSTCF-
nFX
TPSUJFT
BOEMBVODIFEPGUIF '3&&%0. 0&'
JO "GHIBOJTUBO
XIJDI %BWJT

GPSFUIFOBNFͳVOEFSCPMU**XBTPĊDJBMMZTFMFDUFE "(..BWFSJDLNJTTJMFTmSFEJOUIFDPOnJDU .POUIBODPOUJOVFTUPTVQQPSU
0QFSBUJPO*3"2*

GPSUIF"
*O0DUPCFSUIFUI5BDUJDBM ͳF 8JOHT OFYU DPOUJOHFODZ
0QFSBUJPO '3&&%0. SFOBNFE0QFSBUJPO/&8%"8/

5SBJOJOH4RVBESPOBDUJWBUFEUPDPOEVDU"BDB- 4065)&3/ 8"5$)
CFHBO PO "VHVTU
BOE0QFSBUJPO/0#-&&"(-&"GUFS0&'CFHBO

demic training. Five months later, on 2 March 1976
JO BO FĉPSU UP FOGPSDF SFTUSJDUJPOT QMBDFE FJHIU"TGSPNUIF8(TUI'JHIUFS4RVBE-

UIFXJOHSFDFJWFEUIFmSTU"%.XBTPĊDJBMMZ PO *SBR GPMMPXJOH 0QFSBUJPO %&4&35 4503. SPO '4
EFQMPZFEUP#BHSBN"JSmFME
"GHIBOJTUBO

USBOTGFSSFE GSPN UIF 4USBUFHJD "JS $PNNBOE UP The 355th supported this operation with five de- BOEQSPWJEFEDMPTFBJSTVQQPSUNJTTJPOTGPSNVMUJ-

5BDUJDBM"JS$PNNBOEPO4FQUFNCFS*U QMPZNFOUTUP4PVUIXFTU"TJBJO

OBUJPOBMHSPVOEGPSDFT0UIFSEFQMPZNFOUTUP#B-

XBTBMTPPOUIJTEBZUIBUUIF5'8CFDBNF%
BOE"MMEFQMPZNFOUTXFSFUPFOGPSDF HSBN"JSmFMEGPMMPXFEJO

BOE*O

.TIPTUXJOH#FGPSFUIFDMPTFPGUIFEFDBEF
UXP UIFSEQBSBMMFMTPVUIFSOOPnZ[POF*O
JO UIF#VMMEPHTSFUVSOFEUP"GHIBOJTUBOJO

BEEJUJPOBMDIBOHFTXPVMEPDDVS0O4FQUFNCFS BEEJUJPO UP UIF SFHVMBS 0QFSBUJPO 4065)&3/ a historic deployment to Kandahar Airfield. This

1979 the 355 TFW was redesignated the 355th 8"5$)"SPUBUJPOT
UIFXJOHQSPWJEFE$PN- XBT UIF mSTU UJNF BO "$ TRVBESPO PQFSBUFE

5BDUJDBM5SBJOJOH8JOH
BOEPO0DUPCFS
UIFMBTU QBTT $BMM BTTFUT UP 0QFSBUJPO "--*&% '03$&
GSPNUIJTMPDBUJPO*UXBTBMTPEVSJOHUIJTEFQMPZ-

"%NJTTJPOXBTnPXO
UIFSFCZFOEJOHBOFJHIU UIF/"50BJSDBNQBJHOPWFS4FSCJBBOE,PTPWP NFOUUIFUI'4SFBDIFEBOPUIFSDPNCBUNJMF-

years presence at D-M. ͳFOFYUDIBOHFGPSUIFJOTUBMMBUJPOPDDVSSFEPO TUPOFCZVUJMJ[JOHUIF4OJQFS"EWBODFE5BSHFUJOH

*OUIFT
UIF558DPOUJOVFEUPUSBJO .BZ
XIFOUIF"JS'PSDFQPMJDZPGiPOFCBTF 1PEJOXBSGBSF
BmSTUGPSBO"$TRVBESPOͳF

"DSFXTGPSBTTJHONFOUTUPVOJUTJOUIF6OJUFE POF CPTTw XBT JNQMFNFOUFE ͳJT SFTVMUFE JO BMM UITOFYUTJYNPOUIEFQMPZNFOUXBTUP0TBO

States, United Kingdom and Korea. During this pe- "JS%JWJTJPOT
JODMVEJOHUIF"%
CFHJOOJOHJO- "#
3FQVCMJDPG,PSFB
JO'PSJUTnBXMFTTSPMF

SJPE
UIF"TBXDPNCBUGPSUIFmSTUUJNFEVSJOH activated. With this action, the 355 FW was once JOTVQQPSUPG1BDJmD$PNNBOETͳFBUFS4FDVSJUZ

UIF(VMG8BSJO
EFTUSPZJOHNPSFUIBO
BHBJO%.TIPTUXJOH"MTPPOUIJTEBZ
UIFTU 1BDLBHF
UIFVOJUXBTBXBSEFEUIF"JS'PSDF0VU-

*SBRJ UBOLT

NJMJUBSZ WFIJDMFT
BOE
BS- BOE SE &MFDUSPOJD $POUSPM 4RVBESPOT BOE UIF standing Unit Award.