USAF AIR FORCE AF 15TH AIRLIFT WING C-17 GLOBEMASTER HICKAM HAWAII SUBDUED PATCH

Description: You are buying a new/unused subdued U.S. Air Force patch (measures 3" tall by 3" wide) from the 15th Airlift Wing located at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. This patch is from 2003 to 2010 before the change to the current wing's designation, the 15th Wing, that now includes an air refueling mission. 15th Airlift Wing "Originally activated Dec. 1, 1940, the 15th Pursuit Group was a fighter unit that flew aircraft out of Wheeler Field, Hawaii. A year later, its Airmen fought the Japanese during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. As the war progressed, the group continued fighting and supporting the aerial mission in the Pacific. In 1942, it evolved to meet future missions and became an interceptor unit. Later that year, its name changed to the 15th Fighter Group to reflect its new mission. It also received the mission of providing combat training for pilots. In 1944, the group's mission advanced again when it began training for "very-long-range" bomber escort duties. These missions proved to be a vital success in the Pacific as its P-51 Mustangs escorted B-29 Stratofortress bombers that struck targets in the heart of Japan, like the Nakajima aircraft plant near Tokyo and airfields on Kyushu Island. Close combat air support missions were used and one major example was when the group supported ground combat with bombing and strafing runs as Marines took the island of Iwo Jima. In the 1950s, the group evolved again as it was re-designated to fly an air defense mission over Niagara Falls, NY -- its new home. The unit's evolution continued two years after its inactivation in 1960 as the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing at its new home, MacDill AFB, Fla. As the Cuban Missile Crisis heated up, the mission changed again -- from training to mission capable. Deploying to Southeast Asia to provide air defense and combat support, it was wing pilots Capts. Thomas Roberts, Ronald Anderson, Kenneth Holcombe and Arthur Clark, who scored the first Air Force aerial combat victories in Vietnam -- two MiG-17 Fresco fighters July 10, 1965. The wing inactivated at MacDill AFB in 1970, but returned to its Pacific home when it re-activated Nov. 1, 1971, at Hickam AFB. It was here that the newly designated 15th Air Base Wing began its newest mission for the Air Force. During the next few decades, the wing continued to manage various Air Force bases and smaller subsidiary bases as well as providing en route support operations in the Pacific. The wing made its most current evolution April 28, 2003. The newly designated 15th Airlift Wing began its combined active duty and associate Air National Guard C-17 Globemaster III operations. The C-17s changed the wing's en route support mission to local and worldwide airlift operations in support of combat and humanitarian missions. It gave American commanders in the Pacific both strategic and tactical airlift capability." A great patch to have for your 15th Airlift Wing, Hickam Air Force Base, C-17 "Globemaster III" or U.S. Air Force patch collection! Lucky buyer agrees to pay upon purchase and will receive FREE shipping within the U.S. only. Please check my other listings for great patches. Thank you!

Price: 9.99 USD

Location: Badger State

End Time: 2025-01-18T08:51:12.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD