332nd Air Expeditionary Wing
The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing is one of the largest units in the Persian Gulf region to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 332nd is the lead Air Force organization in Iraq.
Between August and December 2002, the 332d transitioned from an air expeditionary group (AEG) to an AEW and then converted to the new Air Force combat-wing organizational structure, which included a maintenance group. Simultaneously, the new 332d AEW saw its OSW tasking increase in intensity and duration, while it hosted base operational support for US Marine Corps planning and US Navy Seabee construction projects.
These operations gave a fairly broad span of control at Al Jaber AB for the newly transitioned AEW commander, who oversaw 13 squadrons with little group-level supervision or assistance until late December. The Air Force reorganization from logistics groups to maintenance groups also created several leadership gaps in the newly formed squadrons. Al Jaber AB had 24 permanent-party personnel while other personnel rotated in for the standard 90-day air expeditionary force (AEF) cycle that further complicated the reorganization and hurt continuity.
The thousands of Air Force members living and working at Tallil Air Base as of late 2003 can live and work safely thanks to the efforts of security forces members.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot deployed with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing safely landed her “Warthog” at a forward operating base after it sustained significant damage from enemy fire during a close air support mission over Baghdad 07 April 2003.
The 38th Ordnance Group provides ammunition storage for units on Tallil Air Base.
The 74th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron supports A-10s.
Remnants from the first Gulf War still reside on Tallil Air Base, and the 332nd Civil Engineer Explosive Ordnance Disposal team here is ensuring those remnants are not able to put Tallians in harm’s way. Using render-safe procedures, the EOD team is working to remove ordnance found in the vicinity of the runway that was doing just that; putting people and resources in harm’s way.
On the ground and in the air, airmen in this part of the world can rest assured that medical care is always close by. If a person is injured, medical personnel on the ground stabilize and treat the injured individual. But if that person needs to be transported by air for specialized care, a team of medical professionals from the 379th Aeromedical Squadron are just a short flight away. On any given day, they might haul patients from any airfield in the AOR to collection points, where they then might be airlifted to Europe or America, depending on the needs of the patient.
Col. Tom Jones commanded the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing in Kuwait at Operation Iraqi Freedom’s high point in March and April 2003.
A critically injured American soldier was spirited from danger by a U.S. Air Force HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopter crew near Ar Ramadi, Iraq. The soldier, wounded in the midst of an enemy-occupied area known for its high threat for surface-to-air missiles and small arms fire, was flown to a major trauma center in central Baghdad. The job fell to the 447th Air Expeditionary Group, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, Baghdad Air Base, Iraq, on Dec. 16, 2003.
The famed “Red Tails” were on the move when they relocated from a base in southern Iraq to just north of Baghdad. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing flag was furled before being flown to its new home at Balad Air Base, where the wing was reactivated 30 January 2004. The move was part of the Central Command Air Forces effort to consolidate forces from Tallil, Baghdad International Airport and Kirkuk AB into one location.
Although the wing’s time at Tallil AB was short, the accomplishments of its airmen easily measured up to the wing’s legacy. The men and women of the wing had been at the tip of the expeditionary airpower spear. The 332nd had been operating out of Tallil for six months.
CENTAF did not completely vacated the base in southern Iraq—the 407th Air Expeditionary Group, commanded by Col. Kevin E. Williams, remained at Tallil.
An Airman assigned to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and attached to the U.S. Army’s 494th Truck Company at Balad Air Base, Iraq, was killed in action 11 July 2004. Staff Sgt. Dustin W. Peters, 25, of El Dorado, Kan., died when the convoy he was riding in encountered an improvised explosive device near Forward Operating Location Summerall.
The 332nd AEW traces its legacy to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II fame. From a small airfield in Tuskegee, Ala., in 1941 with men who knew challenges and deprivation most will never comprehend, they eventually rose to write a legacy of excellence and dedication. These Tuskegee graduates went on to form the core of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which entered World War II in June 1943 with Lieutenant Davis in command. Their achievemnt include sinking a German destroyer in the Gulf of Venice, with machine gun fire -- a rare feat. As fighter escort patrols the "Red Tails"never lost a bomber to attacking enemy aircraft.
On 7 March 1942, the first black military pilots in our nation's history received their wings at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama. For many, this event marked 25 years of determined effort to include blacks in military aviation. As early as 1917, Walter White, Director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had called for the inclusion of blacks in the Air Corps only to be told that "no colored squadrons were being formed at the present time." It didn't happen until 21 March 1941 when the US Army Air Corps activated the 99th Pursuit Squadron at Tuskegee, Alabama.
Graduating from West Point in 1936, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became one of only two black line officers in the US Army at the time--the other was his father. Initially assigned to the infantry in July 1941, he joined 12 cadets in the first flying training program for blacks at Tuskegee, Alabama. He received his wings in March 1942, after becoming the first black officer to solo an Army Air Corps aircraft. These Tuskegee graduates went on to form the core of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which entered World War II in June 1943 with Lieutenant Colonel Davis in command.
After 4 months of flying P-40s in the Mediterranean Theater, he returned to the States, took command of the 332d Fighter Group, and deployed with this unit to Italy in January 1944. By summer the group had transitioned to P-47s and began scoring their first kills. On 9 June 1944, Colonel Davis led 39 Thunderbolts escorting B-24s to targets at Munich, Germany. Near the target the 332d took on more than 100 German fighters, destroying five Me-109s, and damaging another. For his leadership and bravery on this mission, Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Later, flying the distinctive 332d "Red Tail" P-5 I Mustangs, Davis led the first Italy-based fighter group to escort bombers to Berlin, a distance of 1,600 miles. Approaching Berlin, they were attacked by 25 Me-262 jets, but the 332d downed three of the enemy fighters. Under Davis’ command, the group flew more than 15,000 sorties against the Luftwaffe, shot down 111 enemy aircraft, and destroyed another 150 on the ground, while losing only 66 of their own aircraft to all causes. Most noteworthy, not one friendly bomber was lost to enemy aircraft during the Group’s 200 escort missions. The unique success of this all-black outfit highlighted Colonel Davis’ leadership, along with the courage and discipline of his airmen.
Following the European War, Davis returned to the States to command the 477th Composite Group and the 332d Fighter Wing. In 1953, he again saw combat when he assumed command of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing and flew the F-86 in Korea. With his promotion to brigadier general, Davis became the first black to earn a star in the US Air Force. He retired as a lieutenant general in 1970, and served under President Nixon as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Environment, Safety, and Consumer Affairs. *
