MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- The 908th Airlift Wing started the month of June celebrating two anniversaries, on June 1, 1973, the 908th Tactical Airlift Group was declared combat ready, then on the same date in 1998, Col. Thomas R. Brown became the 18th commander of the 908th.
Also on that same date, but in 2024, the wing congratulated 19 members who promoted recently.
On Sunday, June 2, 2024, the wing welcomed eight new members to its ranks.
On Thursday, June 6, the wing remembered that in 2019 it sent 14 members and two aircraft to Normandy, France to participate in the 75th anniversary of the allied invasion of Europe. The aircraft were painted with black and white invasion stripes to participate in the commemoration events.
The next day the wing remembered another D-Day event. On June 7, 1998, members of the 357th Airlift Squadron dropped multi-national airborne troops over Normandy in commemoration of the D-Day anniversary.
Saturday, June 8 saw the wing celebrate two very similar events in its history. First, Lt. Col. John P. Cranford became the fourth commander of the 908th on June 8, 1968. Then, Col. Brett J. Clark became the 22nd commander of the 908th on June 8, 2008.
Sunday, June 9, was the 22nd anniversary of the wing having one C-130 and crew from the 357 AS participate in a three-ship formation that dropped 120 paratroopers near St. Mere Eglise, France in 2002 as part of the 58th anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
The next day the wing remembered a critical event that has helped shape all the changes the wing is currently going through. On June 10, 2020, The Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara Barrett, selected Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama as the candidate base and reasonable alternative for the MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter Formal Training Unit.
In the current year, the wing highlighted all of the officers in the unit that have been recently selected for promotion.
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the wing highlighted Senior Airman Desiree Pope, a member with the 25th Aerial Port Squadron and the wing’s Airman of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2023.
The wing next remembered a major moment in history for one of its units. On June 14, 1952, the 357th Bomb Squadron was redesignated as a Troop Carrier Squadron and activated in the Reserve at Clinton Air Force Base, Ohio.
Another anniversary started on June 17, 1995, and ended on July 8, 1995, when two groups of more than 20 members each from the 25th Aerial Port Squadron partnered with the 640th Air Mobility Support Squadron at Howard Air Force Base, Panama to onload and offload more than 250 aircraft.
The next day the wing celebrated another anniversary, when the 357th Airlift Squadron participated in Coronet Oak, the Air Force Reserve Command support of U.S. Southern Command from Muniz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico starting June 18, 2016, and ending July 2, 2016.
Then, the next day the wing remembered that on June 19, 1969, the 908th Civil Engineer Squadron was constituted as the 908th Civil Engineering Flight.
On June 20, the wing remembered two significant events in its history. First, on June 20, 1987, the 908th received the first of eight-brand new C-130H models directly from Lockheed when tail number 85-0035 landed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Then on June 20, 2021, a 908th Aeromedical Staging Squadron team evacuated Bagram Airfield and moved to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. They were some of the last medical personnel at Bagram when the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing in-activated and the base closed.
Another milestone in the wing’s history was celebrated on Saturday, June 22. From June 22 to 28, 1996, the wing participated in Airlift Rodeo ‘96 at McChord Air Force Base, Washington and won the title of Best C-130 Maintenance Team in the World.
The following day the wing remembered another significant event. In 2001, from June 23 to July 7, two C-130s and more than 60 908th members deployed to Muniz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico in support of Coronet Oak. During the deployment, members delivered supplies to remote areas across Central and South America with challenging airfields.
On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, the wing highlighted 908th Airlift Wing Manpower Analyst and 2023 Civilian Category III of the Year winner, Mrs. Katrina Lee.
On June 27, the wing celebrated the two-year anniversary of the release of the strategic basing decision that certified Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama as the host for the MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter formal training unit. The MH-139A replaces the UH-1N Huey in providing security and support for the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile fields and to provide contingency response, continuity of operations, and airlift for senior government officials in the National Capital Region.