459th Air Refueling Wing

The 459th Air Refueling Wing consists of the following major units: • 459th Operations Group ::756th Air Refueling Squadron ::459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron • 459th Maintenance Group ::459th Maintenance Operations Flight ::459th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ::459th Maintenance Squadron • 459th Mission Support Group ::69th Aerial Port Squadron ::459th Force Support Squadron ::459th Logistics Readiness Squadron ::459th Security Forces Squadron ::759th Logistics Readiness Flight*459th Medical Group ::459th Aerospace Medicine Squadron ::459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron ==History==

Activation in the Air Force Reserve The reserve flying mission began at Andrews Air Force Base in the summer of 1954, when the 756th Troop Carrier Squadron was activated and equipped with Curtiss C-46 Commando aircraft and began training under the supervision of the 2259th Air Force Reserve Combat Training Center. Nearly 8 months later, the unit had grown enough to activate its parent, the 459th Troop Carrier Wing. In 1958, the 2259th Center was inactivated and some of its personnel were absorbed by the wing. In place of active duty support for reserve units, ConAC adopted the Air Reserve Technician program, in which a cadre of the unit consisted of full-time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and also held military rank as members of the reserves. Detached Squadron Concept During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching Air Force Reserve squadrons from their parent wing locations to separate sites. Communities were more likely to accept the smaller squadrons than the large wings and the location of separate squadrons in smaller population centers would facilitate recruiting and manning. The wing's 757th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was activated in April 1955 was located at Byrd Field, Virginia, rather than at Andrews. was one of the first three squadrons activated under this program. When the wing activated its third flying squadron, the 758th Troop Carrier Squadron, in 1957, it was located at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania. In November 1957, the 757th relocated from Byrd Field, which also hosted an Air National Guard group, to Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio. and the 756th, 757th and 758th Troop Carrier Squadrons were assigned directly to the wing. The 909th Troop Carrier Group at Andrews, the 910th Troop Carrier Group at Youngstown, and the 911th Troop Carrier Group at Pittsburgh were all assigned to the wing on 17 January. Also in 2017, a 459th Air Refueling Wing commemorative challenge coin was created to be "Presented by the Unit Commander" and consists of the 459th emblem. The front says" AIR FORCE RESERVE COMMAND, JOINT BASE ANDREWS On the back of the antique brass challenge coin is the rarely seen 459th AMDS "yellow lion" with yellow and red crosses on its blue background. The words included are: HEALTH - VALOR - PRIDE, INTEGRITY • EXCELLENCE • SERVICE ==Lineage==

• Established as the 459th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 30 December 1954 : Activated in the Reserve on 26 January 1955 : Redesignated 459th Military Airlift Wing on 1 July 1966 : Redesignated 459th Tactical Airlift Wing on 29 June 1971 : Redesignated 459th Military Airlift Wing on 1 July 1986 : Redesignated 459th Airlift Wing on 1 February 1992 : Redesignated 459th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 2003 Assignments • First Air Force, 26 January 1955 • Fourteenth Air Force, 25 March 1958 • Second Air Force Reserve Region, 15 August 1960 • First Air Force Reserve Region, 24 June 1966 • Eastern Air Force Reserve Region, 31 December 1969 • Fourteenth Air Force, 8 October 1976 • Twenty-Second Air Force, 1 July 1993 • Fourth Air Force, 1 April 2003 – present Components ;; Groups • 459th Troop Carrier Group (later, 459th Operations Group): 26 January 1955 – 14 April 1959; 1 August 1992 – present • 904th Troop Carrier Group (later 904th Military Airlift Group): 1 July 1966 – 26 January 1968; 2 June – 31 December 1969 • 905th Military Airlift Group (later 905th Tactical Airlift Group): 25 February 1972 – 1 April 1974. • 907th Tactical Airlift Group (later 907th Airlift Group): 1 October 1989 – 1 October 1994 • 909th Troop Carrier Group (later 909th Military Airlift Group): 17 January 1963 – 1 September 1975 • 910th Troop Carrier Group (later 910th Tactical Fighter Group, 910th Tactical Airlift Group): 17 January 1963 – 1 July 1966; 1 April 1981 – 1 October 1989. • 911th Troop Carrier Group (later 911th Military Airlift Group): 17 January 1963 – 21 April 1971 (detached 1 – 21 April 1971) • 913th Tactical Airlift Group (later 913th Airlift Group): 8 January 1976 – 1 August 1992. • 915th Military Airlift Group: 26 January 1968 – 1 September 1969. • 918th Military Airlift Group: attached 1–20 April 1971, assigned 21 April 1971 – 1 July 1972 • 919th Military Airlift Group (later 919th Tactical Airlift Group): 30 July 1971 – 1 December 1974 • 920th Tactical Airlift Group: 25 April 1973 – 1 January 1976 • 927th Tactical Airlift Group: 15 March 1976 – 1 July 1981 ;; Squadrons • 756th Troop Carrier Squadron (later 756th Military Airlift Squadron, 756th Airlift Squadron): 14 April 1959 – 17 January 1963, 1 September 1975 – 1 August 1992 • 757th Troop Carrier Squadron: 8 April 1955 – 17 January 1963 • 758th Troop Carrier Squadron: 14 April 1959 – 17 January 1963 Stations • Andrews Air Force Base (later Joint Base Andrews), Maryland, 26 January 1955 – present Aircraft • Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1955–1957 • Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957–1967 • Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, 1966–1972 • Lockheed RC-130 Hercules, 1971–1973 • Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 1971–1986 • de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou, 1972 • Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, 1986–2003 • Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 2003 – present ==References==