Description
Japanese computer made by Tiger Embroidery, Okinawa, Japan. 4.0 inch-98mm
374th AIRLIFT WING (PACAF)
Lineage. Established as 374 Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, on 10 Aug 1948. Activated on 17 Aug 1948. Inactivated on 1 Jul 1957. Redesignated as 374 Troop Carrier Wing, and activated, on 27 Jun 1966. Organized on 8 Aug 1966. Redesignated as: 374 Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 Aug 1967; 374 Airlift Wing on 1 Apr 1992-.
Assignments. Marianas Air Materiel Area (Provisional), 17 Aug 1948 (attached to Twentieth Air Force, 17 Aug 1948-): Marianas Air Materiel Area, 1 Feb 1949 (remained attached to Twentieth Air Force to 5 Mar 1949); Fifth Air Force, 5 Mar 1949 (attached to 1 Troop Carrier Task Force [Provisional], 5-9 Sep 1950; Far East Air Forces Combat Cargo Command, Provisional, 10 Sep 1950-); 314 Air Division, 1 Dec 1950 (remained attached to Far East Air Forces Combat Cargo Command, Provisional, to 25 Jan 1951); 315 Air Division (Combat Cargo), 25 Jan 1951-1 Jul 1957. Pacific Air Forces, 27 Jun 1966; 315 Air Division (Combat Cargo), 8 Aug 1966; 313 Air Division, 1 Nov 1968; 327 Air Division, 31 May 1971; Thirteenth Air Force, 15 Nov 1973; Twenty-Second Air Force, 31 Mar 1975; 834 Airlift Division, 1 Oct 1978; Fifth Air Force, 1 Apr 1992-.
Operational Components. Groups. 1 Troop Carrier Group, Medium (Provisional) (later, Troop Carrier Group [Medium], No. 1, Provisional): attached 26 Aug 1950-10 Jan 1951. 316 Tactical Airlift: 1 Oct 1978-1 Oct 1989. 374 Troop Carrier (later, 374 Operations): 17 Aug 1948-1 Jul 1957; 1 Apr 1992-. Squadrons. 6 Troop Carrier: attached 3 Feb 1956-1 Jul 1957. 7 Air Command and Control: 22 May 1974-31 Mar 1975 (detached). 13 Military Airlift: 1 Oct 1987-1 Apr 1992. 20 Operations (later, 20 Aeromedical Airlift): 31 Mar 1975-1 Apr 1992. 21 Troop Carrier (later, 21 Tactical Airlift; 21 Airlift): attached 29 Jun 1951-28 Mar 1952; attached 3 Feb 1956-1 Jul 1957; assigned 8 Aug 1966-1 Apr 1992. 22 Troop Carrier: attached 3 Feb 1956-1 Jul 1957. 35 Tactical Airlift: 8 Aug 1966-31 Mar 1971. 36 Tactical Airlift: attached 16 May-1 Sep 1972. 37 Tactical Airlift: attached 29 Nov 1972-28 Feb 1973. 38 Tactical Airlift: attached 1 Sep-29 Nov 1972. 41 Tactical Airlift: 8 Aug 1966-28 Feb 1971. Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium), No. 47, Provisional: attached 10-26 Jan 1951. 50 Tactical Airlift: assigned 31 May 1971-15 Aug 1973; attached 28 Apr-c. 6 Jun 1975. 61 Tactical Airlift: attached 16 May-1 Sep 1972. 345 Tactical Airlift: 31 May 1971-1 Oct 1978; 1 Oct 1989-1 Apr 1992. 772 Tactical Airlift: attached c. 10 May-6 Jun 1973. 773 Tactical Airlift: attached 28 Feb-c. 10 May 1973. 776 Tactical Airlift: 31 May 1971-31 Oct 1975. 815 Tactical Airlift: 1 Nov 1968-15 Dec 1969 (detached 1 Nov 1968-1 Apr 1969). 817 Tactical Airlift: 8 Aug 1966-15 Jun 1970. 1403 Military Airlift: 1 Oct 1989-1 Apr 1992. 6475 (later, 6037) Flying Training: attached 25 Nov 1954-18 May 1955. 6485 Operations: attached 17 Sep 1956-1 Jul 1957. Units. 6142 Air Transport: attached 1 Aug-1 Oct 1950. 6143 Air Transport: attached 26 Jul-1 Oct 1950. 6144 Air Transport: attached 26 Jul-1 Oct 1950. Detachments. Royal Thailand Air Force Detachment: attached 1953-1 Jul 1957.
Stations. Harmon AFB, Guam, 17 Aug 1948; Tachikawa (later, Tachikawa AB), Japan, 5 Mar 1949-1 Jul 1957. Naha AB, Okinawa, 8 Aug 1966; Ching Chaun Kang AB, Taiwan, 31 May 1971; Clark AB, Philippines, 15 Nov 1973; Yokota AB, Japan, 1 Oct 1989-.
Aircraft. C-54, 1948-1956, 1956-1957; C-46, 1949, 1950-1951, 1956-1957; C-47, 1951-1957; C-124, 1952-1957; C-119, 1951, 1956-1957; VB-17, 1951. C-130, 1966-1971; 1971-; C-9, 1975-1992, 1992-2003; C-12, 1984-1993, 2007-; C-21, 1985-2007; UH-1, 1992–.
Operations. The 374 Wing operated Harmon Field, Guam, Aug 1948-Mar 1949, and provided troop carrier operations in the Pacific and Far East. It moved to Japan in Mar 1949, and assumed control over Tachikawa (later, Tachikawa AB), operating this facility until 1 Jan 1956. Until the outbreak of war in Korea in Jun 1950, it performed routine transport operations. With assigned and attached components, the wing performed combat airlift, airdrops, and aeromedical evacuation in Korea throughout the war. It also flew courier flights throughout the Pacific area. In Apr 1953, it transported the first of several groups of repatriated prisoners of war from Korea to Japan (Operation Little Switch), and subsequently transported United Nations prisoners of war (Operation Big Switch) from North Korea. Following hostilities, the wing resumed its normal troop carrier and airlift operations in the Far East and Pacific area, including participation in tactical exercises and humanitarian missions. In Indo-China in 1954, the wing transported observers, maintenance personnel, and liaison officers and evacuated wounded French troops. It trained C-46 pilots of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, Nov 1954-May 1955. Nine years later, in Aug 1966, it was activated at Naha AB, Okinawa, and assumed a mission of airlift to Southeast Asia, as well as intra-theater airlift for elements of the Pacific Command. In addition, the wing supported Army Special Forces training, participated in tactical exercises, and flew search and rescue and humanitarian missions as needed. The wing had no aircraft from 27 Apr to 31 May 1971. It was revived with new resources in Taiwan and remained heavily committed in support of operations in Southeast Asia, and also continued routine airlift in other areas. One of the wing’s humanitarian missions—flood relief in the Philippines—earned it a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation in 1972. The wing provided support in Mar 1973 for Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of American prisoners from Hanoi, North Vietnam. It maintained a forward operating location in Thailand until mid-1976. The 374th participated in Operation Baby Lift (evacuation of Vietnam orphans) and Operation New Life (evacuation of Vietnamese refugees) in Apr 1975. During the recovery of the SS Mayaguez from the Cambodians in May 1975, a wing aircraft dropped a 15,000-lb bomb on Koh Tang Island to create a helicopter landing area. On 31 Mar 1975, the wing gained an aeromedical airlift mission in the Far East. In Oct 1978, it added a tactical airlift group to control the wing’s units in Japan and South Korea, and continued controlling aerial port facilities in South Korea until Nov 1983, and then in the Philippines and Japan. It began supporting US Navy elements in the Indian Ocean area in 1980. From 30 Dec 1990-6 Jul 1991, the wing deployed C-130s and associated aircrews and support personnel for operations in Southwest Asia, and from 8 Jun-1 Jul 1991 provided airlift and aeromedical airlift for the evacuation of Clark AB, Philippines, after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. From 1992 to present, the 374 Airlift Wing conducted special operations, aeromedical evacuations, search and rescue operations, humanitarian relief and theater airlift missions in support of US and United Nations security interests throughout the Far East. In 1996, the 374th deployed portions of the Air Transportable Hospital to Andersen AFB, Guam to assist in Operation Pacific Haven, migrant operations of more than 2000 Kurdish nationals. Deployed to Utapao RTAFB, Thailand from 28 Dec 2004-26 Jan 2005 as part of Operation Unified Assistance, distributed humanitarian supplies to people and eleven nations devastated by an earthquake triggered tsunami. Participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Philippines, 2002-; Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2004-2010 (later, Operation New Dawn, 2010-2013); Operation Caring Response (Burma cyclone relief), May-Jun 2008. Took part in humanitarian relief for Japan after earthquake and tsunami, spring 2011.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea Summer 1953.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Presidential Unit Citation: Vietnam, 8 Aug 1967-7 Aug 1968. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat “V” Device: 12 Feb-17 May 1975. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 8 Aug 1966-7 Aug 1967; 1 Jul 1983-30 Jun 1985; 30 Sep 1992-1 Oct 1994; 1 Oct 1994-30 Sep 1996; 1 Oct 1996-30 Sep 1997; 1 Oct 1998-30 Sep 2000; 1 Oct 2000-30 Sep 2002; 1 Oct 2003-30 Sep 2005; 2 Nov 2006-1 Nov 2008; 2 Nov 2008-1 Nov 2009; 2 Nov 2009-1 Nov 2011; 2 Nov 2011-1 Nov 2012. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 1 Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-28 Jan 1973. Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation: 21 Jul-15 Aug 1972.
Bestowed Honors. Authorized to display honors earned by the 374 Troop Carrier Group prior to 17 Aug 1948. Service Streamers. None. Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Offensive, Japan; Papua; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines. Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua, 12 Nov-22 Dec 1942; Papua, [Nov] 1942-23 Jan 1943; Wau, New Guinea, 30 Jan-1 Feb 1943. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Emblem. Approved on 20 Dec 1951; latest rendering, 8 Feb 2021.