You see us in your community. We could be the person next to you at a stoplight, the person sitting next to your table at a restaurant or a fellow shopper at a local grocery store. We are teachers, law enforcement, craftsmen, parents. What you may not know is we are also warriors.
We were born in 1943 and we were named the 442d Troop Carrier Group. On D-day we delivered American and allied troops to fight in one of most notorious battles in history and continued to serve in WWII.
We flew the C-124 Globemaster through the 60s and 70s. We provided carrier support of troops and supplies in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
In 1982 we were no longer carriers, but fighters. Flying the A-10 Thunderbolt we became the 442d Fighter Wing.
After the attacks on 9/11, we flew combat missions in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the most tumultuous times in the Middle East, we provided close air support, combat search and rescue, and forward-air-control combat capability. Today we are still the same combat-proven warriors we’ve always been.
When we aren’t deployed we are training to deploy. We problem-solve and strategize through teamwork and collaboration. We utilize technology to our advantage. We grow and learn from the mistakes we make in training so they will not happen on a battlefield. We maintain and fly aircraft that brings our allies hope and our enemies fear. We understand the gravity of our responsibility over the nation’s arsenal. We take time to take care of each other and our families. We honor tradition and our fallen brothers and sisters knowing it is because of their sacrifice we still can uphold freedom. We look to the future with the same service, excellence, and integrity from our past for regardless of the uniform we are Airmen at heart. You may not know it when you see a Civilian Airman, but we see you. And we are ready to uphold your freedoms and liberties and protect you and your family whatever the cost. We are Citizen Airmen ready to attack, defend, support, and sustain. We are the 442d Fighter Wing. More