US Air Force,
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE: The “Flying Tigers” will be brought back from the past as the 347th Rescue Wing will be redesignated as the 23rd Wing during a ceremony here at 8:23 a.m. Sept. 29.
Brig. Gen. Blair E. Hansen, vice commander of 9th Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., will preside over the redesignation ceremony to officially rename the 347th RQW units with the historic World War II unit.
The redesignation ceremony culminates a series of changes for the Moody wing, which included the assumption of the 23rd Fighter Group at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., and Moody's 820th Security Forces Group. The changes bring together a combination of combat search and rescue, close air support and security forces professionals.
“These changes are designed to better enhance the Air Force's ability to provide the best possible options to combatant commanders,” said Col. Joe Callahan, 347th RQW commander. “While Moody has enjoyed a storied history in training America's finest pilots, this new chapter will establish the base as a vital asset to today's warfighter.”
|
Airmen 1st Class Ernesto Sosa and Nicholas Heimgartner, Airmen 1st Class Ernesto Sosa and Nicholas Heimgartner paint the nose of a C-130E in August at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The aircraft was repainted to represent the 347th Rescue Wing's upcoming transition to the 23rd Wing, known as the famous “Flying Tigers.” The 347th RQW will deactivate and the 23rd Wing will activate Sept. 29. Airmen Sosa and Heimgartner are from the 347th Maintenance Squadron at Moody AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Eric Schloeffel)
More Military Pictures
|
Along with accepting the 23rd Wing designation, the base will accept the responsibility of carrying on the historic Flying Tiger's heritage. In the days immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a group of volunteer pilots successfully fought the Japanese in the skies over China. Because of their extraordinary abilities and the distinct “shark-teeth” paintings on their aircraft, the group was heralded as the Flying Tigers by the American press. This tradition has carried over for more than 60 years and numerous aircraft and locations.
