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58th Special Operations Wing

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58th Special Operations Wing
A CV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft in flight
A 58th Special Operations Wing CV-22B Osprey
Active1952–1958; 1969–present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleSpecial operations training
Part ofAir Education and Training Command
Garrison/HQKirtland Air Force Base
MottoNon Revertar Inultus ("I Will Not Return Unavenged")[a]
EngagementsKorean War
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation (2)
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
CommanderCol. Jason Allen
Deputy CommanderCol. Joshua Jackson
Command ChiefCMSgt. Christopher Ottenwess
Insignia
58th Special Operations Wing emblem[b]

The 58th Special Operations Wing (58 SOW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command (AETC), stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It trains Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) aircrews in special operations, combat search and rescue (CSAR), missile site support, and distinguished visitor airlift, graduating more than 2,000 students per year across 100 courses and 18 crew positions.

Established as the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 25 June 1952 and activated at Itazuke Air Base, Japan, the wing flew F-84D Thunderjets from Taegu Air Base, South Korea, conducting interdiction and close air support against targets including airfields, railways, and supply ports. On 13 May 1953, it struck the Toksan Dam near Pyongyang, flooding ten bridges, damaging rice crops, and rendering Sunan Airfield inoperable; a strike on the Chasan irrigation dam followed three days later. General Otto Weyland, commander of Far East Air Forces, credited both strikes with compelling North Korea to resume armistice negotiations. The wing earned two Distinguished Unit Citations before its inactivation on 1 July 1958.

Reactivated on 15 October 1969 as the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, the wing trained United States and allied aircrew in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon across 25 years. It managed Tactical Air Command's Central Instructor School from 1971 to 1981 and by 1994 had trained pilots from the Netherlands, South Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, Singapore, Norway, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, and Venezuela, among other nations. Redesignated the 58th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991, it deployed support personnel to augment United States Air Forces in Europe units during Operation Desert Storm.

Redesignated the 58th Special Operations Wing on 1 April 1994 and relocated to Kirtland AFB, the wing shifted from fighter training to a special operations and combat search and rescue pipeline. Its fleet of CV-22B Osprey, HC-130J Combat King II, MC-130J Commando II, HH-60G Pave Hawk, Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, and AC-130J Ghostrider conducts low-level, night-vision, and aerial refueling training for AFSOC and ACC crews. Since 1994 the wing has participated in more than 300 search and rescue operations and deployed personnel to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mission

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The mission of the 58th Special Operations Wing is to train mission-ready United States Air Force special operations, combat search and rescue, missile site support, and UH-1 Distinguished Visitor airlift crews. In addition, the wing conducts survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) training.[1]

The wing operates eight different types of aircraft: UH-1N, TH-1H, HH-60G, HH-60W, AC-130J, HC-130J, MC-130J and CV-22B totaling more than 60 assigned aircraft. It teaches more than 100 courses in 18 different crew positions, including pilot, combat systems officer, flight engineer, communications system operator, load master, and special mission aviator. The wing also responds to worldwide contingencies and provides search and rescue support to the local community.[2] The 58th is also responsible for training all SERE students for the Air Force.

Assigned units are:

The 58th Operations Group is composed of six flying and two support squadrons, as well as three geographically separated pilot training units: one at Fort Novosel, Alabama, one at MCAS New River, North Carolina, and one at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.[3]

23d Flying Training Squadron (23 FTS) (TH-1H) (Fort Novosel (formerly Fort Rucker), AL)
24th Helicopter Squadron (24 HS) (Active Associate to 703d Helicopter Squadron MH-139A) (Maxwell AFB, AL)
36th Rescue Squadron (36th RQS) (UH-1N) (Fairchild AFB, WA)
58th Operations Support Squadron (58 OSS)
58th Training Squadron (58 TRS)
71st Special Operations Squadron (71 SOS) (CV-22B)
73rd Special Operations Squadron (73 SOS) (AC-130J)
415th Special Operations Squadron (415th SOS) (HC-130J & MC-130J)
512th Rescue Squadron (512 RQS) (HH-60G & HH-60W)
58 Operations Group Detachment 1 (MV-22, MCAS New River, NC)
58 Operations Group Detachment 2 (UH-1N)
58th Maintenance Group (58 MXG)
58th Maintenance Squadron (58 MXS)
58th Maintenance Operations Squadron (58 MOS)
58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (58 AMXS)
336 Training Group (336 TRG) (SERE, Fairchild AFB, WA)[2]

History

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For related history, see 58th Operations Group.

Prehistory

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The wing's lineage traces to the 58th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), established on 20 November 1940 at Selfridge Field, Michigan.[4] From 1941 to 1943, the group served as a replacement training unit before moving to the Southwest Pacific Theater.[4] Combat operations began in February 1944 under Fifth Air Force, initially providing escort for bombers over New Guinea and sea convoys to the Admiralty Islands, then bombing and strafing Japanese airfields and installations on Ceram, Halmahera, and the Kai Islands.[4]

Moving to the Philippines in November 1944, the group flew fighter sweeps against enemy airfields and supported United States ground forces. On 26 December 1944, it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for strafing a Japanese naval force attacking the United States base at Mindoro, preventing its destruction.[4] From Okinawa beginning in July 1945, the group attacked railways, airfields, and installations in Korea and Kyushu until V-J Day.[3] The group was inactivated in January 1946; its lineage passed to the 58th Operations Group, which became the flying component of the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing when it was constituted on 25 June 1952.[5]

Korean War (1952–1958)

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The 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing was established on 25 June 1952 and activated on 10 July 1952 at Itazuke Air Base, Japan, absorbing the personnel and equipment of the 136th Fighter-Bomber Group of the Texas Air National Guard.[5] The wing moved to Taegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea, in August 1952, equipped with F-84D Thunderjets.[6] Flying interdiction and close air support missions for United Nations ground forces, it targeted airfields, railways, bridges, military schools, dams, and port facilities, frequently penetrating North Korea's MiG corridor.[6]

In September 1952, the wing struck the supply port of Sinuiju, inflicting heavy damage without the loss of aircraft or personnel.[7] The following month, combined fighter-bomber units attacked the Kumgang Political School at Odong-ni, Kumgang County.[8] The wing transitioned to the F-84G Thunderjet in late 1952, gaining additional speed and range.[6] By December 1952, 18 members had died in combat; according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the fates of 14 members remain unaccounted for.[9]

In the spring of 1953, armistice negotiations stalled and Far East Air Forces received authorization to attack previously excluded targets in North Korea.[10] On 13 May 1953, Thunderjets from the 58th struck the Toksan Dam near Pyongyang, causing flooding that destroyed ten bridges, damaged rice crops across several square miles, inundated more than 1,000 buildings, and rendered Sunan Airfield inoperable.[11] Three days later the wing struck the Chasan irrigation dam, with similar effect.[11] General Otto Weyland, commander of Far East Air Forces, credited the destruction of the Toksan and Chasan dams with compelling the North Korean delegation to resume armistice negotiations in earnest.[10]

On 27 July 1953, the wing attacked the runway at Kanggye and, together with the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, bombed Sunan Airfield — the final combat sorties of the Korean War.[12] The wing earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation for its operations during the last three months of the conflict and received the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for its service in combat.[13] It served in three Korean War campaigns.[14]

Following the armistice, the wing provided air defense for South Korea and deployed tactical components on a rotational basis to Taiwan from January 1955 to February 1957.[9] From 15 March 1953 to 8 November 1954, it tested a "reinforced" wing organization, exercising direct control over the tactical components of attached wings.[9] The wing transitioned to the North American F-86 Sabre in 1954 and relocated to Osan Air Base in 1955.[15] It was inactivated on 1 July 1958.[5]

Fighter training at Luke (1969–1994)

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58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing Lockheed F-104G Starfighter (USAF serial number 63-13269) during a training flight on 1 August 1979, armed with two (training) AIM-9J Sidewinder air-to-air-missiles.
550th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron McDonnell F-4C-21-MC Phantom 63–7675, Luke AFB, Arizona, 1972

On 22 August 1969, the Air Force redesignated the unit as the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing and activated it on 15 October 1969 at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where it absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 4510th Combat Crew Training Wing.[5][15] The wing conducted training for United States, German Air Force, and other allied aircrew in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, North American F-100 Super Sabre, F-5C Freedom Fighter, and A-7D Corsair II in its early years.[15] It managed Tactical Air Command's Central Instructor School from 1971 to 1981.[9]

In November 1974, the wing received the first McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle delivered to a Tactical Air Command unit; President Gerald Ford attended the delivery ceremony at Luke.[9] The wing redesignated as the 58th Tactical Training Wing on 1 April 1977.[5] Training in the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II ran parallel to the F-15 syllabus until the last F-4 class graduated on 29 June 1982.[9] Beginning in December 1982, the wing performed tactical fighter training in the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.[15]

Foreign Military Sales training expanded through the 1980s. By 1994 the wing had trained pilots and support personnel from the Netherlands, South Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, Singapore, Norway, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, and Venezuela.[9] In the fall of 1991, its mission expanded to include training in the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle all-weather variant.[9] The wing redesignated as the 58th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991 and deployed support personnel to augment United States Air Forces in Europe units during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.[15] On 1 April 1994, it redesignated as the 58th Special Operations Wing and relocated from Luke to Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.[15]

Special operations training (1994–present)

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On 1 April 1994, the wing relocated from Luke to Kirtland Air Force Base and assumed a new mission: training helicopter and special operations aircrew for AFSOC and ACC.[9] Its initial fleet comprised the Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, HH-60G Pave Hawk, MH-53J Pave Low, HC-130P Combat King, MC-130P Combat Shadow, and MC-130H Combat Talon II.[15] The wing also assumed responsibility for pararescue training and, through the 336th Training Group at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, SERE training for Air Force personnel.[9] Since assuming the search and rescue mission, the wing has participated in more than 300 such operations, aiding in the rescue of at least 225 people.[1]

Following the September 11 attacks, the wing airlifted a federal task force to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to investigate the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93.[9] It subsequently deployed more than 200 personnel to support Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.[9] The wing's first combat casualty in this period was Major Steven Plumhoff, a helicopter pilot killed on 23 November 2003 in a crash in Afghanistan.[9]

On 20 March 2006, the wing received its first CV-22B Osprey, becoming the first Air Force unit to operate the tiltrotor aircraft in a formal training role; the 71st Special Operations Squadron stood up to conduct the CV-22B syllabus.[1] The HC-130J Combat King II entered the fleet in 2011, replacing the HC-130P; the MC-130J Commando II followed the same year, replacing both the MC-130P and MC-130H.[9] The wing retired the Sikorsky MH-53J Pave Low by 2007; the HC-130P and MC-130H by 2016.[9] The AC-130J Ghostrider joined the fleet in 2024, assigned to the 73rd Special Operations Squadron.[1]

As of 2026, the wing operates more than 60 aircraft across eight types and trains more than 2,000 students per year in 100 courses covering 18 crew positions, including pilot, combat systems officer, flight engineer, communications system operator, loadmaster, and special mission aviator.[1] Geographically separated units include the 23d Flying Training Squadron at Fort Novosel (formerly Fort Rucker), Alabama (TH-1H initial helicopter qualification); the 58th Operations Group Detachment 1 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina (MV-22 transition); and the 36th Rescue Squadron at Fairchild AFB, Washington (UH-1N).[1]

Commanders

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Rank Commander From To
Colonel James B. Buck 10 July 1952 22 July 1952
Colonel Victor E. Warford 22 July 1952 1 July 1953
Colonel Joseph Davis Jr. 1 July 1953 8 August 1953
Colonel Arthur C. Agan Jr. 8 August 1953 c. July 1954
Colonel Earl E. Bates Jr. c. July 1954 15 March 1955
Colonel Neil A. Newman 15 March 1955 2 December 1955
Colonel Richard T. Carlisle 2 December 1955 13 June 1956
Colonel Clifford Nash 13 June 1956 1 August 1956
Colonel Wayne E. Rhynard 1 August 1956 1957
Colonel Horace A. Hanes 1957 1 June 1958
Colonel Ralph L. Merritt Jr. 1 June 1958 1 July 1958
Wing inactivated 1 July 1958; reactivated 15 October 1969
Colonel John J. Burns 15 October 1969 26 June 1970
Colonel John S. Clarke Jr. 26 June 1970 31 August 1972
Brigadier General Albert L. Melton 31 August 1972 15 August 1974
Brigadier General Fred A. Haeffner 15 August 1974 1 April 1977
Colonel John F. O'Donnell 1 April 1977 10 June 1977
Colonel James P. Coyne 10 June 1977 4 August 1977
Colonel Edward Levell Jr. 4 August 1977 27 March 1978
Colonel Peter T. Kempf 27 March 1978 29 August 1979
Colonel Alan P. Lurie 29 August 1979 5 June 1981
Colonel Malcolm F. Bolton 5 June 1981 23 May 1983
Colonel James F. Record 23 May 1983 5 May 1984
Colonel James M. Johnston III 5 May 1984 18 September 1985
Colonel Ralph T. Browning 18 September 1985 16 July 1987
Colonel Walter T. West 16 July 1987 20 April 1988
Colonel William F. Looke 20 April 1988 7 September 1989
Colonel William S. Hinton Jr. 7 September 1989 2 July 1991
Colonel Steven R. Polk 2 July 1991 1 October 1991
Brigadier General Ralph T. Browning 1 October 1991 21 August 1992
Brigadier General Patrick K. Gamble 21 August 1992 24 June 1993
Brigadier General Stephen B. Plummer 24 June 1993 1 April 1994
Wing redesignated 58th Special Operations Wing, relocated to Kirtland AFB, 1 April 1994
Colonel Richard T. Jeffreys 1 April 1994 30 August 1994
Colonel Michael N. Farage 30 August 1994 14 February 1997
Colonel John H. Folkerts 14 February 1997 13 July 1999
Colonel Michael F. Planert 13 July 1999 14 May 2001
Colonel Michael B. Byers 14 May 2001 25 April 2003
Colonel Eric E. Fiel 25 April 2003 23 May 2005
Colonel Thomas J. Trask 23 May 2005 30 January 2007
Colonel Morris E. Hasse 30 January 2007 18 June 2008
Colonel Eric A. Kivi 18 June 2008

[9]

Lineage

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  • Established as the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 25 June 1952[5]
  • Activated on 10 July 1952[5]
  • Inactivated on 1 July 1958[5]
  • Redesignated 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing on 22 August 1969[15]
  • Activated on 15 October 1969[15]
  • Redesignated 58th Tactical Training Wing on 1 April 1977[15]
  • Redesignated 58th Fighter Wing on 1 October 1991[15]
  • Redesignated 58th Special Operations Wing on 1 April 1994[15]

Assignments

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Dates Command
10 July 1952 – 28 February 1955 Tactical Air Command (attached Fifth Air Force until 28 February 1955)
1–14 March 1955 Korean Air Division, Provisional, 314th
15 March 1955 – 31 December 1956 314th Air Division
1 January 1957 – 1 July 1958 Far East Air Forces / 314th Air Division
15 October 1969 – 1 April 1977 Twelfth Air Force
1 April 1977 – 1 December 1980 Tactical Training, Luke
1 December 1980 – 1 October 1991 832d Air Division
1 October 1991 – 1 July 1993 Twelfth Air Force
1 July 1993 – 12 July 2012 Nineteenth Air Force
12 July 2012 – present Air Education and Training Command[15][9]

Components

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Wings

Groups

Squadrons

Stations

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Station Dates
Itazuke Air Base, Japan 10 July 1952 – August 1952
Taegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea August 1952 – 15 March 1955
Osan-ni Air Base (K-9), South Korea 15 March 1955 – 1 July 1958
Luke Air Force Base, Arizona 15 October 1969 – 31 March 1994
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico 1 April 1994 – present[15]

Aircraft

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Motto approved 18 November 1952.
  2. ^ Approved 18 November 1952.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "58th Special Operations Wing". Kirtland Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b "58 Special Operations Wing (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Department of the Air Force. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b Dollman, David (2020). "58 Operations Group (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Department of the Air Force. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Maurer 1983, pp. 121–122.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Ravenstein 1984, p. 93.
  6. ^ a b c Futrell 1983, p. 487.
  7. ^ Futrell 1983, p. 527.
  8. ^ Futrell 1983, p. 617.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s AFHRA-SOW.
  10. ^ a b Futrell 1983, pp. 668–670.
  11. ^ a b Futrell 1983, p. 669.
  12. ^ Futrell 1983, pp. 683–684.
  13. ^ Ravenstein 1984, p. 94.
  14. ^ Ravenstein 1984, pp. 93–95.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Endicott 1998, p. 158.

Bibliography

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Web sources

See also

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