37th Training Wing


The 37th Training Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the 2nd Air Force and the Air Education and Training Command. As the host unit to Lackland Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, the wing is the predominant unit on the installation and is the largest training wing in the USAF. Known as the "Gateway to the Air Force", the 37th Training Wing replaced the Lackland Training Center as the single basic military training for the USAF.
At the same time, the 37th TRW also conducts technical training for security forces, logistics, and professional military education and hosts the English component of the Defense Language Institute. Its four primary training functions graduate more than 85,000 students annually. Colonel Willie L. Cooper is the Commander of the 37th Training Wing and Caleb Vaden is the Command Chief Master Sergeant.

Units

The 37th Training Wing consists of five training groups and graduates more than 80,000 students annually. These five missions include basic military training of all enlisted recruits entering the Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard; technical training encompassing hundreds of courses for a wide array of career fields and functions; Nursing and Health Services Admin officer courses and enlisted medical courses; English language training for international military personnel attending the Defense Language Institute; and specialized maintenance and security training as well as the International Squadron Officer School and International Non-Commissioned Officer Academy conducted in Spanish by active-duty Airmen for Latin American students attending the Inter-American Air Forces Academy.
  • 37th Training Wing
  • * 37th Training Wing Staff Agencies
  • * 37th Training Group USAF Technical School:
  • ** 37th Training Support Squadron
  • ** 341st Training Squadron Provides trained military working dogs used in patrol, drug and explosive detection, and specialized mission functions for the Department of Defense and other government agencies. Conduct operational training of MWD handlers and supervisors. Sustain DoD MWD program through logistical support, veterinary care, and research and development for security efforts worldwide.
  • ** 342d Training Squadron Home of all Air Force Battlefield Airman entry-level training for Pararescue, Combat Control, Special Operations Weather, and Tactical Air Control Party.
  • ** 343d Training Squadron Hosts the Air Force's Security Forces Training. Its training areas are housed on Lackland AFB and Camp Bullis, both located in the San Antonio area.
  • ** 344th Training Squadron Provides technical training for more than 10,000 active duty, Reserve, Guard, international and civilian students annually in Career Enlisted Aviator, Vehicle Maintenance, Logistics Readiness Officer, Logistics Plans, Materiel Management, Contracting, Recruiting, Safety, Cryptological, and TEMPEST courses.
  • ** 345th Training Squadron Trains, develops and educates technical training students into skilled graduates in the Services, Air Transportation, Hazardous Material Transportation School and Traffic Management Office career fields.
  • * 737th Training Group USAF Enlisted Basic Training
  • ** 737th Training Support Squadron
  • ** 319th Training Squadron
  • ** 320th Training Squadron
  • ** 321st Training Squadron
  • ** 322d Training Squadron
  • ** 323d Training Squadron
  • ** 324th Training Squadron
  • ** 326th Training Squadron
  • ** 331st Training Squadron
  • * Defense Language Institute English Language Center. DLIELC provides world-wide English language training and resident cultural immersion to enable US military and International partners to communicate in support of Department of Defense Security Cooperation objectives.
  • ** 332nd Training Squadron
  • ** 637th International Support Squadron
  • ** 637th Training Support Squadron
  • * Inter-American Air Forces Academy. IAAFA is an AETC organization focused on Education, Training, and Security Cooperation. It is the only USAF institution that delivers technical and professional training in Spanish to 32 Partner Nations across the Western Hemisphere. The academy offers a wide range of courses and graduates over 900 students per year.

    History

Korean War

The 37th was established on 3 March 1953 as the United States Air Force 37th Fighter-Bomber Wing as part of the buildup on the Air Force due to the Korean War. It was assigned to Ninth Air Force of Tactical Air Command and was activated on 8 April 1953 at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Although activated, the wing was neither manned nor equipped and it was inactivated on 25 June as a result of the Armistice in Korea and the subsequent need for deployment to the war zone being unnecessary.

Vietnam War

With the escalation of the Vietnam War in 1965–1966, the Air Force reactivated the unit and redesignated it as the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing and activated it on 26 October 1966. The wing was activated at the newly built Phù Cát Air Base, South Vietnam and it was assigned to Pacific Air Forces. It was organized on 1 March 1967 and assigned to Seventh Air Force. Personnel for the wing headquarters and tactical components were in transit from the United States and elsewhere, and tactical operations did not commence until mid-April.
The 37th Wing was assigned several North American F-100 Super Sabre squadrons, its mission was to provide tactical air power in support of South Vietnamese and United States Army and Marine units engaged in combat against communist forces attempting to overthrow the government of South Vietnam. Initial squadrons assigned were:
  • 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 April 1967 – 27 May 1969
  • Detachment 1, 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 8 June 1967 – 13 April 1969
On 15 April, the 37th began combat operations with strikes by 416 Squadron en route from Bien Hoa to their new home. On 8 June, Detachment 1 of the 612th Squadron began operations, also after flying a mission en route from their former home at Phan Rang. From June 1967 to May 1969, the 37th also used F-100F two-seat trainers for visual and weather reconnaissance and forward air control operations. The latter mission came to be known as "Fast FAC." Up until this time, the Air Force used slow propeller-driven O-1, O-2 and OV-10 aircraft for this mission. By 28 February 1968, wing squadrons completed 18,000 combat hours and 13,000 combat sorties without a major aircraft accident.
In the spring of 1968, the two squadrons of the wing were augmented by two additional squadrons deployed from the United States. With this augmentation, the wing was then composed of four F-100 combat squadrons with approximately 90 aircraft being assigned.
  • 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 14 May 1968 – 11 May 1969
  • 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 3 February 1968 – 15 May 1969
As 355th Squadron personnel completed their TDY that same month the personnel and aircraft returned to Myrtle Beach AFB. They were replaced by Air National Guardsmen from New Jersey and Washington DC, who were manning Myrtle Beach at the time. These newly deployed personnel were sent to Tuy Hoa Air Base along with their F-100 D/F aircraft.
In 1969, the Air Force began withdrawing the F-100 from combat duty in South Vietnam, replacing it with the McDonnell F-4D Phantom II. Two Phantom squadrons were transferred to the 37th from the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, Da Nang Air Base:
  • 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 April 1969 – 31 March 1970
  • 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 June 1969 – 31 March 1970
The wing continued its combat operations in South Vietnam until 30 March 1970 when it was inactivated as part of the drawdown of American forces in South Vietnam. The wing was replaced by the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing which moved without assets from Cam Ranh Bay Air Base.
During the wing's combat tour in South Vietnam, it was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, eight Vietnam campaign streamers, two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat"V" Device, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.

Tactical Air Command

George Air Force Base

The 37th was reactivated on 30 March 1981 by Tactical Air Command at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California. Its mission was to provide pilot transition training to the F-4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel" radar suppression aircraft. The mission was transferred to the 37th from the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, which was TAC's primary F-4E Phantom II training organization in a mission realignment. Both wings were under the TAC's 831st Air Division. Assigned squadrons of the 37th at George were:
  • 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron: 30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989
  • 562d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron: 30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989
  • 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron
As the only "Wild Weasel" training wing in the world, it provided instructor pilots and qualified aircrews for the other two "Wild Weasel" wings in the Philippines and West Germany. As part of the training mission, the wing participated in numerous tactical, maritime, and electronic warfare exercises locally and worldwide in hunter/killer tactics, suppression of enemy air defenses, force escort operations and dissimilar air combat training with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve squadrons, and various allies. Wing aircrews and ground personnel won the United States Air Force Worldwide Fighter gunnery meet in 1985 and 1987.
In 1988, George was scheduled in the first round of base closures passed by Congress under the Base Realignment and Closure program. On 5 October 1989, the 37th turned over its F-4G aircraft to the host 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at George.

Tonopah Test Range Airport

On 10 November 1988, the Air Force officially announced the existence of the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk to the public. With this announcement, the formerly clandestine Tactical Air Command 4450th Tactical Group, which had transitioned the F-117 from a development to operational weapons system was put on the road to inactivation when the Air Force decided to increase the 4450th TG to a Wing level organization.
As part of the phasedown of operations at George, the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing moved without equipment or personnel to Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada on 5 October 1989, and assumed the aircraft, personnel, equipment and mission of the provisional 4450th Tactical Group. As part of the transition from the provisional group to 37th TFW, the F-117A squadrons were inactivated and re-designated as follows:
The uncoded aircraft of the 4450th Group were given the USAF Tail Code of "TR", and subdued squadron emblems were affixed to the 37th TFW's aircraft. The choice of the 415th, 416th and 417th Tactical Fighter Squadrons was significant, as these were all World War II Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter squadrons. The mission of the F-117 was night stealth tactical fighter operations; the squadron designations were chosen to honor these pioneering World War II squadrons, which were bestowed their lineages and histories. The wing trained to integrate stealth technology with more conventional methods of combat operations.
The 415th and 416th squadrons each flew 18 production F-117As, whereas the 417th flew the 6 pre-production F-117As. The 417th also operated Northrop T-38A Talon and AT-38B Talon trainers for chase and training.