88th Air Base Wing
The United States Air Force's 88th Air Base Wing is a base support unit located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The wing has been stationed at Wright-Patterson, known familiarly as 'Wright-Patt', since its activation in 1944 as the 4000th Army Air Forces Base Unit in 1944, and from 1944 to 1994 undergone six redesignations.
Circa 2012, the wing's mission was operate the airfield, maintain all infrastructure and provide security, communications, medical, legal, personnel, contracting, finance, transportation, air traffic control, weather forecasting, public affairs, recreation and chaplain services for more than 60 associate units on Wright-Patterson AFB.
History
The unit was organized by Air Service Command to provide custodial and support functions for Wright Field. The mission of both the unit and the AAF Technical Base expanded by early 1946, gaining full support responsibility for Patterson Field. The 2750th became host wing for Wright-Patterson AFB in October 1949, exercising command jurisdiction over the base, and providing services to Headquarters of Air Force Logistics Command and numerous tenant units. It frequently supported regional humanitarian missions, such as the Xenia tornado relief in April 1974. It provided logistical support and served as a port of embarkation during contingency deployments, most notably the Vietnam War in 1965–1973, as well as to the Middle East in 1990–1991.It deployed personnel to Saudi Arabia for 'Operation Desert Shield'/Desert Storm in August 1990-May 1991. After 1 July 1992 it provided logistic and administrative support for Headquarters, Air Force Materiel Command and the Aeronautical Systems Center, now known as the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, as well as on-base and off-base tenant units in a five-state area and managed base facilities and resources. It provided airfield operations, security, services, engineering, and logistical support to the Balkans Proximity Peace Talks conducted at the base in late 1995.
Inactivation of the 88th Communications Group
In an inactivation ceremony on 29 April 2022, the 88th Communications Group was inactivated. The inactivation ceremony presided by then 88th Air Base Wing Commander Colonel Patrick Miller. The 88th Communications Squadron was reallocated under the 88th Mission Support Group, while the 88th Operations Support Squadron was reallocated directly under the 88th Air Base Wing.Lineage
- Designated as the 4000th Army Air Forces Base Unit and organized on 1 April 1944
- Redescribed 4000th Army Air Forces Base Unit on 21 February 1945
- Redesignated 4000th Air Force Base Unit on 26 September 1947
- Redesignated 2750th Air Force Base on 28 August 1948
- Redesignated 2750th Air Base Wing on 5 October 1949
Assignments
- Army Air Forces Technical Service Command, 1 April 1944
- Aeronautical Systems Center, 1 July 1992
- Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, 1 October 2012
Components
Groups
- 88th Communications Group
- 88th Maintenance Group
- 88th Medical Group, 20 October 2004 – present
- 88th Mission Support Group
- 645th Communications-Computer Support Group
- 645th Logistics and Operations Group
- 645th Support Group, 1 October 1992 – present
- 2046th Communications Group, c. 1 September 1990 – present
- 2750th Logistics and Operations Group, c. 1990-c. 2012
Squadrons
- 88th Operations Support Squadron
- 88th Comptroller Squadron
- 88th Logistics Readiness Squadron home of the world famous Installation Deployment Readiness Cell
- 88th Force Support Squadron
- 88th Communications Squadron
- 88th Security Forces Squadron
Flight
- 47th Airlift Flight, 1 October 1994 – 1 July 1995
Stations
- Patterson Field, Ohio, 1 April 1944
- Wright Field, Ohio, 18 August 1944 – present
Aircraft & Missiles Operated
- C-12 Huron
Present unit emblems