Transfer ceremony reunites pieces of historic Air Force heritage

Published Sept. 21, 2007
By Corey Dahl
21st Space Wing Public Affairs

PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Two A-10s carried a piece of Flying Tigers heritage away from Peterson Sept. 21, part of an Air Force effort to reunite three pieces of a historic World War II legacy.

During the transfer ceremony, the 76th Space Control Squadron here gave its piece of the Flying Tigers heritage, which it has held since 1995, to the new 76th Fighter Squadron, a reserve associate unit based out of Moody AFB, Ga. The 76th FS will now join the 74th and 75th Fighter Squadrons, which also share the Flying Tigers heritage, under the 23rd Wing - the same arrangement the original Flying Tigers shared in the 1940s.

Col. Steve Arthur, commander of the 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB - which is supplying the Reservists for the new squadron, said the new unit is excited to be adopting such a historic piece of Air Force history.

"As a wing, we are proud to welcome the 76th as the newest member of our unit," he said. "And we're sure the 76th Fighter Squadron will continue to serve with the excellence that has always been a hallmark of this proud tradition."

The Flying Tigers heritage dates back to 1941, when a group of American volunteer pilots banded together under secret presidential sanction to defend China against the Japanese. The unit eventually became renowned for its combat successes, often while flying in adverse conditions, as well as its distinctive Curtiss P-40 planes, which had shark-like faces painted on the front.

The unit was later split into the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons and fought the remainder of the war as part of the 23rd Fighter Group. Over the years, the units drifted apart, were deactivated and reactivated in numerous forms, and the heritage all three carried was separated.

The 76th Fighter Squadron began preparing for stand up earlier this year, though, and Air Force officials decided to reunite the heritage under the same wing once again. The timing was appropriate, said Col. Jay Raymond, commander of the 21st Space Wing, as the transfer occurred during the Air Force's "Heritage to Horizons"-themed 60th birthday celebration.

"This year, as we commemorate 60 years of air and space excellence, we're celebrating our past and looking toward our future," he said at the ceremony. "Today's ceremony is all about Heritage to Horizons."

The 76th operates a counter communications system, which provides a critical counterspace capability never before available to warfighters around the world.
"The Flying Tigers were an innovative group, and it is clear that the 76th SPCS, the Air Force's first counterspace unit, carried on that spirit of innovation," Colonel Raymond said. "Over the past 12 years, the men and women of the 76th SPCS have taken great care of this lineage and have proudly carried the mantle of the Flying Tigers."

For the 76th, the future means building a new legacy under their new name -- the 76th SPCS Lobos. Unit members said they're sorry to see the Flying Tigers heritage go, but they're looking forward to beginning their own storied lineage.

"We're just going from being a small part of a large history to being a big part of our own thing," said Capt. Cory Garcher, a member of the 76th Space Control Squadron.

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Flying Tigers heritage departs Peterson