8th Fighter Wing The United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing ( 8 FW ) is the host unit at Kunsan Air Base , Republic of Korea and is assigned to Seventh Air Force . Seventh Air Force falls under Pacific Air Forces ( PACAF ) . The Wing ' s 8th Operations Group is a successor organization of the 8th Pursuit Group , one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II . Established in Japan after World War II in 1948 , the wing flew combat missions throughout the Korean War . Redesignated the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1958 , it remained in Japan until 1964 . After a year in California , it moved to Southeast Asia , where its F - 4 Phantom II crews earned the nicknames " MiG killers " and " bridge busters " . In 1974 the wing relocated to Kunsan AB , South Korea , where it was redesignated the 8th Fighter Wing in 1992 . History . Established in August 1948 in Japan , the wing provided air defense to the islands . On 20 January 1950 , the wing gained its new designation as the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing . Korean War . On 25 June 1950 , North Korea invaded South Korea , starting a war that would last three years . As the Korean War began , the 347th Fighter Group was assigned to the 8th to fly combat missions . The wing provided air cover for the evacuation of Americans from Korea on 26 June , the day after the invasion . The wing had several additional squadrons attached to it during the first months of the war in addition to the 35th , 36th , and 80th Fighter Squadrons , these being : Other units attached to the 8th in Korea were : In these early operations , the wing flew the F - 80 Shooting Star jet fighter and propeller driven aircraft such as the F - 51 Mustang and F - 82 Twin Mustang . The first aerial victory of the Korean War went to 1Lt William G . Hudson , of the 68th Fighter Squadron , All Weather in an F - 82 . Later the same day , 35th Fighter - Bomber Squadron F - 80s scored the Air Force ' s first confirmed kills from jet aircraft . In August , the wing briefly reverted to the F - 51 Mustang , returning to the F - 80 in December 1950 . Throughout the war , the wing principally conducted air - to - ground operations , providing close air support to United Nations ground forces and attacking targets such as supply centers and transportation assets . The 8th Fighter Wing is known for the heroic actions of its members , including Major Charles J . Loring , a pilot in the 80th FS , who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on 22 November 1952 when he flew his badly damaged F - 80 aircraft into an enemy artillery emplacement near Sniper Ridge so that entrenched U . S . Infantry men could escape . During the next three years , the 8th flew more than 60 , 000 sorties while operating from bases in both Korea and Japan . The wing participated in 10 campaigns and earned three unit citations . The wing finished the war flying the F - 86 Sabre beginning in 1953 and became responsible for air defense over South Korea until relocated to Itazuke Air Base , Japan in October 1954 . Its wartime participation in Korea earned the wing two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations and ten campaign streamers , while the 8th Fighter - Bomber Group separately earned a Distinguished Unit Citation . During the war in Korea , the 8th shot down 18 enemy aircraft , most in the earliest days of the war before the wing ' s mission changed to air - to - ground operations . Cold War . With the end of the Korean War , the wing was assigned to Itazuke AB , Japan for the next ten years . On 1 October 1957 , the 8th Fighter - Bomber Group inactivated , with the flying squadrons then assigned directly to the wing . Less than a year later , on 1 July 1958 , the Air Force redesignated the wing as the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing . During its tenure at Itazuke , the wing flew several different aircraft , including the North American F - 86 Sabre , North American F - 100 Super Sabre , Convair F - 102 Delta Dagger , and Republic F - 105 Thunderchief . As part of an overall effort to reduce the number of wings in Japan the wing ' s tactical squadrons were detached on 13 May 1964 , and on 18 June 1964 all wing components except wing headquarters inactivated . Vietnam War . On 18 June 1964 , the wing moved without personnel or equipment to George AFB , California , replacing and absorbing the resources of the 32d Tactical Fighter Wing . Operational squadrons of the 8th TFW at George were : While at George AFB , the wing trained with the McDonnell Douglas F - 4D Phantom II fighter aircraft and participated in numerous exercises , operational readiness inspections , and the like until the wing moved to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base , Thailand in December 1965 to commence combat operations in the Vietnam War . At Ubon , the 8th TFW carried out its wartime mission as it led the way for other tactical Air Force fighter units during the Vietnam War . Initial F - 4D operational sqauadrons were : Additional F - 4D squadrons deployed and assigned to the 8th TFW were : Note : The 555th TFS was reassigned to the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Udon RTAFB where it would bring the unit up to strength . The 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron , replaced the unit as the fourth F - 4D fighter - bomber squadron at Ubon . The wing carried out a number of roles during combat . By the end of 1966 , aircrews assigned to the 8th TFW flew nearly 14 , 000 combat missions into Vietnam . One of the squadrons assigned to wing , the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron , became known as the " Ace " squadron of the conflict . During his tenure from September 1966 to September 1967 , Col Robin Olds , Wing Commander , referred to his unit as the " Wolf Pack " because of pilot aggressiveness and teamwork while flying combat missions , much like a pack of wolves , which led to the wing ' s nickname . However , the wing still lost aircraft , including in the Action of 23 August 1967 . In May 1968 , the wing was the first to use laser - guided bomb s ( LGBs ) in combat . During 1970 , the Wolf Pack flew its 100 , 000th combat sortie . In addition to the F - 4D fighter - bombers , the wing used Martin B - 57G Canberras for night attacks , and AC - 130 " Spectre " gunships for ground support and armed reconnaissance . Squadrons which operated these aircraft were : After North Vietnam invaded the Republic of Vietnam in March 1972 , the 8 TFW was augmented by additional Temporary Duty ( TDY ) F - 4E units . These were : To make room for these forces , the 13th Bomb Squadron was reassigned to the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark AB , Philippines in December 1972 . In December 1972 , the 8th became involved in Operation Linebacker II . Designed to make the enemy more serious about the peace negotiations in progress at Paris , France , the 8th TFW launched 524 sorties for bombing missions against North Vietnam between 18 – 31 December 1972 . Early in 1973 , the Wolf Pack mission included air interdiction into Laos against communist insurgents in Cambodia . All combat operations ended on 15 August 1973 . In mid - 1974 action began to phase down at Ubon Airfield , Thailand , and the wing began to lose personnel , aircraft , and units . The last scheduled F - 4 training flight occurred on 16 July 1974 . With the exception of the 25th TFS ' s aircraft , the F - 4D aircraft were flown back to the United States and reassigned to various Air National Guard units . Back to Korea . The 8th TFW was transferred without personnel or equipment to Kunsan Air Base , South Korea on 16 September 1974 , where the wing absorbed resources of the 3d Tactical Fighter Wing which had been reassigned without personnel or equipment to Clark AB , Philippines . For its efforts during the Vietnam War , the 8th TFW received four Presidential Unit Citations and five Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s . In addition , the wing led the Air Force with 38 . 5 MiG kills . With the reassignment to Kusan , the 8th TFW became responsible for air defense of South Korea . Operational F - 4D squadrons of the wing were tail coded " WP " ( for " Wolf Pack " ) and were as follows : In April 1975 the wing gained an air base squadron at Kwang Ju Air Base , often used during numerous tactical exercises . Following the killing of two U . S . Army officers by North Koreans on 18 August 1976 , the 8th TFW went on increased alert and was quickly augmented by F - 4Cs and F - 4Ds from the 12th and 67th Squadrons at Kadena AB , Okinawa . The alert status relaxed on 8 September 1976 and the augmentation forces were released . On 1 October 1978 , the wing gained a third F - 4D flying unit , the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron , based at Taegu Air Base , South Korea . 497th TFS aircraft carried a red tail stipe . Operations continued unchanged for the next few years , until the wing transitioned from the F - 4 to the newer F - 16A Fighting Falcon in May 1981 . The wing ’ s first F - 16 sortie was flown the following 18 September and , by 19 July 1982 , the conversion of the 35th and 80th Fighter squadrons was complete as the last F - 4 departed Kunsan . This aircraft conversion made the 8th the first active - duty overseas F - 16 wing . On 1 January 1982 , the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Taegu inactivated . For the next ten years the wing used the F - 16 to maintain combat readiness for the defense of Korea . In 1992 the F - 16s were upgraded to the more capable F - 16C / D models . While the overall mission remained unchanged , the wing reorganized on 3 February 1992 . The wing became the 8th Fighter Wing . Further , the wing adopted a new organizational structure . Under the former Tri - Deputy organization system , the wing commander had three deputy commanders , one each for operations , maintenance , and resources . As well , the squadrons were assigned directly to the wing . Modern era . The 8th Fighter Wing entered a new era in November 2000 . On 17 November , the 35th Fighter Squadron received its first Block 40 F - 16s . The new aircraft carried Low - Altitude Navigation & Targeting Infrared for Night ( LANTIRN ) pods . The 35th completed its conversion in February 2001 . The combination of LANTIRN and night - vision goggles has allowed the Wolf Pack to take the fight into the night . An inspection in November 2008 faulted the wing ' s adherence to technical orders and standards of documentation . As a result , on 10 November 2008 Colonel Bryan Bearden was removed as wing commander . Today the 8th Fighter Wing is composed of four groups each with specific functions . The Operations Group controls all flying and airfield operations . The Maintenance Group performs Aircraft and Aircraft support equipment maintenance . The Mission Support Group has a wide range of responsibilities with a few of its functions being Security , Civil Engineering , Communications , Personnel Management , Logistics , Services and Contracting support . The Medical Group provides medical and dental care . Wing Staff Agencies 8th Operations Group ( 8 OG ) ( Tail Code : WP ) 8th Maintenance Group ( 8 MXG ) 8th Mission Support Group ( 8 MSG ) 8th Medical Group ( 8 MDG ) Components . Wings Groups Squadrons