19th Airlift Wing The 19th Airlift Wing ( 19 AW ) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force . It is stationed at Little Rock AFB , Arkansas . The wing is also the host unit at Little Rock . The Wing provides the Department of Defense the largest C - 130 Hercules transport fleet in the world , supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters , to airdropping supplies and troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas . Its origins date to 1927 when the 19th Bombardment Group , was established , one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the United States Army before World War II . The unit was stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked on 8 December 1941 , suffering numerous casualties and losing most of its B - 17 Flying Fortress es in the attack . A small number of its aircraft escaped to fly combat missions in the Philippines ; Netherlands East Indies and Papua New Guinea during early 1942 . The group was re - equipped with the B - 29 Superfortress in 1944 and from Guam , it conducted its first B - 29 bombing raid on 25 February 1945 , against Tokyo . The group has earned the distinction of being one of the most decorated units in the Air Force . Unit honors include nine Presidential Unit Citations , two Air Force Meritorious Unit Awards , ten Air Force Outstanding Unit Award s , one Philippine Presidential Unit Citation , and one Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . Active for over 60 years , the 19 AW was a component wing of Strategic Air Command ' s deterrent force during the Cold War . The wing served in the Korean War , Vietnam War , and Operation Desert Storm . Its component units are currently engaged in combat operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism . The 19th Airlift Wing is commanded by Colonel Patrick J . Rhatigan . Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Margarita Overton . Units . The 19th Airlift Wing is organized into a quad - group structure : The 19th Airlift Wing staff includes a variety of agencies that directly support the wing commander , group commanders and the base population . Heraldry . The Wing ' s emblem , approved in 1936 , shows a winged sword in front of the constellation of Pegasus , indicating both the striking force and navigation capability of the unit . History . The 19th Bombardment Wing was formed in 1948 from resources of the former North Guam Air Force Base Command ( Provisional ) . The 19th BW , with the 19th Bomb group as its operational flying unit , operated Andersen AFB and maintained proficiency in B - 29s . In May 1949 , headquarters 20th Air Force moved from Guam to Kadena AB , Okinawa and its former staff was assigned to the 19th Bomb Wing . At Andersen , the wing assumed responsibility for administering two active and one semi - active bases plus an assortment of communication , weather , radar , rescue and other facilities and units including the Marianas Air Material Area , a wing size unit . Many of the units and facilities were inactivated with a few months . In October 1949 , the 19th Wing again became subordinated to the 20th AF and the remaining units in the Marianas and Bonin Islands were transferred to other organizations . From 17 October 1949 until 28 June 1950 , the wing continued B - 29 training , operation of Anderson AFB and some rescue and reconnaissance missions . Korean War . When the Korean War broke out in late June 1950 , the 19th Bombardment Group was immediately detached from the Wing for combat operations from Kadena AB , Okinawa . From Kadena , the squadrons ( 28th , 30th 93d ) attacked North Korean invasion forces . The first B - 29 Superfortress unit in the war , the group on 28 June attacked North Korean storage tanks , marshalling yards , and armor . In the first two months , it flew more than six hundred sorties , supporting UN ground forces by bombing enemy troops , vehicles , and such communications points as the Han River bridges . At Kadena , the group was initially under the operational control of Twentieth Air Force , after 8 July 1950 , it was attached to FEAF Bomber Command ( Provisional ) . Many of the aircraft flown by the 19th Bomb Group squadrons in combat were refurbished B - 29s that were placed in storage after World War II , then brought back into operational service . In the north , its targets included an oil refinery and port facilities at Wonsan , a railroad bridge at Pyongyang , and Yonpo Airfield . After United Nations ground forces pushed the communists out of South Korea , the 19th BG turned to strategic objectives in North Korea , including industrial and hydroelectric facilities . It also continued to attack bridges , marshalling yards , supply centers , artillery and troop positions , barracks , port facilities , and airfields . In accordance with organizational change within the Strategic Air Command and later throughout the entire Air Force , the 19th Bomb Group was inactivated on 1 June 1953 and its squadrons assigned directly to the 19th Bomb Wing , which moved its headquarters to Kadena . Cold War . In May 1954 , the Wing was reassigned from the Far East Air Force to Pinecastle AFB , Florida and Strategic Air Command , turning in its war - weary and obsolete B - 29s at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona , en route . Replaced the propeller - driven B - 29s with new B - 47E Stratojet swept - wing bomber medium bombers in 1954 , capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union . They were assigned to the 28th , 30th , and 93rd Bombardment Squadrons . The wing also gained an air - refueling unit with the 100th Air Refueling Squadron which was attached to the wing from 2 February 1955 until 16 August 1956 . In February 1956 , the 19th Air Refueling Squadron was permanently assigned to the wing . Both flew Boeing KC - 97 Stratotankers . Early in 1955 , the wing deployed to Sidi Slimane AB , French Morocco , January – April 1956 , and to Ben Guerir Air Base , Morocco , May – July 1957 . From July 1957 to April 1961 , the wing maintained a portion of its tactical resources on overseas alert . Its B - 47s were phased out of the SAC inventory beginning in 1960 , sending the wing ' s last stratojet to Davis - Monthan AFB in 1961 . The 19th was transferred to Homestead AFB on 1 June 1956 from Pinecastle . At Homestead , the wing consisted of one squadron in Florida ( 28th BS ) , and four geographically dispersed squadrons : The Wing converted to the B - 52H Stratofortress and KC - 135 aircraft in 1961 – 1962 . However , most of its aircraft were reassigned . SAC was then in the process of establishing Strategic Wings and the 19th lost four squadrons to them . This left the 19th with one squadron of B - 52Hs ( 29th BS ) . At Homestead , the wing won the Fairchild Trophy in the SAC bombing and navigation competition for 1966 . The 19th was moved without personnel or equipment to Robins AFB , GA , in mid - 1968 , it absorbed resources of the 465th Bombardment Wing and converted to the B - 52G . At Robins , the 19th furnished B – 52 Arc Light crews and KC – 135 aircraft and crews supporting Yankee Team , Foreign Legion & Young Tiger Tanker Task Force and crews to other SAC organizations . In the Spring & summer of 1972 , all assigned B - 52G ' s aircraft & crews deplpyed to the Strategic Wing ( Provisional ) at Andersen AFB & it ' s KC - 135A ' s Aircraft & crewd deployedd to the to the 376th Strategic Wing , at Kadena AB , Okinawa , involved in combat operations in Southeast Asia . In 1972 , the wing deployed virtually all its aircraft and crews for combat operations , leaving headquarters at Robins minimally staffed . In November 1973 , the wing returned from deployment and resumed normal operations . The 19th Bombardment Wing won the Omaha Trophy as the " Outstanding Wing in SAC " for 1981 . The 19th Bombardment Wing ceased operations , losing its B - 52s and was redesignated as the 19th Air Refueling Wing ( Heavy ) on on 1 October 1983 . The 19th ARW undertook worldwide aerial refueling missions for various operations and exercises and supported the Eielson ( Alaskan ) ; Andersen ( Pacific ) ; & Spannish ( European ) Tanker Task Forces . It flew aerial refueling missions supporting Grenada operations ( Operation Urgent Fury ) , 23 – 24 October 1983 . Beginning in 1984 , it provided two EC - 135 aircraft and crews to support the United States Central Command in Southwest Asia . With conversion to KC - 135R aircraft , the wing contuined supporting the Alaska , Pacific and Pacific Tanker Task Force s in 1988 and the Caribbean Tanker Task Force in March 1990 . It flew aerial refueling missions for the invasion of Panama ( Operation Just Cause ) , 18 – 21 December 1989 and deployed resources to Southwest Asia , August 1990 – March 1991 , providing aerial refueling , cargo , and command , control and communications support . It was redesignated the 19th Air Refueling Wing on 1 September 1991 . The 19th Operations Group was activated at the same time as the flying component of the wing . Modern era . From January 1992 , it provided an EC - 137 and crews to support the United States Special Operations Command , and from August 1992 the wing supported the Saudi Tanker Task Force . It provided air refueling support to NATO fighters in Bosnia in September – October 1995 . Several KC - 135R tankers deployed to Southwest Asia to support Operation Southern Watch , January – March 1996 and to Turkey for Operation Provide Comfort , April – June 1996 . On 1 July 1996 , the 19th Air Refueling Wing was inactivated , and its functions turned over to its operations group , redesignated the 19th Air Refueling Group . The 19th Air Refueling Group was inactivated in June 2008 as a result of realignment due to Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) 2005 . 19th Airlift Wing . The 19th was reactivated at Little Rock Air Force Base in October 2008 as the 19th Airlift Wing . it is also the sponsor unit of Cadet Squadron 19 " Wolverines " at the United States Air Force Academy . Components . Groups Squadrons