302d Airlift Wing The 302d Airlift Wing ( 302 AW ) is an Air Reserve Component ( ARC ) of the United States Air Force . It is assigned to the Twenty - Second Air Force , Air Force Reserve Command , stationed at Peterson Air Force Base , Colorado . Mission . The mission of the 302d AW is to provide superior global reach . The primary operational mission of the 302d AW is tactical airlift and airdrop . The wing also has the specialized mission of Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System ( MAFFS ) , as well as an aeromedical evacuation mission , which was added in April 2008 . History . During World War II , the 302d trained bombardment crews for combat duty . It conducted airlift training as a reserve corollary unit of 62nd Troop Carrier Wing from June 1949 - May 1950 , and of the 325th Fighter - Interceptor Wing from May 1950 - June 1951 . It trained as a reserve troop carrier wing from June 1952 . The 302d began flying airlift operations in the mid - 1950s and was placed on active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 . By the mid - 1960s , wing aircraft and crews performed worldwide airlift missions and participated in numerous tactical exercises . From April 1968 to March 1973 the wing provided AC - 119 gunship training for pilots , navigators , flight engineers , and mechanic s of USAF active units and personnel from Jordan , Morocco , Ethiopia , and South Vietnam . The wing assumed a rotational airlift task in support of USAF Southern Command from April 1973 through January 1976 . Also in April 1973 , the wing assumed an aerial spraying mission with U C - 123 aircraft , which frequently took wing crews to Central America , the Caribbean , the Azores , North Africa , islands of the Pacific , and to many U . S . points for insect - spraying missions . Beginning in April 1985 , the wing trained to airlift and airdrop troops , equipment , and supplies in a tactical theater . It took part in training and mobility exercises within the United States and to Britain and Panama . It practiced for aeromedical evacuation missions . During the late 1980s and 1990s , the wing transported fire fighter s and their equipment and supplies to fight wildfires in western states , delivered relief supplies to hurricane victims , and participated in other humanitarian airlifts and various global contingency operations . The 302d was most recently activated in support of U . S . Central Command operations in Southwest Asia in 2005 - 2006 . In the summer of 2008 , two C - 130 aircraft and aircrews deployed to Southwest Asia . Other units within the 302d have also deployed , including the 302d Security Forces Squadron , which deployed Airmen in the summer of 2008 . Later in the spring of 2009 , members of the 302d Civil Engineer Squadron deployed as well . Both units were deployed to Kirkuk Regional Air Base , Iraq . In October 2009 , the 52d Airlift Squadron stood up as an Active - Associate unit under the 302d Operations Group . The unit , a regular Air Force squadron consisting of Active - Duty Airmen , is assigned to the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base , Arkansas . Personnel are integrated with reserve members to fly and maintain the wing ' s assigned aircraft . The 302d also provides training , crews , and aircraft in cooperation with the U . S . Forest Service to operate MAFFS - equipped C - 130s to combat wildfires . It is the only reserve unit that maintains this capability . Notable Incidents . On 13 May 1995 , aircraft 62 - 1838 , callsign " SUMIT38 " , with six people aboard , caught fire approximately 45 miles east of Mountain Home Air Force Base , Idaho , after ferrying firefighters to Gowen Field at Boise Airport . The number two engine incorrectly signaled an under temperature reading , causing the flight engineer to enrich the fuel mixture to that engine , leading to an actual over temperature situation . The engine caught fire , and after two attempts by one of the flight crew to quench the fire , the engine reignited causing SUMIT38 to fall 26 , 000 feet to the ground , killing its six crew members . The six crew members of SUMIT38 were : Lieutenant Colonel Robert " Bob " Buckout , Aircraft Commander First Lieutenant Lance Dougherty , Pilot Captain Geoff Boyd , Navigator Chief Master Sergent " Jimmy " Vail , Flight Engineer Master Sergent Jay Kemp , Loadmaster Staff Sergent Micheal Lynn Scheideman , Loadmaster A memorial at Peterson AFB , Colorado , was dedicated to the crew on the 10th anniversary of the crash in May 2005 . Several stones , placards and flags are occasionally replaced at the actual crash site , near Bliss , Idaho , by well - wishers , recovery crew , and family members of the crew . Components . Groups Squadrons