164th Airlift Wing The 164th Airlift Wing ( 154 AW ) is a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard , stationed at Memphis Air National Guard Base , Tennessee . If activated to federal service , it is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . Overview . The 164th Airlift Wing ' s C - 5 Galaxy mission includes carrying fully equipped combat - ready military units to any point in the world on short notice and then provide field support required to help sustain the fighting force . History . This unit was activated on 1 April 1961 as an expansion of the 155th Air Transport Squadron to a Group level , and the 155th was assigned as a subordinate unit . At this time , the unit received the C - 97 Stratofreighter , which was a converted Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) aerial refueling tanker . Conversion to this aircraft brought a worldwide mission with operations to such places as Europe , Japan , South America , Australia and South Vietnam . During May 1966 , the unit set numerous records , to include 10 round trips to Southeast Asia and 1702 flying hours in one month , all accomplished primarily by dedicated part - time personnel . May 1967 brought the introduction of the C - 124 Globemaster , affectionately known as " Old Shakey " . Along with Old Shakey , the group ' s personnel performed numerous humanitarian missions as well as routine support to Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) . The C - 124 was given a well - deserved rest in 1974 when she was retired from military service , reluctantly giving up her berth to the C - 130 Hercules . The unit ' s gaining command changed to the Tactical Air Command as it assumed a tactical airlift mission and was redesignated as the 164th Tactical Airlift Group . However , the unit ' s presence in TAC was short - lived when in early 1975 all C - 130 tactical airlift aircraft in the U . S . Air Force inventory , to include the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve were transferred to the Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) . Operation Desert Storm brought on the activation of several units of the 164th , with the 164th Mobile Aerial Port Squadron ( 164 MAPS ) being the first Air Guard Aerial Port unit activated , subsequently serving a six - month tour in Southwest Asia with distinction . The C - 130s were transferred to other units in April 1992 when the unit received the first of eight C - 141 Starlifter aircraft . With this conversion came the strategic airlift mission and redesignation as the 164th Airlift Group . With the disestablishment of Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) in 1992 , the unit became an operationally - gained asset of the newly established Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) and was later redesignated the 164th Airlift Wing on 1 October 1995 . In 2004 , the 164th retired the C - 141 and began operating its current aircraft , the C - 5 Galaxy . Bob Wilson , a former Commander of the 155th Airlift Squadron , former Deputy Commander for Operations of the 164th Airlift Wing and a veteran Command Pilot of over 30 years experience in the U . S . Air Force and Air National Guard , was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006 . 2008 brought momentous changes to the 164th : Due to organizational restructuring in the U . S . Air Force , the 164th Aerial Port Squadron was disbanded . The career fields under Aerial Port were relocated into other functional areas including Logistical Readiness and the Traffic Management Office , among others . In September 2008 , the unit relocated from the facility on Democrat Road , to a new base on Swinnea Road . The new base was designed to provide adequate facilities to support the size and mission of the C - 5A , including 3 maintenance hangars large enough to fully enclose a C - 5 . The old facility and property was purchased by FedEx .