54th Tactical Fighter Wing The 54th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit . Its last assignment was with the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force , being stationed at Kunsan Air Base , South Korea . It was inactivated on 31 October 1970 . During World War II , the 54th Troop Carrier Wing was a United States Army Air Forces Fifth Air Force transport wing that exercised command and control over five combat cargo and troop carrier groups in the South West Pacific theatre . In the early postwar years , the 54th Fighter Wing commanded 56 units of the Air National Guard throughout the Southeastern United States . History . World War II . The 54th Troop Carrier Wing commenced air transport and medical air evacuation operations in support of Fifth Air Force on 26 May 1943 . advancing as battle lines permitted . The wing employed C - 47 s almost exclusively , but during late 1943 and much of 1944 also used 13 converted B - 17 Es for armed transport missions in enemy - held territory . The 54th supported every major advance made by the allies in the Southwest Pacific Theater , operating from primitive airstrips carved from jungles and air - dropping cargo where airstrips unavailable . The unit took part in the airborne invasion of Nadzab , New Guinea , in September 1943 by dropping paratroopers of the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment as well as Australian engineers and heavy equipment . In July 1944 , the wing dropped 1 , 418 paratroopers on Noemfoor Island to aid the allied invasion forces . Then assumed the task of handling all freight and personnel moving in troop carrier aircraft in the Southwest Pacific , in addition to scheduled and unscheduled air movement of cargo and troops , and air evacuation of wounded personnel . Some C - 46 s began operating within the wing in late 1944 , and during 1945 large numbers of C - 46s were used in addition to C - 47s . By late 1944 and during the early months of 1945 , most wing missions were flown to the Philippines . In February 1945 , the wing flew three more airborne operations , all in the Philippines , to help encircle Japanese concentrations . Wing C - 47s dropped napalm on Carabao Island , in Manila Bay , in March 1945 . When hostilities ended , the wing moved the entire 11th Airborne Division ( 11 , 300 personnel ) from the Philippines to Okinawa on short notice , and then began transporting occupation forces into Japan . During September 1945 , the wing also evacuated over 17 , 000 former prisoners of war from Japan to the Philippines . The wing served as part of the occupation forces in Japan from 25 September 1945 to about 26 January 1946 , while con - tinuing routine air transport operations and a scheduled courier service . Beginning in December 1945 and continuing into mid - 1946 , most of the wing ' s components were reassigned to other units or inactivated , and on 15 January 1946 the wing became a component of the Far East ( soon , Pacific ) Air Service Command . Moving to the Philippines , the wing gained new components and flew scheduled routes between Japan , the Philippines , Australia , and the Hawaiian Islands . Replaced by the 403d Troop Carrier Group on 31 May 1946 and was inactivated . Air National Guard . Allocated to the Georgia Air National Guard for command and control origination for units in the Southeastern region of the United States . Extended federal recognition and activated on 2 October 1946 . At the end of October 1950 , the Air National Guard converted to the wing - base ( Hobson Plan ) organization . As a result , the wing was withdrawn from the Georgia ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950 . The 116th Fighter Wing was established by the National Guard Bureau , allocated to the state of Georgia , recognized and activated 1 November 1950 ; assuming the personnel , equipment and mission of the inactivated 54th Fighter Wing . United States Air Force . In June 1970 , as the 54th Tactical Fighter Wing , was activated and replaced the 354th TFW at Kunsan AB , South Korea , assuming control of personnel and attached F - 4C Phantom II squadrons . Was inactivated on 31 October 1970 when the deployed F - 4 squadrons returned to the United States and the base was placed in a non - flying status . Base operations personnel were absorbed by the 6175th Air Base Group .