433d Airlift Wing The 433d Airlift Wing ( 433 AW ) is an Air Reserve Component ( ARC ) of the United States Air Force . It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force , Air Force Reserve Command , stationed at Lackland AFB , Texas . If mobilized , the Wing is gained by the Air Mobility Command . The unit ' s World War II predecessor unit , the 433d Troop Carrier Group operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater transporting such supplies as gasoline , ammunition , medicine , rations , communications equipment , construction materials and evacuating wounded personnel during numerous campaigns . It was awarded the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its role in the liberation of the Philippines during 1944 - 1945 . Overview . The 433d Airlift Wing , the " Alamo Wing " , organizes , equips and trains its approximately 3 , 100 ready reservists to achieve combat readiness according to training standards established by the Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) and the Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) . The Wing performs peacetime missions and Air Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) tasking compatible with AFRC training requirements and maintenance of mobilization readiness . When mobilized , the 433d Airlift Wing provides the aircraft , crews , support personnel and equipment necessary to meet combat readiness objectives established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff , AMC , AETC and the gaining theater Combatant Commanders . The Alamo Wing is also the Air Force Reserve ' s only Formal Training Unit ( FTU ) providing initial and advanced C - 5 Flight qualification for the total force - Reserve , Active Duty and National Guard . Units . The 433d Airlift Wing consists of the following major units : History . The 433d Airlift Wing was activated as a reserve organization in Ohio on 6 July 1947 . It was ordered to active service and moved to North Carolina in October 1950 ; receiving C - 119 Flying Boxcar aircraft the following month . The wing began tactical training in March 1951 . It airlifted personnel and supplies to Army units in the field . Airdrop ped personnel and equipment during army exercises . The 433d moved to Germany and participated with U . S . , British , and French units in field training until inactivated . After 1955 , the wing flew airlift missions and participated in numerous training exercises , sometimes with special forces , while based at Brooks AFB in San Antonio , Texas . With the closure of Brooks AFB ' s runways and its transition to a non - flying USAF installation in 1960 , the unit transferred across town to Kelly AFB . By the mid - 1960s , the wing was flying global airlift missions , as well as conducting the USAF ' s C - 130A model Hercules pilot , navigator , flight engineer and loadmaster school . Between 1971 and 1985 , the wing trained for tactical airlift missions , participating in joint training exercises . It provided airlift of Department of Defense personnel , supplies , and equipment worldwide . The 433d assisted the U . S . Forest Service by use of the Modular Airborne FireFighting System ( MAFFS ) . It airlifted other units overseas for deployments and conducted humanitarian airlift operations . Between 1977 and 1985 , the wing rotated personnel and aircraft periodically to Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone . In 1985 , it became the first Air Force Reserve wing to fly the C - 5A Galaxy , the largest USAF operational aircraft , and changed from tactical to strategic airlift missions . It also began training for aerial refueling . It tested a C - 5A modified to transport space vehicles and in 1989 airlifted the Hubble Space Telescope from California to Kennedy Space Center , Florida . The Alamo Wing played a major role in providing aeromedical evacuation support as well as cargo relief during the invasion of Panama , or Operation Just Cause , in 1989 . The wing was also a primary participant in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm when the wing ' s C - 5As helped fly the massive airlift of supplies , heavy Army combat equipment , and troops to the Persian Gulf in 1990 - 91 . Additionally , 1 , 400 wing reservists of various career fields were called up to active duty and more than 500 deployed overseas in support of the conflict . Following the war , the wing participated in Operation Provide Comfort , when the airlift of food and supplies provided much - needed relief to the beleaguered Kurds of Turkey . Post Cold War era . The wing also assisted in Operation Provide Hope by transporting critical cargo to the Commonwealth of Independent States . And in 1992 - 93 , the 433rd AW was the first Reserve wing to fly relief missions and provide medical support to famine stricken Somalia during Operation Restore Hope . The Alamo Wing again flew missions into Africa , this time to aid refugees fleeing Rwanda in 1994 . In the same year , it helped in efforts to restore democracy in Haiti , and supported operations to halt renewed Iraqi aggression against Kuwait during Operation Phoenix Jackal . The wing played a critical role in Operation Joint Endeavor , hauling hundreds of tons of cargo as well as hundreds of duty passengers to Europe in support of NATO ' s peace initiative in Bosnia . Further , the 433d AW became the first Reserve wing to deploy personnel to Germany , Hungary and Bosnia for 179 days as part of Joint Endeavor ' s support contingent — 39 members of the 433d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron . Then , in late 1996 , the wing participated in Operation Desert Strike to once again help halt renewed threats by Iraq on the Kurdish population . In 1998 , the wing was called again to participate in Operations Phoenix Scorpions I – III and in Operation Desert Fox when Iraq refused to cease manufacturing weapons of mass destruction . In early 1999 , the Alamo Wing responded to another area of the world that threatened the peace and security , again in the Balkans . Wing C - 5s and aircrews airlifted essential cargo and passengers to support the NATO - led Operation Allied Force to halt Serbia ’ s policy of ethnic cleansing in neighboring Kosovo . After the peace accord with Serbia , the wing assisted in NATO ’ s efforts to resettle ethnic Albanians into a secure environment . Global War on Terrorism . The Alamo Wing once again responded to a national crisis in the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington , D . C . on Sept . 11 , 2001 . Hauling thousands of tons of cargo in support of America ’ s War on Terrorism , the wing proved yet again that it stands ready to answer the call whenever the United States faces a threat to its homeland and vital national interests . Over the years , the wing has also flown many humanitarian relief missions to aid victims of natural disasters , the latest being Central American aid in the wake of Hurricane Mitch . C - 5 Galaxy Formal Training Unit . On 1 July 2007 , the wing ' s 356th Airlift Squadron assumed an Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) mission , becoming the Air Force Reserve ' s only Formal Training Unit ( FTU ) providing initial and advanced C - 5 flight qualification for Air Mobility Command , Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command aircrews , assuming a training role that had been previously assigned to the Regular Air Force ' s 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus AFB , Oklahoma . Over 70 selectively manned aircrew instructors train and produce up to 500 aircrew members in nine different curricula for pilots , loadmasters and flight engineers . Additional training functions and support are provided by the colocated 733d Training Squadron ( 733 TRS ) Both squadrons are assigned to the wing ' s 433d Operations Group . In addition to being the sole C - 5 training organization for the entire US Air Force , the 356 AS also continues to provides airlift support for peacetime , contingency and humanitarian operations .