Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Jacob Wongwai
At the end of May, the 37th Airlift Squadron, a unit of the 86th Airlift Wing, celebrated its 80th anniversary. More than enough reasons for the airmen enlisted there to take out their toys for what they called an anniversary flight.
The 37th squadron was formed all the way back in 1942, at the height of the Second World War, and ever since that time, it was tasked with logistics duties, more precisely transport.
The unit was involved in most of the big battles of the Second World War, being a key player in the assault on Normandy, but also took part in Operation Homecoming in Vietnam in 1973, and later in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in Iraq.
The squadron has been calling home the Ramstein Air Base in Germany since 1994, and after using Douglas C-47 Skytrains in its early days and later other type of transport aircraft, it now rides into battle inside C-130J Super Hercules.
No less than nine such planes were taken out in late May for an anniversary formation flight, which also saw 80 paratroopers from U.S. Army Airborne Brigade Combat teams and the 435th Contingency Response Group jumping in honor of the unit.
Six of the nine Hercules are seen here (yes, there are six, you just need to click the main photo and look very closely to spot them all), in this epic photo from the flight released recently by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), one so masterfully executed that it makes us think we’re looking at some still taken from a video game.
As for why the USAF and its units conduct such expensive flights, Lt. Col. Trevor Hall, 86th Operations Group chief pilot, said that’s because “it’s important that we pass down the history of the 37 AS because it helps us understand our heritage and take pride in our position here.”
The unit was involved in most of the big battles of the Second World War, being a key player in the assault on Normandy, but also took part in Operation Homecoming in Vietnam in 1973, and later in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in Iraq.
The squadron has been calling home the Ramstein Air Base in Germany since 1994, and after using Douglas C-47 Skytrains in its early days and later other type of transport aircraft, it now rides into battle inside C-130J Super Hercules.
No less than nine such planes were taken out in late May for an anniversary formation flight, which also saw 80 paratroopers from U.S. Army Airborne Brigade Combat teams and the 435th Contingency Response Group jumping in honor of the unit.
Six of the nine Hercules are seen here (yes, there are six, you just need to click the main photo and look very closely to spot them all), in this epic photo from the flight released recently by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), one so masterfully executed that it makes us think we’re looking at some still taken from a video game.
As for why the USAF and its units conduct such expensive flights, Lt. Col. Trevor Hall, 86th Operations Group chief pilot, said that’s because “it’s important that we pass down the history of the 37 AS because it helps us understand our heritage and take pride in our position here.”
Google News