143rd Airlift Wing
Initial specialized training at Eglin AFB included low-level airdrop deliveries, sod field and wilderness operations, skip-bombing and other activities in support of irregular ground forces.Flight and Ground crews of the 143rd assisted scientists and engineers of the Naval Underwater Systems Center, conducting studies of undersea acoustics, at Lake Tanganyika in Africa during April and again in August at Hudson Bay, Canada.The unit would work in the Special Operations field for seven more years, during which the HU-16 aircraft were eventually retired in 1972 and replaced with Fairchild C-119G/L "Flying Boxcars".As global airlifters, Rhode Island "Herks" were found in all parts of the United States, Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.In September, unit members flew out of Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany to support operational missions from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.With the defeat of the Iraqi forces and the end of the Gulf War, members returned home in June 1991 and were released from active duty.After the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the wing deployed unit members to Ground Zero, to US bases for homeland security and implemented 24-hour operations at Quonset.The 143rd AW provided the 1st ever C-130J Aircraft in a combat role by the U.S. Air Force in December 2004 and continued to support the war effort with both the C-130E and C-130J until retiring the C-130E in 2005.