‘22nd’ celebrates 70 years of heritage Published Jan. 28, 2010 By Steve Larsen 22nd Air Refueling Wing historian MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Feb. 1 probably seems like just another day on the calendar, and for most, that's true. For the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, Feb. 1 is an extremely important day, and this year it holds a little extra significance. It's when the 22nd Bombardment Group activated at Mitchel Field, N.Y. This year marks the 70th anniversary of our wing. The wing came into being as a direct result of World War II, which started in 1930 with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. While the United States did not declare war at the outset, the President Roosevelt administration and the war department elected to get America's military on a war footing after years of neglect, particularly in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Aircraft production goals were set at 10,000 aircraft per year. By the end of 1940, this goal rose to 50,000 aircraft, an extraordinary output. By the close of 1941, the Air Corps' fleet of aircraft had grown in size by 440 percent. The 22nd BG commenced operations at Mitchel Field under its first commanding officer, Lt. Col. Ross Cole. Its subordinate squadrons were the 2nd Bombardment Squadron, now inactive, 19th Bombardment Squadron, now the 19th Special Operations Squadron, the 33rd Bombardment Squadron, now the 33rd Flying Training Squadron, and the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, later 408th RS, now inactive. Initially the unit flew and trained on the Douglas B-18 Bolo but soon converted to the ahead-of-its-time, high-performance Martin B-26 Marauder. When the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, it was the Marauder the 22nd BG took to war. As charter members of the 'Forgotten Fifth,' 5th Air Force, the 22nd was the first medium bombardment group to enter combat in World War II, launching its first bombing mission on March 5, 1942 just four months after the Pearl Harbor attack. The unit fought throughout World War II, and upon moving back to the states, soon found itself back in the Pacific with the onset of war in Korea. The 22nd BG deployed in July 1950 and flew missions against North Korean industrial targets. By October, the group eliminated nearly all of its strategic targets. As a result, most of its contingent returned to the United States. While the Korean operations were ongoing, the 22nd BG redesignated as the 22nd Operations Group and was reorganized under a parent wing, the 22nd Bombardment Wing. Throughout the Vietnam era, the 22nd Airmen flew B-52s in famous missions such as ARC LIGHT and the LINEBACKER operations. Throughout the Cold War era, the wing supported both Strategic Air Command alert force operations and a number of worldwide responses to include operations in Grenada. The wing was active in Operation DESERT STORM when it provided air refueling support to F-117 strike missions on the very first night of the war. Since the Vietnam War, the 22nd has been directly engaged in every American conflict to include current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. As the 70th anniversary arrives on Feb 1, the record is clear. Two Distinguished Unit Citations, 16 Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and 13 different campaign streamers. Today's Airmen now carry the distinguished history of the '22nd' forward and continue to add to it.