Pope Air Force Base
In June 1971, the 40th began preparations for the 317th Troop Carrier Wing’s move-this time to Pope Air Force Base. At Pope, the Squadron met rejoined the 41st which had just returned from six years in Southeast Asia. As part of the move from Lockbourne, the Squadron shed all of its personnel and aircraft, and moved only its flag and lineage to its new home, where it acquired the personnel and aircraft of the recently deactivated 435th Troop Carrier Squadron. The move to Pope AFB brought some mission changes as well. The Squadron lost its obligation as a Replacement Training Unit, but gained the Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System (AWADS) mission. Previously, C-130 squadrons at several bases had AWADS, but it was gradually consolidated into the three squadrons at Pope. The 40th also gained a rotational commitment to Southeast Asia in addition to its regular rotations to Europe and Panama. It soon became common for crews to spend ninety days in Germany, come home for a few weeks, deploy to Panama for six weeks, come home again for a short rest, then depart for the Pacific.
Read more about this topic: 40th Airlift Squadron
Famous quotes containing the words pope, air, force and/or base:
“Why has not Man a microscopic eye?
For this plain reason, Man is not a Fly.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
“Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house;
Write loyal cantons of contemned love,
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;
Halloo your name to the reverberate hills,
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out “Olivia!” O, you should not rest
Between the elements of air and earth
But you should pity me.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me
On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The base emotions Plato banned
have left a radio-active and not radiant land.”
—Libby Houston (b. 1941)