HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. -- The month of April brings several historic lineage birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate for the 482nd Fighter Wing.
This Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the Air Force Reserve Command will celebrate its 72nd birthday. The lineage of the Air Force Reserve dates back to when Reserve airpower was established in the National Defense Act of 1916.
However, the AFR was created as a separate component on April 14, 1948, when the Army Air Corps Reserve was transferred to the Department of the Air Force by a directive under President Harry S. Truman. The Air Force’s reliance on reservists has increased in scale and intensity ever since.
Today, Citizen Airmen are stationed locally in communities throughout the United States and serve globally for every combatant command in air, space, and cyberspace around the world. The Air Force Reserve evolved from a "stand-by" force into a major command. Citizen Airmen continue to make notable contributions to protect and defend our nation since the inception of the AFR in 1948.
The 482nd FW is also celebrating anniversaries and its significant contributions to AFRC in April. On April 1, 2020 the wing celebrated its anniversary for being re-activated in the Reserve at Homestead Air Force Base under 10th Air Force, replacing the 915th Tactical Fighter Group on April 1, 1981.
"The strength of the AF Reserve and the 482nd Fighter Wing lies in its people. For decades, our 482nd FW Citizen Airmen have stepped up to do the mission, time and again," said Brig. Gen. David Piffarerio, 482nd FW Commander. "From rebuilding after Hurricane Andrew, to deploying for the COVID-19 medical response, reservists have always been in the fight and will continue to provide for our nation."
The 482nd Tactical Fighter Wing became one of the first Reserve fighter units to fly the F-4 Phantom II until the transition to the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1989. Originally, the 482nd Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, activated in the Reserve on Jun 14, 1952 under 14th Air Force, with Curtiss C-46 Commando aircraft at Miami International Airport.
Another April anniversary for the 482nd FW provides the celebrated perseverance of the wing and beginning of its establishment as the host unit of one of the few Air Force Reserve bases in the nation.
After the base took a direct hit from devastating Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, recovery and reconstruction began. The 482nd FW returned to Homestead Air Reserve Station as the installation host wing on April 1, 1994. Fortunately, the base was spared under the 1993 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission process.
With the acquisition of the runway and associated land from a Secretary of the Air Force decision in 2002, the 482nd FW began to host the renamed Homestead Air Reserve Base as of December 17, 2003.