(Upper Right) A US Air Force honor guard presents the colors during the Conference of American Air Chiefs Twilight Tattoo at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. The event celebrated "50 years of Friendship and Cooperation" between nations belonging to the System of Cooperation among American Air Forces.

USAF Bestowed History

The Strategic Air Command (SAC) reorganization of 1952 retired the World War II histories of the air combat groups, but the SAC wings, having been created during or after 1947, possessed no World War II histories or honors. In addition, deviations from the wing-base plan by other commands, particularly Air Defense Command (ADC), affected the perpetuation of histories and honors of World War II groups.

In 1954 SAC and ADC leaders asked Headquarters USAF to perpetuate histories and honors of the World War II combat groups. The ad hoc committee that reviewed these requests rejected the idea of redesignating combat groups as wings. Instead, the committee recommended that combat groups and wings be maintained as separate and distinct organizations, and that the histories and honors of combat groups be bestowed upon the similarly designated combat wings.

Although the ad hoc committee's proposed bestowals ran counter to an Air Force longstanding policy which was against the transferring history and honors from one organization to another. Headquarters USAF accepted the recommendations. Beginning in November 1954 the Department of the Air Force in a series of letters bestowed upon each combat wing the history and honors of its similarly designated predecessor combat group; for example, 9th Bombardment Wing received by bestowal the history and honors of the 9th Bombardment Group.

In the years since its implementation, bestowal has generated much confusion. Many throughout the Air Force did not understand that the group and the wing remained two separate and distinct entities. To alleviate some of the confusion, the Air Force in the 1980s consolidated some combat wings with their predecessor combat groups. These consolidations were limited to wings and groups whose period of active service did not overlap, since consolidation of organizations with overlapping active service adds confusion, violates lineage principles, and contravenes Air Force policy.

By consolidation, the wing and group became one organization, eliminating the need for bestowal of group history and honors on the wing. Bestowal, however, continued to be the policy for the majority of active Air Force wings. In bestowing group histories and honors on wings, Department of the Air Force directives noted only that bestowals are temporary. Over the succeeding years, the Air Force formulated more specific rules governing temporary bestowals of histories and honors. Currently, the bestowal of a combat group's history and honors to a wing follows these guidelines.

Bestowal:

1. Will be made only from the group that has the same numerical designation as the recipient wing and that the Air Force regards as the primary-mission group and thus is an integral part of the wing.

2. May be made if the group is:
   • a) Inactive or.
   • b) Active and assigned to the similarly designated wing.

3. Will not be made if the group is active and assigned to any organization other than the similarly designated wing.

4. Will apply only to that portion of the group's history that the group accrued and to those honors that the group earned during a period when the wing was not active.

5. Is temporary and
   • a. Becomes effective upon activation of the wing or,
   • b. Terminates if
     • The group is assigned to any organization other than its similarly designated wing or,
     • The wing is inactivated.

HONORS

The arrangement of information, and the terms and format used in USAF Service Streamers statements are as follows:

Service Streamers

Service streamers represent noncombat service in the various theaters of military operations and bear no embroidery. Those service streamers earned by the organization are listed here. If an organization participated in combat operations in a theater, it earned a campaign streamer instead of a service streamer.

To view color photographs of USAF streamers, maps of the campaigns and and a brief description of each campaign, download A.T. Warnoc's publication: Air Force Combat Medals, Streamers, and Campaigns (Reference Series)!

Campaign Streamers

Verified combat credit entitles an organization to the appropriate campaign streamers representing the named campaign in which it participated. The campaign streamer will be embroidered with the name and years of the campaign. The Historical Research Agency has traditionally evaluated and verified combat credits. Campaign streamers listed reflect each organization's verified combat record except for the Gulf War campaign credits. US Central Command Air Forces provided the credits for the first two campaigns of the Persian Gulf War. Recipients of the third and final campaign streamer credit have not yet been announced.

To view color photographs of USAF streamers, maps of the campaigns and and a brief description of each campaign, download A.T. Warnoc's publication: Air Force Combat Medals, Streamers, and Campaigns (Reference Series)!

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers

Until 1983, this Joint Chiefs of Staff award was given only to individuals, not to any USAF organization. Since that date, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamer has been given for only two operations:

• the invasion and occupation of Grenada, 23 October-21 November 1983, and

• the US invasion of Panama, December 1989-January 1990

To view color photographs of USAF streamers, maps of the campaigns, and and a brief description of each campaign, download A.T. Warnoc's publication: Air Force Combat Medals, Streamers, and Campaigns (Reference Series)!

9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) Service Streamers
The following service streamers have been earned by the 9th Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) in service for their country. Service Streamers World War II, American Theater. Campaign Streamers. World War II, Pacific Theater New Guinea (with Arrowhead); Leyte (with Arrowhead); Luzon (with Arrowhead). Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.