Airmen attend 48th FTS reunion

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Zach Overbey
  • 48th Flying Training Squadron Instructor Pilot
Heritage is an important facet of any military environment. It grounds an organization in its roots, while laying a strong foundation for the future.

Fewer squadrons around “Big Blue” have a prouder heritage than the 48th Flying Training Squadron, and although it currently resides here in Columbus, Mississippi, it has valiantly served in all corners of the world.

Eight 48th Flying Training Squadron crews from Columbus AFB recently traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to take part in the annual 48th Squadron Reunion. The 48th FTS instructor pilots who made the trek to celebrate the squadron’s storied heritage include Lt. Col. Paul Baker, Lt. Col. Charles Gilliam, Lt. Col. Matthew Cunningham, Capt. Tyler Tipton, Capt. William Swinconos, 1st Lt. David Hoffman, 1st Lt. Blake Liddle and 1st Lt. Brian Weeks. These eight instructor pilots led the charge with 16 T-1 Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training students on a student cross-country mission that included training stop-ins in a plethora of locations in Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma.

Columbus personnel were given a warm welcome by former 48th members and closely integrated into the weekend’s activities. The delegation from Columbus listened to multiple guest speakers, including Norma Robinson, daughter-in-law of war hero Maj. Franklin Louis Robinson. Robinson was one of the brave Army Air Corps P-38 pilots that fought in the allied invasion of Southern France, where he passed away at 25 years old after his plane went down near Six-Fours, France, on Aug. 16, 1944.

“Hearing Norma tell Major Robinson’s story and see the level of effort she has put forth to preserve his story and accomplishments is nothing short of amazing,” said Baker, who is also the 48th FTS Commander. “His story made all of us realize the tremendous cost of serving and made me even more proud to be an Alley Cat specifically, and a member of the United States Air Force overall.”

Additionally, another one of the highlights of the festivities was the honorary induction of Baker, Gilliam and Cunningham into the Tazlanglian Devils, the esteemed group of aviators that guarded the Bermuda Triangle during the Cold War while the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was located at Langley AFB, Virginia. The three Columbus leaders were inducted by retired Lt. Col. Dick Stultz, who was a member of the group creator of the Tazlanglian Devil mascot the group was named after.

Students and instructors alike listened to stories from days past into the late hours of the evening and picked up a great deal of aviation wisdom and insight. The ceremony concluded with a moment of remembrance for all squadron members who had passed away during 2015, closed out by a playing of taps by John Boudreaux. Boudreaux was a former student in Class 74-04 and First Assignment Instructor Pilot at Columbus AFB. The weekend also included student-flying training as part of a planned cross-country mission, sightseeing and a visit to the Air Force Academy.

Although currently a squadron that trains airlift and tanker pilots, the 48th FTS has been used for a multitude of different missions. The 48th Aero Squadron was organized at Kelly Field, Texas, on Aug. 4, 1917, and sailed to Le Havre, France, arriving in November 1917. While in France, the unit built or repaired various airdromes and participated in the Lorraine, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns. Following World War I, the squadron returned to the United States and was demobilized at Mitchell Field, New York, in August 1919. The 48th School Squadron was again active training aviation personnel between 1923 and 1927 at Kelly Field, and between 1933 and 1936 at Chanute Field, Illinois.

The unit was reactivated at Hamilton Field, California, as the 48th Pursuit Squadron in January 1941, where it flew training missions and air defense patrols along the California coast using P-40, P-66 and P-43 aircraft. The current squadron patch, the alley cat chasing a dragonfly, was designed by Walt Disney and was adopted by the 48th in 1942. In August 1942, the re-designated 48th Fighter Squadron moved to Atcham, England, and began training operations with the P-38 Lightning.

In November 1942, the 48th moved to Algeria to support the invasion of North Africa and later operations over Sicily and Sardinia. While based in Algeria, the 48th flew escort missions for B-25 and B-26 bombers, made fighter sweeps, and flew reconnaissance missions. In December 1942, the 48th moved to Triolo, Italy, and conducted fighter escort for heavy bombers on missions to central Europe, the Balkans and Germany and also provided close air support to all allied armies pushing up the Italian peninsula.

In August 1944, the unit moved temporarily to Aghione, Corsica, and engaged in patrol, dive-bombing and armed reconnaissance missions to support the allied invasion of southern France. Through May 1945, the squadron continued operations from Italy conducting bomber escort and attacks against transportation, oil, and communication targets. The squadron was deactivated in September 1945 at Lesina, Italy.

From November 1946 until October 1949, the 48th Fighter Squadron flew air defense missions from Dow Field, Maine, using P-47s and P-84s. The 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was activated at Langley Air Base, Virginia, and flew F-84s, F-94s, F-102s, F-106s and F-15s from January 1953 until the squadron was deactivated in December 1991.

Activation of the 48th Flying Training Squadron on July 1, 1996, completed reunification of the squadrons in the World War II 14th Fighter Group, which included the 37th, 48th, 49th and 50th Squadrons, as the 14th Flying Training Wing. The 48th Flying Training Squadron now flies the T-1A Jayhawk for Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi.