The 380th Bomb Wing (380th BW) was originally activated during World War II as the 380th Bombardment Group, flying B-24 Liberators in the Southwest Pacific and earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat achievements. Reactivated during the Cold War, the unit operated B-47 Stratojets at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, as part of Strategic Air Command’s nuclear deterrence mission. The 380th BW was later stationed at Plattsburgh from 1963 to 1995, flying B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 Stratotankers. The wing was inactivated in 1995 following post-Cold War force reductions, but its lineage continues today as the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, providing air refueling, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the Middle East.
