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Former bomber unit re-activated for space duty

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Joseph Fixemer
  • 380th Space Control Squadron
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --  The 310th Space Wing welcomed its newest unit Sept. 6 as the 380th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) unfurled its colors as the 380th Space Control Squadron at WestPac Restorations in Colorado Springs.

At the ceremony, retired Col. William Bower, a Doolittle Raider and the last commander of the 310th Bomb Group in World War II, passed the 380th colors to Col. Jeffrey Ansted, commander of Air Force Reserve Command's 310th SW. The occasion marked not only the activation of the squadron but also the continuation of its legacy.

Joining Colonel Bower in the audience were fellow World War II veterans of the 57th Bomb Wing and their families. They included original members of the 380th and its sister squadrons.

More than 300 people watched from under the wings of an operational B-25 as Lt. Col. Michael Assid accepted the unit colors to become the squadron's 27th commander and its first commander in more than four decades.

The 380th SPCS is part of the 310th Operations Group. The squadron, group and wing headquarters are based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo.

At the ceremony, a live video feed to Southwest Asia allowed five deployed squadron reservists to witness the activation and assumption of command.

The event ended with the distinct roar of the world's only airworthy B-25H, named "Barbie III." The B-25 then took on passengers for two separate flights around the city and over the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The 380th SPCS is a classic associate unit to the Regular Air Force's 16th SPCS. These units conduct a hybrid electronic warfare and space control mission, monitoring critical satellite communications links for signs of jamming and other interference. Once a jammer is detected, 380th and 16th SPCS Airmen geo-locate the source of interference for prosecution as a target or other higher command authority action.

The 380th BS was activated March 15, 1942. Like its sister squadrons in the 310th Bomb Group, it was founded by a cadre of Doolittle Raiders who first flew in North Africa. Flying the B-25 Mitchell, the squadron fought its way from North Africa to southern Europe, eventually basing on the island of Corsica and later on the Adriatic coast of Italy. The 380th BS was inactivated Sept. 12, 1945, 10 days after the Japanese signed the instrument of surrender aboard the USS Missouri.

The squadron was reactivated two other times. First, in 1947, training bomber crews on the AT-6 Texan and the AT-11 Kansan. The second time, in 1952, flying the B-29 Superfortress before transitioning to the B-47 Stratojet. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)