317th Airlift Group
The 317th Airlift Wing (317 AW) is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force, the 317 AW operates as a tenant unit at Dyess AFB, an installation under the control of the 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).
| 317th Airlift Wing | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1948–1949; 1952–1993; 1997–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command 18th Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Dyess Air Force Base |
| Motto(s) | "I Gain By Hazard" |
| Equipment | C-130 Hercules |
| Decorations | Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col. James G. Young |
| Vice commander | Col. Steven P. Wick |
| Command Chief | CCM Arthur J. Williams IV |
| Insignia | |
| 317th Airlift Group emblem (Approved 15 May 1958) | |
Previously designated as the 317th Airlift Group (317 AG), the unit was redesignated as the 317th Airlift Wing (317 AW) on 6 July 2017.
The 317 AW is a "tactical" airlift organization, flying the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. Since December 2003, the 317th has been in a continuously deployed status in support of the Global War on Terrorism, with elements being deployed into combat areas. It has been engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), as well as supporting other Air Expeditionary units around the world.
During World War II, the unit's predecessor, the 317th Troop Carrier Group was one of the most highly decorated troop carrier units of the United States Army Air Forces.