934th Airlift Wing not to acquire 440th Airlift Wing nomenclature

  • Published
  • By Col. Timothy Wollmuth
  • 934th Airlift Wing
As you may know, the 934th Airlift Wing is a direct descendant of the 440th Airlift Wing. As such, the 934th Airlift Wing has been investigating the possibility of re-capturing its original unit heritage, which dates back to WWII, by re-integrating the history of the 440th Airlift Wing with that of the 934th Airlift Wing. Major units of our current 934 AW construct were previously named 440 AW Detachments that remained in Minneapolis when the 440 AW HQ transferred to Milwaukee, Wisc.

After researching this endeavor for more than a year, and working with the Air Force Reserve History and Heritage office, it was determined that the current Air Force Regulations do not allow for the co-mingling of these histories. Even though the 934 AW is the remaining sole unit from the original 440 AW, the two histories are to remain distinct and separate. Furthermore, the Air Force Reserve Command is unwilling to consider a deviation of any regulations at the current time. Therefore the 440 AW will remain in the history archives and the 934 AW will remain active as is. This may come as a disappointment to some. To others this may be a sigh of relief. Regardless, we will continue to honor our collective heritage as the Northstar Wing.