Air Force Reserve Command on Thursday inactivated the 917th Fighter Group, an A-10 unit, during a ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La. The group’s inactivation is the result of the force structure changes that Congress approved for the Air Force in Fiscal 2013. The Sept. 26 ceremony marked the end of 50 years of the group’s operations at the base. “What a glorious day to honor 50 years of the 917th’s service to our nation,” said Col. John Breazeale, 917th FG commander, at the event. “We wrap up 50 years of 917th service to our nation by honoring the thousands of 917th airmen for their service, and the proud heritage and legacy they built,” he said. The group traces its lineage to the 917th Troop Carrier Group that formed at Barksdale in January 1963, operating C-124s. In June, the group’s last several A-10s departed Barksdale for good. The group fell under the organizational oversight of AFRC’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo. (Barksdale report by SSgt. Katherine Holt)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the site of U.S. Space Command’s future home Dec. 12 and endorsed the move to establish the headquarters in Alabama after years of political back and forth.
