Prater, Ollie, MSgt

The 63rd Troop Carrier Wing, Medium evolved through a number of name changes from it's inception and over the decades to the 63rd Airlift Wing. The wing was established on May 10, 1949 and activated on June 27, 1949 at Floyd Bennett Naval Air Station, NY, although the wing's predecessor was the 63rd Transport Group that disbanded in 1944. In 1949 the 63rd was activated as reserve unit, but called up for the Korean War, then quickly disbanded. In December of 1952 it was redesignated the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, and assigned to Altus Municipal Airport (later Altus AFB). After the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing moved to Donaldson AFB October 15, 1953, the unit distinquished itself with innumerable humanitarian and combat related missions, including after the wing moved to Hunter AFB, Georgia in April of 1963 and as the 63rd Military Airlift Wing when it officially moved to Norton AFB on 1 April 1967. The wing's early motto, "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime," aptly describes the missions the wing was called to perform. The 63rd Airlift Wing is now an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Air Mobility Command, being stationed at Norton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on April 1, 1994. During its history the 63rd Troop Carrier earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1955 for successfully airlifting construction equipment, pre-fabricated buildings and building material for the DEW LINE (Distant Early Warning Line) in the Canadian Artic Region and for Operation Deep Freeze (1957-1962), an aerial resupply of scientific and geodetic stations in Marie Byrdland and the South Pole. As the Military Airlift Wing (MAW) the wing received the Outstanding Unit Award for its operations during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.