Seymour Johnson AFB History
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4th Fighter Wing History Memorial

Seymour Johnson AFB History, also, 4th Fighter Wing History Memorial. . Seymour Johnson Field, established on June 12, 1942, six months after the United States entered World War II, is named in honor of Lieutenant Seymour A. Johnson. A Goldsboro native and U.S.Navy test pilot, he was killed in an aircraft crash near Norbeck, Maryland, in 1941. , Seymour Johnson Field's early missions included technical and basic military cadet training until 1943 when the 326th Fighter Group was assigned there to train pilots to fly the P-47 Thunderbolts. , With the end of World War II in Europe, Seymour Johnson Field became a central assembly station for processing and training troops being reassigned in the continental United States and Pacific Theater until deactivated in May 1946. , In late 1952, Goldsboro Mayor Scott B. Berkeley, Sr. and community leaders began a campaign to reopen the installation. After the U.S. Corps of Engineers demolished old buildings and built new facilities, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base was reactivated as a Tactical Air Command base on April 1, 1956. , Shortly after, on December 8, 1957, the 4th Fighter Wing was assigned to the installation, where it remains the primary unit. Since the base's reopening, it has been home to B-52 bombers, KC-10 and KC -135 tankers from the Strategic Air Command, and F-100, F-105, F-4, and F-15E fighters. , Seymour Johnson Air Force Base has always enjoyed a special relationship with Wayne County; The men and women of the 4th Fighter Wing proudly call Goldsboro their home., (Second plaque) , 4th Fighter Wing History. , The 4th Fighter Wing traces its heritage back to the Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons of World War II. Before the United States had officially entered the war, brave American volunteers flew British Hurricanes and Spitfires against the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany. , The three Eagle Squadrons later converted to the 334th, 335th, and 336th Fighter Squadrons to form the 4th Fighter Group. Flying P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs, the 4th Fighter Group destroyed 1016 enemy aircraft, more than any other unit in World War II. , During the Korean War, the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing became the first unit to fly the F-86 Sabre in combat, destroying 506 enemy MiGs,more than the rest of the U.S. Air Force combined. , In December 1957, the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to its present-day location at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Aircrew flew the F-100 Super Sabre and the F-105 Thunderchief until 1967, when the Wing transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II, flying more than 8,700 combat missions in Vietnam. , In 1988, the 4th Fighter Wing adopted the mighty F-15E Strike Eagle. Two years later it flew more than 3,200 sorties in support of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Following the Gulf War. the 4th Fighter Wing maintained a near-constant presence in Southeast Asia, supporting operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, and Allied Force, and flying more than 15,000 sorties in Northern and Southern Iraq. , In 2003, the 4th Fighter Wing once again deployed to Southeast Asia (?) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying more than 3,500 missions and releasing over 3 million pounds of precision ordnance. , The men and women of the 4th deployed to Afghanistan from 2007 to 2011 for Operation Enduring Freedom in multiple record setting deployments. , Today. the 4th Fighter Wing continues to be "Fourth But First" as its men and women lead the way in defense of our great nation. , (Third plaque) , 4th Fighter Wing Killed in Action , Before the 4th was stationed at Seymour Johnson , World War II , Eagle Squadrons - 108 Killed in Action , 4th Fighter Group - 128 Killed in Action, Korean War , 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing - 32 Killed in Action, After the 4th Was Stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB , Vietnam War , 4th Tactical Fighter Wing , Capt Samuel E. Cornelius, 336th Squadron, 16 June 1973 , Capt Thomas E. Reitmann, 335th Squadron, 30 September 1965 , Lt Col Melvin J. Killian, 334th Squadron, 30 September 1965 , Operation Desert Shield/Storm , 4th Tactical Fighter Wing , Maj Thomas E. Koritz, 335th Squadron, 17 January 1991 , Maj Donnie R. Holland, 335th Squadron,17 January 1991 , A1C Rocky J. Nelson, 4th Civil Engineering Squadron, 1 December 1990 , Maj Peter J. Hook, 336th Squadron, 30 September 1990 , Capt James B. Poulet, 336th Squadron, 30 September 1990, Operation Iraqi Freedom , 4th Fighter Wing , Lt Col William R. Watkins III, 333rd Squadron, 7 April 2003 , Capt Eric B. Das, 333rd Squadron, 7 April 2003, Operation Enduring Freedom , 4th Fighter Wing , Capt Thomas J. Gramith, 336th Squadron, 18 July 2009 , . Capt Mark R. McDowell, 336th Squadron, 18 July 2009,