 The heritage of the 116th Bomb Wing can be traced to Mitchell Field, New York, where it was formed on 28 September 1942, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. Shortly afterwards on 1 October 1942, it was redesignated as the 353rd Fighter Group and assigned to 8th Air Force. The new unit flew missions in support of the D-Day landings in Normandy during WWII and participated in the Ardennes, Northern France, Central Europe, and Rhineland Campaigns. The 353rd was honored with a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for actions over Holland in 1944 and finished the war with 35 aces and over 300 kills of enemy aircraft. Fact sheet |
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116th Air Control Wing 
The Georgia Air National Guard redesignated the 116th Bomb Wing here at Robins AFB as the 116th Air Control Wing (ACW) on 1 October 2002 after a historic ceremony which also served to inactivate the active-duty 93d ACW. On that day the mission of the 93d became that of the new 116th ACW. The ceremony officially marked the joining of personnel and resources from each wing and the creation of the first ever "blended wing," a mixture of both ANG and active-duty personnel under one commander. It is the first ever U.S. Air Force Wing to activate under the Air Force's Total Force Integration (TFI) concept, which will eventually combine U.S. Air Force active-duty and reserve components world wide. 
Total Force Integration incorporates innovative organizational constructs with a smaller, more capable force structure to leverage increased capability from new technology and capitalize on the wealth of talent inherent in the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve components. Total Force Integration drives the dynamic and effective integration of all Air Force components to provide unparalleled air, space and cyber power for the joint warfighter. 
The 93rd Air Control Wing was activated at Robins AFB, Georgia on 29 January 1996. It was to be equipped with the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) and it accepted its first production aircraft on 11 June 1996. From late October through December 1996, the wing deployed to Rhein-Main AB, Germany for operations JOINT ENDEAVOR and JOINT GUARD in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It provided "top cover" for United Nations (UN) peacekeeping forces and monitored the warring factions for violations of UN resolutions. 
