WEBVTT 00:02.539 --> 00:04.969 First to the call peacekeepers 00:05.300 --> 00:09.159 torchbearers of liberty . Born from the 00:09.159 --> 00:11.326 necessity to defend and support allied 00:11.326 --> 00:13.326 nations in World War Two , the 48th 00:13.326 --> 00:15.548 touched down in the south of England in 00:15.548 --> 00:17.659 spring 1944 , ready to serve shoulder 00:17.659 --> 00:21.190 to shoulder with our allies . Before 00:21.190 --> 00:23.600 settling in , P-47 thunderbolts flashed 00:23.600 --> 00:25.750 lightning over Normandy . The 48th 00:25.750 --> 00:27.750 would go on to serve in every major 00:27.750 --> 00:29.528 campaign on the Western Front , 00:29.528 --> 00:31.639 following the front lines all the way 00:31.639 --> 00:34.450 to Germany . After the war , the 00:34.450 --> 00:36.283 forty-eighth fighter bomber wing 00:36.283 --> 00:38.617 returned to Charmont Air Base in France . 00:38.617 --> 00:40.394 Their unwavering dedication was 00:40.394 --> 00:42.394 recognized when they were named the 00:42.394 --> 00:44.561 Statue of Liberty Wing . To this day , 00:44.561 --> 00:46.672 the only wing in the Air Force , both 00:46.672 --> 00:49.040 numbered and named . As speeds reached 00:49.040 --> 00:51.207 Supersonic , the forty-eighth Tactical 00:51.207 --> 00:53.262 Fighter Wing made REF Lakenheath its 00:53.262 --> 00:55.207 home , becoming the installation's 00:55.207 --> 00:57.262 first permanent American presence in 00:57.262 --> 00:59.318 1960 , a legacy that endures to this 00:59.318 --> 01:01.429 day and serves as a reflection of the 01:01.429 --> 01:03.651 special relationship shared between the 01:03.651 --> 01:05.818 United Kingdom and the United States . 01:05.818 --> 01:07.762 As the installation transformed to 01:07.762 --> 01:09.596 support fighter operations , the 01:09.596 --> 01:11.318 dedicated men and women of the 01:11.318 --> 01:13.540 forty-eighth honed their skills to meet 01:13.540 --> 01:15.651 every mission requirement , including 01:15.651 --> 01:17.818 NATO operational readiness standards . 01:17.930 --> 01:20.440 In 1986 , the Liberty Wing answered the 01:20.440 --> 01:22.496 president's call against terrorism , 01:22.496 --> 01:25.400 launching 24 F-111s to drop 60 tons of 01:25.400 --> 01:27.400 munition alongside the Navy's sixth 01:27.400 --> 01:29.790 Fleet in Operation El Dorado Canyon . 01:30.040 --> 01:32.151 It was a demanding mission , one that 01:32.151 --> 01:34.096 required courage , precision , and 01:34.096 --> 01:36.800 sacrifice . When Iraq invaded Kuwait , 01:36.879 --> 01:38.935 the Liberty Wing was the first in US 01:38.935 --> 01:41.101 Air Forces Europe , Africa to deploy . 01:41.101 --> 01:43.212 From the Saudi Arabian airbase Taif , 01:43.212 --> 01:45.379 the 48's artivarks and service members 01:45.379 --> 01:47.601 launched air power and Operation Desert 01:47.601 --> 01:50.389 Storm , flying 1,919 combat sorties , 01:50.599 --> 01:53.300 hitting 2,203 targets before returning 01:53.300 --> 01:55.720 to RAF Lakeking Heath in May 1991 . 01:56.730 --> 01:58.897 Shortly after their arrival home , the 01:58.897 --> 02:01.008 Liberty wing permanently parked their 02:01.008 --> 02:03.063 air to ground jets and transition to 02:03.063 --> 02:05.008 the multi-role fighter F-15 strike 02:05.008 --> 02:06.730 eagle , becoming the only F-15 02:06.730 --> 02:08.940 squadrons in Europe at the time . In 02:08.940 --> 02:11.729 mid December 2021 , F-35 Lightning 2 02:11.729 --> 02:13.896 struck the installation . REF Lake and 02:13.896 --> 02:15.951 Heath is the premier fighter wing to 02:15.951 --> 02:18.062 host these advanced and interoperable 02:18.062 --> 02:20.173 fighters , as well as the only US Air 02:20.173 --> 02:22.396 Forces Europe Africa wing to boast four 02:22.396 --> 02:25.160 fighter squadrons . From inception , 02:25.250 --> 02:27.250 the liberty wing has answered every 02:27.250 --> 02:29.550 call . Today , as always , we remain 02:29.550 --> 02:32.360 committed , united in liberty , driven 02:32.360 --> 02:35.440 by duty , and ready to defend any time , 02:35.889 --> 02:36.490 anywhere .