Meeting Airlift’s Finest Generation

Veterans of the 437th Troop Carrier Group that flew C-47 transports in Europe during World War II recently gathered for a reunion at JB Charleston, S.C. The unit—the predecessor of Charleston’s 437th Operations Group—inserted troops into Normandy, France, in June 1944, and continued to play a vital role for the remainder of the war, according to Charleston’s Oct. 3 release. “We’re in awe of the heritage you all left to us,” said Capt. Brent Anderson, 437th Airlift Wing deputy planning chief in addressing the veterans during their Sept. 28 visit. “It was your honorable tradition of bravery that we proudly carry on today,” he added. The distinguished visitors toured one of Charleston’s C-17s and participated in a panel discussion in the base theater, sharing their wartime experiences and answering airmen’s questions. “I’m amazed at what they did for our country,” said A1C Amber Taft of the 628th Air Base Wing. (Charleston report by A1C Tom Brading)