This adaptable and reactive air mobility promotes stability in regions by keeping America's competency and character highly visible.

The group's tasking requirements range from supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas.

After intensive training for the Atlantic crossing, the redesignated 62d Troop Carrier Group (TCG), now composed of the 4th, 7th, 8th, and 51st Troop Carrier Squadrons, arrived at its temporary home, Keevil, England, on 3 October 1942 (their support personnel followed, arriving in country via the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth) and assigned to VIII Air Support Command for further training.

Dropped paratroops in northern Italy in June 1944 to harass the retreating enemy and to prevent the Germans from destroying bridges over which their forces had withdrawn.

In addition to the airborne operations, the group transported men and supplies in the Mediterranean theater and to the front lines during the campaigns for Tunisia, Italy, and southern France.

Also evacuated wounded personnel and flew missions behind enemy lines in Italy and the Balkans to haul guns, ammunition, food, clothing, medical supplies, and other materials to the partisans and to drop propaganda leaflets.

More than 100 men, primarily mechanics, aerial engineers, and truck drivers were identified for a 90-day temporary tour of duty in Europe, to bolster airlift resources.

In the unusually cruel winter of '48 -'49, the 62d attracted national attention as it airdropped tons of hay to livestock stranded by extreme blizzards in several western States.

The Group, together with the 7th and 8th Troop Carrier Squadrons, moved for a short time to Kelly Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, while the 4th TCS was temporarily transferred to Japan.

Now flying the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, which the 62nd had just proven as a viable platform for live paratroop drops, the Wing took command of Larson AFB, at Moses Lake, in central Washington, on 1 April 1952.

Immediately after takeoff, about one half-mile from the runway, the Globemaster II crashed and burned, killing 87, including servicemen on leave, going home for the holidays.

During 1952 and 1953, the 62d airlifted troops, blood plasma, aircraft parts, ammunition, medical supplies, and much more, to the Far East, in support of the war in Korea.

Not longer after the second and final wave of Globemasters had delivered their French troops, the aircrews learned Dien Bien Phu had fallen to the communists.

By 1955 the Cold War was well under way, and the North American Defense Command (NORAD) set out to build a chain of radar stations on the northernmost reaches of the continent.

Between 1955 and 1957, the 62nd began to fly missions to the Alaskan arctic regions, carrying 13 million pounds of supplies and equipment to build the DEW Line.

The 62d Troop Carrier Wing (Heavy) joined the Continental Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) on 1 July 1957.

Group elements conducted aerial delivery of rations to Afghan towns and villages during Global War on Terrorism contingency operations in 2001.

At the end of March, McChord's C-17s and aircrews made history when they nighttime airdropped 1,000 "Sky Soldiers" from the 173d Airborne Brigade behind enemy lines into Northern Iraq.