This week in history: Nov. 23 - 27

  • Published
  • By John Murphy
  • 436th AW historian
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  
Nov. 27, 1941      Civil Air Patrol was founded one week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This all-volunteer force flew 24 million miles of coastal patrol during World War II. Duties included sub-spotting, target-towing, aiding distressed ships, and courier duty. In 1948 Congress made them an auxiliary unit to the Air Force.

Nov. 27, 1966      The 9th Military Airlift Squadron flew the first Operation Deep Freeze mission conducted by a Dover C-141 Starlifter. The aircraft carried cargo and scientific civilian personnel to Christchurch, New Zealand. Operation Deep Freeze is the nickname assigned to the logistics resupply operations in support of the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Program. Military Airlift Command's involvement in Deep Freeze dates from the mid-1950s when the C-124 Globemaster was used as the primary resupply workhorse.

Nov. 23, 1978      Victims of the Jonestown, Guyana, massacre began their final journey to the United States via Dover Air Force Base aircraft. The base employed a total of 25 C-141s, 10 C-130s, and 3 HH-53 helicopters in the transport operation from Jonestown to Dover. One hundred members at Dover Air Force Base volunteered to assist Port Mortuary personnel with the increased workload.