The 354th Tactical Fighter Wing began life as the 354th Fighter Group in 1942 flying P-39 Airacobras. In subsquent years, the wing operated a variety of different aircraft and in late 1970, it received the A-7D Corsair II. These aircraft were adorned with the "MB" tail-code, identifying their home-base as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In September 1972, the 353rd and 355th Tactical Fighter Squadrons deployed a total of 72 A-7Ds to Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand - the first com bat deployment of the A-7D into Southeast Asia. The 354th TFW flew combat operations in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia until mid-1973 and, in fact, the last shot fired in anger by United States military forces in Southeast Asia was fired by an A-7D of the 353rd TFS on August 15, 1973.
Designed as a longer-range, higher-payload replacement for the A-4 Skyhawk, the A-7 Corsair II was first flown on September 27th, 1965. This aircraft entered service during the Vietnam war and later became one of only a few US Navy aircraft to serve with the US Air Force. It possessed cutting edge technologies; it was one of the first aircraft to use a turbofan engine, an internal navigation system and a "head-up" display. Late in its career, A-7s were used for pilot training and were parked outside of hangars in order to draw the attention of Soviet spy satellites away from the fledgling F-117.
