Editing Hickam Air Force Base (section)

=== Cold War ===
[[File:1502d-air-transport-wing-MATS.png|thumb|150px|left|Emblem of the MATS 1502d Air Transport Wing (1955–1966)]]
After World War II, the Air Force in Hawaii consisted primarily of the [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]] and its successor, the [[Military Air Transport Service]] (MATS), until 1 July 1957 when Headquarters [[Pacific Air Forces#Far East Air Forces|Far East Air Forces]] completed its move from [[Japan]] to Hawai‘i and was redesignated the [[Pacific Air Forces]] (PACAF). The 15th Air Base Wing, host unit at Hickam AFB, supported the [[Project Apollo|Apollo]] astronauts in the 1960s and 1970s; [[Operation Homecoming]] (return of prisoners of war from Vietnam) in 1973; [[Operation Babylift]] / [[Operation New Life|New Life]] (movement of nearly 94,000 orphans, refugees, and evacuees from Southeast Asia) in 1975; and [[NASA]]'s [[Space Shuttle]] flights in the 1980s and 1990s. Hickam is home to the 65th Airlift Squadron which transports theater senior military leaders throughout the world in the [[C-37B]] and [[C-40 Clipper]] aircraft. In mid-2003, the 15th Air Base Wing (15 ABW) was converted to the 15th Airlift Wing (15 AW) as it prepared to bed down and fly the USAF's newest transport aircraft, the [[C-17 Globemaster III]]. The first Hickam-based C-17 arrived in February 2006, with seven more to follow during the year. The C-17s will be flown by the [[535th Airlift Squadron]].
[[File:199th Fighter Interceptor Squadron F-102s Hickam AFB 1976.jpg|thumb|Hawaii ANG 199th Fighter Interceptor Squadron F-102s in maintenance hangar at Hickam, 1976 Convair F-102A-30-CO Delta Dagger 54-1373 identifiable, aircraft now on static display at Hickam.]]
[[File:Aerial Photo of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, with Hickam Air Force Base visible in the upper left corner]]
On September 16, 1985, the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] designated Hickam AFB a [[National Historic Landmark]], recognizing its key role in the World War II Pacific campaign.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/designations/Lists/HI01.pdf HI NHL List]</ref> A bronze plaque reflecting Hickam's "national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America" took its place among other memorials surrounding the base flagpole. Dominating the area is a large bronze tablet engraved with the names of those who died as a result of the 1941 attack. Other reminders of the attack can still be seen. Bullet holes mark many buildings in use, including World War II era hangars and the base hospital.,<ref>[https://www.nr.nps.gov/writeups/85002725.nl.pdf NHL Summary]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> including the tattered American flag that flew over the base that morning. It is on display in the lobby of the Pacific Air Forces Headquarters building, whose bullet-scarred walls (the structure was a [[barracks]] and [[mess hall]] known as "the Big Barracks" in 1941) have been carefully preserved as a reminder to never again be caught unprepared.