Editing K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base (section)

====Strategic Air Command====
[[File:Shield Strategic Air Command.png|left|100px]]
[[File:410th Air Expeditionary Wing.PNG|left|100px]]
The [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) became a tenant organization at K.&nbsp;I. Sawyer AFB on 1 August 1958 with the organization of the [[410th Air Expeditionary Wing#Strategic Air Command|4042d Strategic Wing]]. The 4042d SW was a [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52H Stratofortress]] dispersal wing, a part of SAC's plan to disperse its big bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.

Before receiving the [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A]] [[Aerial refueling|tanker]] and heavy B-52H bomber aircraft of SAC, an all-weather, heavy-duty concrete runway was built, measuring {{convert|24|in|cm}} thick and {{convert|150|ft}} wide. It was extended in 1959 from {{convert|6000|to|12366|ft|-1}},<ref>World Wide Metric http://www.worldwidemetric.com/measurements.html</ref> overruns of {{convert|1000|ft|-1}}. There are also {{convert|75|ft|adj=on}} shoulders on each side of the runway, providing a paved width of {{convert|300|ft|-1}}.

The two operational units to be assigned later to this wing were the [[923d Expeditionary Air Refueling Flight|923d Air Refueling Squadron]] on 1 May 1960, and the [[526th Bombardment Squadron]] on 1 June 1961. The refueling squadron's first KC-135A aircraft arrived 4 August 1960, and the unit was declared fully combat ready in November of that year.
[[File:Boeing B-52H-140-BW (SN 60-0017) 061026-F-1234S-023.jpg|thumb|A Boeing [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52H]] (SN {{nat|60-0017}}), the type assigned to the 410th Bomb Wing at K. I. Sawyer AFB]]
[[File:Boeing KC-135 J57 wet takeoff.jpg|thumb|A [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135A]] taking off with [[Water injection (engine)#Use in aircraft|water injection]] to its [[Pratt & Whitney J57|J-57 engines]]]]
In April 1961, the 923d was inactivated and the [[46th Air Refueling Squadron]] organized and activated as a replacement unit. The first B-52H aircraft assigned to the 526th arrived at Sawyer in August 1961. On 1 February 1963, the 4042d Strategic Wing was discontinued and the [[410th Air Expeditionary Wing|410th Bombardment Wing]] (Heavy) organized and activated with no change in mission, personnel or aircraft. Also on that date, the [[644th Bomb Squadron|644th Bombardment Squadron]] was activated replacing the 526th, and the 46th Air Refueling Squadron was reassigned to the 410th. The majority of the wing's present support squadrons were also activated on this date as well.

On 1 January 1964, SAC assumed jurisdiction of Sawyer AFB, with the 410th Bomb Wing becoming the host unit under the [[4th Air Division|4th Strategic Aerospace Division]]. K.&nbsp;I. Sawyer was one of three SAC bases in Michigan that operated the B-52: the others were [[Kincheloe Air Force Base|Kincheloe AFB]] to the east, near [[Kinross Charter Township, Michigan|Kinross]], south of [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|Sault Ste. Marie]], and [[Wurtsmith Air Force Base|Wurtsmith AFB]], in the northeast of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, near [[Oscoda, Michigan|Oscoda]].

The 410th and its subordinate units' mission was to operate at full readiness, and support activities included aircraft and vehicle maintenance, bombing crew and unit training, and air refueling support. The wing did not deploy bomber aircraft to Southeast Asia during the [[Vietnam War]], as the B-52H was dedicated to strategic deterrence. However, the tanker aircraft and aircrews participated in the "Young Tiger" [[Temporary duty assignment|TDY]] effort, and the bomber aircrews went through RTU (Replacement Training Unit) training to fly B-52Ds out of [[Andersen Air Force Base|Andersen AFB]], Guam and [[U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield|U-Tapao RTAFB]], Thailand and were active participants in many of the notable campaigns that took place in Southeast Asia, such as [[Operation Arc Light]].

One Sawyer KC-135A (61-0313) became famous throughout the SAC community as "the glider" when it ran out of fuel on a short final approach prior to landing at its home base after flying practice approaches at nearby Kincheloe AFB to complete requalification training. The flight crew, with the exception of the instructor pilot, bailed out when the engines went quiet. The instructor pilot, who remained on board, landed the aircraft just short of the runway overrun, bounced and rolled to a stop on the runway. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service quickly and even the crew entry door (which separated from the aircraft during bailout procedures) was returned to the USAF by a local farmer.<ref>46th Air Refueling Squadron Association {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170203172329/http://46thars.tripod.com/id26.html http://46thars.tripod.com/id26.html]}}  "Night of the Gliding Pig" entry by crew Navigator Joe "Hump" Heywood</ref>

Other aircraft assigned to K.&nbsp;I. Sawyer over the years included [[Kaman HH-43 Huskie|HH-43B]] and [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|HH-1H]] rescue helicopters of the 48th and 39th Air Rescue and Recovery Wings at [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin AFB]], Florida at the K. I. Sawyer Helicopter (later re-designated Training) Annex, 14 March 1975 to 1 October 1977. SAC [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|FB-111]] bombers assigned to the [[509th Bomb Wing|509th Bombardment Wing (Medium)]] from [[Pease Air National Guard Base|Pease AFB]] in [[New Hampshire]], on satellite alert at Sawyer in 1974 and 1975.

In the early 1980s, K.&nbsp;I. Sawyer's B-52s were modified to carry the new Boeing [[AGM-86 ALCM|AGM-86 Air-Launched Cruise Missile]] (ALCM). The ALCM was powered by a {{convert|600|lb|t|abbr=on}}. [[Williams F107|Williams F107-WR-100 turbofan]], which is fed by an inlet which folds out on the top of the missile. The B-52 could carry six AGM-86Bs on each of the two underwing pylons. In 1980, two B-52H crews assigned to the 644th Bomb Squadron (S-21 and S-31) were awarded the [[Mackay Trophy]] for "executing a nonstop, around-the-world mission with the immediate objective of locating and photographing elements of the [[Soviet Navy]] operating in the [[Persian Gulf]]." The Wing Commander at this time was Col G. Alan Dugard, a great leader and author of the 2011 book about the [[Operation Linebacker II]] missions of 1972, titled "When the Wolf Rises."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://naa.aero/html/awards/index.cfm?cmsid%3D187 |title=NAA: National Aeronautic Association |access-date=2013-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222043251/http://www.naa.aero/html/awards/index.cfm?cmsid=187 |archive-date=22 February 2012 }}</ref>