Homecoming for the 440th Published June 5, 2006 By 1st Lt. Lisa Ferguson Chief, Internal Information POPE AFB -- When Pope turns ownership over to the Army, the 440th Airlift Wing will relocate from Milwaukee, Wis., to take over the C-130 mission The wing’s commander, Col. Merle Hart, visited recently to speak at an Air Force Association luncheon. Colonel Hart spoke about the history of the 440th Airlift Wing, the Airmen who make up the wing and his expectations about the move to Pope. “For the 440th, we are really coming back home when we move here,” Colonel Hart said. “In 1943, the 440th Airlift Wing was known as the 440th Troop Carrier Group at Pope, which dropped 101st troops over Normandy.” Approximately 1,900 Airmen make up the 440th, with the bulk, 80 percent, being traditional reservists and the rest air reserve technicians. “Our makeup is about 72 percent of our people are from Wisconsin, 20 percent are from Chicago, seven percent are from outside the Chicago area and the remaining are from other places,” Colonel Hart said. “Most of these people are not relocating to Pope. I don’t expect more than 15 percent of the traditional reservists to relocate and probably not more than 65 percent of the air reserve technicians joining us out here at Pope. We will be making a much smaller footprint here than in Milwaukee, initially.” Colonel Hart said the 440th Airlift Wing has been as involved in the current operations as active duty wings. “Since Sept. 11, we have participated in Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle; Global War on Terrorism; homeland defense and counter-drug operations,” the colonel said. “We have served in 16 locations in six different countries, and currently 86 members are deployed.” Another advantage Colonel Hart said of the 440th AW is the continuity it provides. “Some of our troops have 16 years on the exact same aircraft,” he said. “You won’t find that on the active duty side.” The move is not without regrets, according to Colonel Hart, because they are leaving a great community that has depended on the reserve wing over the years. “We’ve worked with local business leaders and with (Employers Support for the Guard and Reserve), as well as more than 85 business, religious and political leaders in southeast Wisconsin,” he said. “Our retiree activities office provides needed VA and retiree support to all military branches, and in the two years since I’ve been there, we’ve provided honor guard detail for about 2,500 funerals. Colonel Hart said he is still looking forward to the move to Pope and becoming a part of the Fayetteville community. “The first influx of the 440th you’ll see is around Aug. 6, when I send a small cadre of people to set up here,” he said. Colonel Hart enlisted in the Air Force in 1973 and received his commission in 1981. He’s a master navigator with more than 5,500 flying hours and has flown in nearly every major worldwide contingency during the past 20 years.