Reservists from the 944th Fighter Wing here bid farewell to the last three F-16 Fighting Falcons after almost 20 years. The unit's F-16s are being reassigned to other locations on the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
"This is like a family that's moving on," said Lt. Col. Donald Lindberg, the 302nd Fighter Squadron commander. He compared the emotions of the event to sending a child to college.
The 302nd Fighter Squadron, which traces its roots to the Tuskegee Airmen, will be inactivated at Luke AFB but will return to the Air Force Reserve Command when it stands up as an F-22 associate unit at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
The 944th FW will continue its mission of training F-16 pilots.