Editing Pope Field (section)

===464th Troop Carrier Wing===
On 21 September 1954, Ninth Air Force turned Pope over to the 464th Troop Carrier Wing, a Tactical Air Command unit, which transferred from [[Lawson Air Force Base]], Georgia. Known operational squadrons of the 464th were:
* 776th Troop Carrier Squadron (transferred to Pacific Air Forces in December 1965)
* 777th Troop Carrier Squadron
* 778th Troop Carrier Squadron
* 779th Troop Carrier Squadron

The 464th (on 1 August 1966 all troop carrier units were redesignated as "tactical airlift") provided airlift of troops and cargo, participated in joint airborne training with Army forces, and took part in tactical exercises in the United States and overseas. The wing provided aeromedical airlift and flew humanitarian missions as required. Until it was inactivated, the 464th usually had two or more squadrons deployed overseas at any one time, supporting military operations in [[Central America]], Europe, the [[Middle East]], the [[Far East]], and [[Southeast Asia]].

The 464th received the Mackay Trophy for the dramatic RED DRAGON/DRAGON ROUGE and BLACK DRAGON/DRAGON NOIR hostage rescue missions in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] in 1964. The wing led the deployment of 82nd Airborne forces to the [[Dominican Republic]], April 1965-September 1966. Beginning in 1966, the 464th was responsible for training C-130E aircrew members for duty in troop carrier units in the United States and overseas.

During its time at Pope, a major period of facility expansion occurred. The main runway, the taxiways, and the ramp were all expanded to support the 464th's [[C-119 Flying Boxcar|Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar"s]] operations. During the 1950s and 1960s, aircraft upgrade was the primary trend at the North Carolina installation. The [[C-123 Provider|Fairchild C-123 Provider]] started replacing the C-119 in 1958, and in 1963, the first C-130 Hercules arrived, appropriately named "The North Carolina".