4 November 1942 371st Bombardment Squadron, 2 November 1942 – 13 June 1943 392d Bombardment Squadron, 23 May – 29 September 1945 396th Bombardment Squadron, 14 October 9144-20 May 19 May 1945 58th Bombardment Squadron, 1 January – 18 March 1941; 19 December 1941 – 18 June 1943 819th Bombardment Squadron, 12 November 1943 – 9 July 1944; 17 March – 26 September 1945 820th Bombardment Squadron, 14 October 1944 – 20 May 1945 Cold War With the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in 1947, Wheeler Army Air Base was re-designated Wheeler Air Force Base under the operational control of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The following year, the installation was placed on minimum caretaker status; however, with expansion of the Air Force during the Korean War, Wheeler AFB was restored to fully operational status in 1952. On 24 February 1952, the 1508th Support Squadron was organized to provide administrative and logistical support to activities at Wheeler AFB. The unit was redesignated the 6487th Support Squadron on 1 April 1955, then inactivated on 1 November 1971, concurrent with activation of the 15th Air Base Squadron. A subordinate unit of the 15th Air Base Wing, the 15 ABS served as the host organization at Wheeler AFB, which consisted of approximately 1,389 acres of land and facilities valued at over $37 million. Responsibilities of the 15 ABS included providing munitions service and support to all Air Force activities within the Hawaiian area, in addition to operating a small arms firing range where personnel of the Air Force, U.S. Customs and local law enforcement agencies were certified. During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the installation hosted a number of Army and Air Force activities, including Army rotary-wing and fixed-wing aviation units and USAF fixed-wing air support / forward air control units flying the O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco. In August 1987, the Secretary of the Interior designated Wheeler AFB as a National Historic Landmark, recognizing it as a site of national significance in the history of the United States and, in particular, World War II in the Pacific. The 15th Air Base Squadron inactivated at Wheeler on 31 October 1991, one day before the U.S. Army assumed operational control of the installation in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed by the Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces, and the Commander, US Army Western Command. Return to Army control