Aviano bids farewell to 603rd ACS

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Battles
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  More than 75 service members from Aviano came together Aug. 29 for the inactivation of the 603rd Air Control Squadron.

The 603rd was one of two Theater Air Control Systems operated by U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa in support of NATO ground forces.

During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Stephen Carocci, 603rd ACS commander, addressed the men and women of the 603rd before relinquishing command of the squadron to Col. Anthony Abernathy, 31st Operations Group commander.

"There is a time and a place for everything," Carocci said. "Today is the time and the place where we thank the men and women of the 603rd ACS for their accomplishments and close a chapter on the amazing history of the 603rd."

Upon relinquishing his command, Carocci and Abernathy officially cased the squadron's guidon, which will be placed in a heraldry box and shipped to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. The box also contains memorabilia from the unit, such as patches and photos, so if the unit is ever reactivated, the new squadron can take over the former 603rd legacy.

"When a unit inactivates it doesn't really go away," said Lane Bourgeois, 31st Fighter Wing historian. "The legal authority for the unit still exists, and the unit is placed on the inactive list in Washington D.C. It's kind of like a football player sitting on the bench waiting for his number to come up."

Carocci also discussed the many accomplishments of the 603rd during his farewell speech, while touching on the squadron's tragic moments throughout history. On April 10, 2004 Airman Antoine Holt, a fellow Scorpion, was killed during a mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A marble slate honoring Holt sits in the center of the 603rd compound to serve as a reminder of his sacrifice, but will be transferred to the 1C5 school house at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., to serve as a reminder to past, present and future service members.

"At [Keesler AFB] the memorial will serve as a reminder to all 1C5 trainees of the sacrifice of Airman Holt and the importance of the job they are trained for," Carocci said.

Originally activated Dec. 31, 1945 as part of the Army Air Corps, the 603rd ACS mission is to operate a mobile unit capable of providing radar control and surveillance within a designated area to collect, display, and disseminate information of aerial activity and to provide radar coverage for the control of air forces. The squadron is further tasked to provide radar control for friendly aircraft in an offensive role against ground targets, and in a defensive role against airborne threats.

This is the fourth inactivation of the 603rd ACS since its original activation. The last reactivation was in 1991 when it arrived at Aviano Air Base. In recent history, the 603rd ACS played a major role in supporting Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Allied Force and OIF. On Jan. 19, 2013 the 603rd returned from its final deployment before inactivation in support of operations in Southwest Asia.

"It is truly an honor to have commanded this fine group of Airmen from this legendary unit," Carocci said. "They maintained the high standards set by previous Scorpions. They should be extremely proud of how they accomplished the missions and challenges placed in front of them. They were given tough tasks in combat and in garrison and they never faltered."