Activated on 1 October 1919 at Headquarters, Park Field, Tenn., the 7th Bombardment Wing traced part of its heritage through the 9th Bombardment Squadron, which became a unit of the wing in April 1931 and had participated in the World War I battles of Lorraine, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. A major peacetime accomplishment was the personnel and aircraft support the wing gave during the development of, and the first air refueling operations in, 1929. On 7 December 1941, thirty-five B-17s of the 7th arrived at Hickam Field, Hawaii, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and from that first day of World War II the 7th struck Japanese targets from the Philippines to Java. In 1944, the 7th was the first to carry out B-24 low-level radio-controlled Azon bombing. The wing remained in the Pacific Far East Theater until 6 January 1946, returned to the United States, was assigned to SAC in October 1946, and has been stationed at Carswell AFB since that time. It was the first SAC unit equipped with the B-36, which for nine years contributed heavily to maintaining world peace, and the 7th converted to B-52s in 1957. Its wartime record included one of the first Presidential Unit Citations awarded during World War II for the heroic defense of Java in 1942, along with a Presidential Unit Citation for the Philippines, Netherland Indies, and Java from 14 January to 1 March 1942, a Distinguished Unit Citation for Burma on 19 March 1945, and battle honors for China Defensive, Burma, Central Burma, China Offensive, and India Burma. Since activation in 1919, the wing has used DH 5, LWF, LB 7, LB 30, B-17, B-18, B-24, B-25, B-29, B-36, KC-135, and B-52 aircraft in peacetime and wartime operations.