OG Heritage Hall: A glimpse into the past, present

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ashley Skillman
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  RAF Lakenheath has been an air base for more than 50 years, yet the 48th Fighter Wing Operations Group's Heritage Hall has managed to capture and bring to light some of the best moments of the wing's rich history.

"The Liberty Wing's legacy as one of USAFE's most historically significant units, not to mention its 50-year presence, is remarkable and deserving of a proper display that newly-assigned service members, families, and base tour groups can reflect upon," explained Col. John Quintas, 48th Operations Group commander.

The hall's creation originally began as an initiative between Colonel Quintas and wing leadership to remodel the entrance of the Operation Group's historical Cold War building into an educational venue.

Its opening, a ribbon-cutting on the morning of Sept. 8, was undoubtedly a special occasion for the wing since Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, Third Air Force Commander, performed the honors.

"After all the hard work that went into the project, it was a privilege for the hall to be opened and recognized by General Gorenc," said Colonel Quintas.
Credit for the construction of the hall, which began in September 2008, is shared among many; however, three key individuals responsible for the overall success include Project Officer, Capt. Jeremy Verbout; Wing Historian, Bill Harris; and 48th Operations Group Financial Advisor, Eric Alber.

Upon entering the hall, the fruits of their labor are apparent when visitors are immediately drawn to the direct center of the room where, enshrined within the stone floor, lays a mosaic of the original 48th Fighter Group's emblem, which has been hand crafted out of brightly-polished tile.

"This emblem is significant to the wing because the 48th Operations Group is actually a direct lineal descendent of the 48th Fighter Group of World War II," said Mr. Harris.

Another eye-catching display within the hall includes a series of 17 model aircraft representing many changes within the flying mission during the past decades.

Captain Verbout shared that, "a lot of research was put into the development of the model representations in order to ensure they were accurate portrayals of the aircraft at Lakenheath in regards to details such as tail numbers and paint schemes."

Tall display cabinets also line the entire left side of the hall and provide people the chance to sneak a peek at a number of Lakenheath's treasures.

According to Mr. Alber, a significant portion of funding was set aside for these cabinets, which were actually built within museum standards in order to display about 30 items on loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

Although the space primarily focuses on items of Lakenheath's past, the present has not been forgotten.

"An important aspect of the project's intent was to acknowledge how the current mission of USAFE's largest fighter wing and the hard work of more than 6,000 active duty Air Force personnel, civilian employees, and family members here at Lakenheath play a part in the base heritage," said Mr. Harris. "We hope this hall will be a reminder to Airmen that their everyday contributions to the military are everlasting and just as important as the history we so often study or marvel about in books."