The 3rd Combat Communications Group, commonly referred to as the 3rd Herd, is a unit of Air Combat Command’s 12th Air Force and is located at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The group consists of the 3rd Combat Communications Support Squadron, the 31st, 32nd, 33rd and 34th Combat Communications Squadrons.

MISSION

The 3rd CCG provides deployable communications, computer systems, navigational aids, and air traffic control services anywhere in the world for Air Force, Department of Defense, and other U.S. commitments. The unit’s 650 personnel are trained to deploy more than 150 mission systems providing initial services to Air Force wing-level customers and other units in locations where these capabilities don’t exist, and are prepared to do so under hostile conditions. The 3rd CCG's elements are self-sustaining throughout the initial phase of the expeditionary mission, or until relieved by follow-on forces and supplies.
Because of its special ability to respond quickly, the 3rd CCG also provides emergency services to many federal agencies. These services range from providing equipment to assist the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Coast Guard in drug interdiction to restoring communications capabilities lost during natural disasters.
The 3rd CCG plays a leading role in the combat communications community as an active Air Force advisor to five Air National Guard units: the 162nd CCG, North Highlands, Calif., the 201st CCG, Hickam AFB, Hawaii, the 251st CCG, Springfield, Ohio, the 252nd CCG, Tacoma, Wash. and the 254th CCG, Garland, Texas.

HISTORY

A mobile communications unit has existed at Tinker since June 1952 with the activation of the 3rd Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron, Mobile. The Air Force has subsequently redesignated the unit several times: it became known as the 3rd Mobile Communications Squadron in July 1961 under the Air Force Communications Service; then upgraded to the 3rd Mobile Communications Group on May 20, 1964; subsequently renamed as the 3rd Combat Information Systems Group on August 13, 1984, and finally given its current name on Oct. 1, 1986.
The men and women of the 3rd CCG distinguished themselves in providing outstanding service to Air Force operations throughout the unit’s history. Third Herders have engaged in a multitude of operations, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War, U.S. involvement in the Dominican Republic, U.S. support to Israel during that coun¬try’s Yom Kippur War, Elf One in the Arabian Gulf Region, Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, Operation Eagle Look in the Middle East, Operations Just Cause and Nimrod Dancer in Panama, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and Operation Joint Endeavor in Bosnia.
Recent activities included being deployed for Operations Allied Force, Desert Fox, Coronet Nighthawk and Shining Hope. Other missions include DEA drug interdiction missions, such as Operations Constant Vigil and Joint Task Force - 4.
Third Herders are still deployed in Operations Northern and Southern Watch in Southwest Asia, Operation Provide Promise in Italy, Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey, the United Nations Mission in Haiti, and Operations Joint Endeavor/Forge in Bosnia.
Members of the 3rd CCG responded to emergency requirements to Guam, Florida and Hawaii following hurricanes; to Washington State following the eruption of Mount St. Helens; and to Oklahoma City after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building.
The Herd also energized in response to the May 3, 1999 tornado, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Members of the 3rd CCG contributed both as individuals and as a unit, helping people survive and recover from the massive destruction.
Providing national air traffic control services during the controllers’ strike in 1981 and contributions to the space shuttle navigation mission are also part of the 3rd Herd's proud history.
One of the most distinguishing achievements of the 3rd CCG was winning the ACC-sponsored worldwide C4 (command, control, communications and computers) competition four times, most recently in September 1996. Known as Combat Challenge, this biennial competition tests the mission capability of combat communications, air control and other deployable combat C4 units.
The 3rd CCG has many other awards to highlight its outstanding performance. It has twice won the Maj. Gen. Harold M. McClelland Award recognizing it as the Air Force’s Best Large Communications Unit, most recently in 2000. In 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000, the unit garnered the distinction as Air Combat Command's Best Large Communications Unit. It has won the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 15 times since 1958, with the latest being for service ending in May 2001.
In 1987, the unit was recognized with the Air Force Communications Command Commander’s Achievement Award as the best group in the command, winning the Commander-in-Chief's Excellence Award for 1997 and 1999. They also won the 1999 Air Force Association's Verne Orr Installation Award for their performance through numerous deployments. This award is for “the most effective utilization of human resources within the United States of America.”
Community service is another area where the 3rd CCG excels. The unit is a major sponsor of the Oklahoma Special Olympics Annual Games, Christmas in April - an annual community-service project that repairs the homes of the elderly, and Septemberfest – an annual community event hosted by the state governor and his wife. The 3rd CCG received the Citizen of the Year Award in 1991 from the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
The 3rd CCG is a unit of excellence dedicated to citizenship and providing the best communications, computer and air traffic control services "Anytime, Anywhere."

(Current as of April 2002)