Col. Kristoffer Smith, 20th Fighter Wing commander, performs pre-flight checks during exercise Red Flag-Nellis 23-2 at nellisafb, Nev., March 20, 2023. The 20th FW Wild Weasels actively seek out advanced, realistic and innovative training opportunities to hone individual skills and integrate all-domain capabilities to deter and defeat adversaries. The 20th Fighter Wing is based out of shawafb, South Carolina. Did you know the base is named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lieutenant Ervin David Shaw? Lt. Shaw was one of the first Americans to fly combat missions in World War I. Shaw, a Sumter County native, was assigned to No. 48 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (rcaf_arc), as a member of the Royal Canadian Flying Corps. Shaw perished after three enemy aircraft attacked his Bristol F.2B while he was returning from a reconnaissance mission on 9 July 1918. However, Shaw didn’t go down without a fight - he managed to down one of his attackers before he was killed. (U.S. Air Force pho...