While members of the 310th Space Wing are dispersing ahead of the unit’s inactivation next year, reminders of their history dating back to World War II will remain at Schriever Space Force Base.

On Saturday, the 84th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, the unit unveiled its headquarters will now bear the name of Col. William Bower, a pilot in the mission to drop the first bombs on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Bower later commanded the 310th Bombardment Group, the namesake of 310th Space Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit.

The wing also renamed Talon Way, the road to the building on base, to Casserino Way, after Maj. Gen. Frank Casserino, the first commander of the modern space wing.

“Their eras were separated by decades, but they were forged by the same steel,” said Chief Master Sgt. Josh Francois, the command chief of the wing.

Casserino stood up a space operations squadron in 1993 on Schriever, then known as Falcon Air Force Base, and set out to grow the organization from 22 officers and six enlisted airmen.

In those early days, the Air Force didn’t trust the reserve to operate satellites even though the airmen had operated them while on active duty just months before, recalled retired Col. Roscoe Griffin.

Casserino also worked hard to secure necessary people, space and money to grow the unit into an organization that could offer reservists a place to advance, Griffin said.

By 2008, the unit had grown into a wing dedicated to space operations including satellite command and control, GPS, space surveillance, intelligence, weather and missile warning. The Space Force is now taking over the unit’s responsibilities and that transition has already started.

The founding father of the unit passed away in 2021, but the ceremony was attended by his son, daughter, a niece and two sisters.

“It’s an honor and a blessing and well deserved,” said his sister Maryann Casserino, who remembered her brother as a leader from a young age who served as president of his senior class and the captain of the football team.

In addition to the highly visible reminders of their heritage, the 310th Space Wing buried a time capsule, with reminders of its service, including a roster of the wing’s members, Francois said.

He said he hopes it will serve as a reminder that the success of a wing isn’t built on hardware, but the character of its members.

“We have a responsibility to ensure our story does not fade,” he said.

It’s likely the colors of the unit will only be furled for a season, said retired Col. Michael Assid, before the name is passed along to a new mission.

“Our chapter as a space wing is closing, but the story doesn’t end,” he said.