The 18th Air Refueling Squadron is a

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

squadron, assigned to the

931st Air Refueling Wing The 931st Air Refueling Wing (931 ARW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. The 931st ARW is an as ...

McConnell Air Force Base McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...

, Kansas. It operates the

Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...

aircraft conducting

air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...

missions. If mobilized the squadron would be gained by Air Mobility Command. The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

was first activated during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as the 18th Transport Squadron. After training in the United States, the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where, as the 18th Troop Carrier Squadron, it participated in all major airborne assault operations and earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. From April until June 1944, it deployed to the China Burma India Theater to augment forces in Burma. Following

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

, the squadron served under

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

in the Caribbean returning American soldiers to the United States. The squadron was again briefly active in the Caribbean area during the later 1940s. The squadron was active again from 1952, when it absorbed the resources of a

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

unit that had been

mobilized Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. It was again active from 1961 until 1972, when it participated in military exercises, provided airlift, and trained aircrew for deployment to Southeast Asia.

Mission

The squadron operates the

KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...

aircraft, conducting aerial refueling missions.

History

"During World War II the 18th flew airborne assaults on

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Myitkyina Myitkyina (, ; (Eng; ''mitchinar'') Jinghpaw: ''Myitkyina'', ) is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar (Burma), located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and Myitkyina is on the west bank of t ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, and Southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in addition to supporting partisans in Northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

from January to May 1945 and conducting aerial transportation in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and briefly in the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was offi ...

(CBI). It flew strategic and tactical airlift missions from 1948 to 1954 and 1962 to 1967. The squadron provided tactical airlift training for US and subsequently

South Vietnamese South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

pilots and crews from 1969 to 1972. This unit has flown worldwide air refueling missions since 1995."

Operations

Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

(the invasion of Sicily) * Operation Dragoon (the invasion of southern France) *

Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NAT ...

(Peacekeeping in Bosnia Herzegovina) *

Operation Joint Guard The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...

(Peacekeeping in Bosnia Herzegovina), 21 June 1996 – 19 June 1998 *

Operation Joint Forge The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. I ...

(Peacekeeping in Bosnia Herzegovina), June 201998 – 12 February 2004 * Southern Watch (enforcing a no-fly zone in pre-war southern Iraq) * Northern Watch (enforcing a no-fly zone in pre-war northern Iraq) *

Operation Desert Fox The 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 16 to 19 December 1998, by the United States and the United Kingdom. On 16 December 1998, President of the United States Bill ...

(December 1998 bombing of Iraq) * Operation Enduring Freedom (The Global War on Terror) * Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003 Iraq War) *

Operation Noble Eagle Operation Noble Eagle (ONE) is the United States and Canadian military operation related to homeland security and support to federal, state, and local agencies. The operation began 11 September 2001, in response to the September 11 attacks.. ...

( US homeland security)

Lineage

* Constituted as the 18th Transport Squadron on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 11 December 1940 : Redesignated 18th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945 * Redesignated 18th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 24 July 1948 : Activated on 1 August 1948 : Inactivated on 1 March 1949 * Redesignated 18th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 3 July 1952 : Activated on 14 July 1952 : Inactivated on 21 July 1954 * Activated on 3 August 1961 (not organized) : Organized on 8 January 1962 : Redesignated 18th Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 March 1966 : Discontinued and inactivated, on 25 June 1967 * Redesignated 18th Tactical Airlift Training Squadron on 14 August 1969 : Activated on 15 October 1969 : Inactivated on 31 August 1972 * Redesignated 18th Air Refueling Squadron on 9 September 1994 : Activated in the reserve on 1 October 1995

Assignments

* 64th Transport Group (later 64 Troop Carrier Group), 11 December 1940 – 31 July 1945 * 5700th Composite Wing, 1 August 1948 – 1 March 1949 * 64th Troop Carrier Group, 14 July 1952 – 21 July 1954 * Tactical Air Command, 3 August 1961 (not organized) * 64th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 January 1962 * 516th Troop Carrier Wing, 1 January 1963 * 314th Troop Carrier Wing, 1 July 1963 * 317th Troop Carrier Wing (later 317th Tactical Airlift Wing), 1 April 1965 – 25 June 1967 * 516th Tactical Airlift Wing, 15 October 1969 *

463d Tactical Airlift Wing The United States Air Force's 463rd Airlift Group was a theater airlift unit last stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It was inactivated on October 1st, 2008. Mission The 463rd was a unit with over 1,200 Airmen. The unit emplo ...

, 1 June – 31 August 1972 * 931st Air Refueling Group, 1 October 1995 – present

Stations

McClellan Field McClellan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antwan McClellan, American politician *Barr McClellan, Texas lawyer and author, father of Mark and Scott McClellan *Beverly McClellan (1969–2018), American singer and contestant in ...

, California, 11 December 1940 *

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

, California, 11 July 1941 *

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

, Massachusetts, 9 June–31 July 1942 *

RAF Ramsbury Royal Air Force Ramsbury or more simply RAF Ramsbury is a former Royal Air Force station, east-northeast of Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Opened in 1942 to the south of Ramsbury village, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United ...

, England, 18 August–c. November 1942 (operated From

Maison Blanche Airport Houari Boumediene International Airport ( ar, مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, Maṭār Hawwārī Būmadyan al-Duwaliyy) , also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is the main international airport serving A ...

, Algeria after 11 November 1942) *

Blida Airfield Blida Airport is an airport in Blida, Algeria . It undertook a repavement project in 2012. On 8 November 1942, during World War II, the airport was taken by the 11th Infantry Brigade British Army. The event was part of the Operation Torch of ...

, Algeria, 16 December 1942 *

Kairouan Airfield Kairouan Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, which is located approximately 11 km south-southeast of Kairouan, 126 km south of Tunis. It was a major Troop Carrier unit base of the United States Army Air Force Twel ...

, Tunisia, 1 July 1943 * El Djem Airfield, Tunisia, 26 July 1943 * Comiso Airfield, Italy, 8 September 1943 (operated from bases in India, April–27 June 1944) * Ciampino Airfield, Italy, 10 July 1944 (operated From:

Istres Air Base Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture. Location Is ...

, France 7 September – 11 November 1944) *

Rosignano Airfield Rosignano Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located near the comune of Rosignano Marittimo in the Province of Livorno in Tuscany. The area was captured by the Fifth Army in the early summer of 1944, and the air ...

, Italy, 9 January – 23 May 1945 *

Waller Field Waller Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from t ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, 4 June – 31 July 1945 *

Albrook Air Force Base Albrook Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force facility in Panama. It was closed on 30 September 1997 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties which specified that United States military facilities in the former Panama Canal Zon ...

, Panama Canal Zone, 1 August 1948 – 1 March 1949 *

Donaldson Air Force Base Donaldson Air Force Base is a former facility of the United States Air Force located south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1942 as Greenville Army Air Base; it was deactivated in 1963 and converted into a civilian airport. It ...

, South Carolina, 14 July 1952 – 21 July 1954 * Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 8 January 1962 *

Sewart Air Force Base Sewart Air Force Base (1941–1971) is a former United States Air Force base located in Smyrna, about 25 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee. During World War II, it was known as Smyrna Army Airfield. History World War II The War Depar ...

, Tennessee, 1 July 1963 *

Lockbourne Air Force Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of ...

, Ohio, 1 April 1965 – 25 June 1967 * Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 15 October 1969 – 31 August 1972 *

, Kansas, 1 October 1995 – present

Aircraft

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...

(1941–1945) *

Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

(1948–1949) * Fairchild C-82 Packet (1951–1953) *

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

(1953–1954) *

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

(1962–1967) *

De Haviland Canada C-7 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing ( STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 ...

(1969–1972) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1995–present)

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{cite web, url=http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/apr/23/no-headline---c-130_timeline_dyess/?print=1, title=C-130 Dyess timeline, date=23 April 2011, publisher=Abeline Reporter News, url-status=dead, accessdate=29 January 2014, archive-date=12 August 2011, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812041123/http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/apr/23/no-headline---c-130_timeline_dyess/?print=1 018 Military units and formations in Kansas