602d Special Operations Squadron
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The 602nd Special Operations Squadron was a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
squadron that operated in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.


History

The 602nd Fighter Squadron (Commando) was activated in May 1964 for the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, and along with the 1st Air Commando Squadron, was a part of the 34th Tactical Group. The squadron became operational at Bien Hoa Air Base on 15 October 1964. By 1966 the squadron had been renamed the 602nd Air Commando Squadron and moved, first to
Nha Trang Air Base Nha Trang Air Base (also known as Camp McDermott Airfield and Long Van Airfield) was a French Air Force, Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), United States Air Force (USAF) and Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet N ...
in South Vietnam, and then to
Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province. The RTAF 2 ...
, Thailand. In March 1968 it moved again to
Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base The Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base (NKP), formerly ''Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base'', is a Royal Thai Navy facility used for riverine patrols along the Mekong River. It is approximately 587 km (365 miles) northeast of Bangko ...
. On 1 August 1968 it was redesignated the 602nd Special Operations Squadron, and was inactivated on 31 December 1970 at Nakhon Phanom. The original Squadron patch was drawn by Walt Disney in 1944. The sky was blue with a wisp of cloud behind the left wing of the eagle. No call sign was mounted above the patch. The squadron operated
A-1 Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...
s under the call sign "Firefly". Their daylight task was the primary one of combat search and rescue of air crew downed in the Kingdom of Laos. A secondary task was night operations as flareships supporting the
Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...
guerrillas of General
Vang Pao Vang Pao ( RPA: ''Vaj Pov'' , Lao: ວັງປາວ; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a major general in the Royal Lao Army. He was a leader of the Hmong American community in the United States. He was also known as General Vang ...
's Clandestine Army in the
Operation Barrel Roll Operation Barrel Roll was a covert U.S. Air Force 2nd Air Division and U.S. Navy Task Force 77, interdiction and close air support campaign conducted in the Kingdom of Laos between 14 December 1964 and 29 March 1973 concurrent with the V ...
area. At times, the squadron flew single ship sorties; they would also sometimes mark their own targets for their air strikes.Anthony, p. 113.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 2nd Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 April 1944 : Activated on 20 April 1944 : Redesignated 2nd Fighter Squadron, Commando on 2 June 1944 : Inactivated on 12 November 1945 * Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted, redesignated 602nd Fighter Squadron, Commando, and activated on 15 April 1963 (not organized) : Organized on 1 May 1963 * Redesignated 602nd Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968 : Inactivated on 31 December 1970


Assignments

*
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...
: 20 April 1944 * 2nd Air Commando Group: 22 April 1944 – 12 November 1945 * Tactical Air Command: 15 April 1963 (not organized) *
1st Air Commando Group 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...
(later 1st Air Commando Wing): 1 May 1963 *
Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...
: 1 October 1964 * 34th Tactical Group: 18 October 1964 * 6251st Tactical Fighter Wing: 8 July 1965 *
3rd Tactical Fighter Wing The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Wing is the largest and principal unit within 11th Air Forc ...
: 21 November 1965 * 14th Air Commando Wing: 8 March 1966 * 56th Air Commando Wing (later 56th Special Operations Wing): 8 April 1967 – 31 December 1970


Stations

*
Lakeland Army Air Field Lakeland Army Airfield, was a World War II United States Army Air Force located 5.3 miles southwest of Lakeland, Florida. From 1960 to 2017 it was Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. In 2017 it was renamed Lakeland Linder International Airport. H ...
, Florida, 20 April 1944 *
Cross City Army Air Field Cross City Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force facility, located east of Cross City, Florida. Overview Originally a small civil airport, during World War II it was active as a training base for the Army Air Forces School of Ap ...
, Florida, 9 June 1944 * Alachua Army Air Field, Florida, 21 June 1944 * Drew Field, Florida, 17 August 1944 * Lakeland Army Air Field, Florida, 22 August 1944 – 23 October 1944 *
Kalaikunda Kalaikunda is a census town in the Kharagpur I CD block in the Kharagpur subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Kalaikunda is located at . Area overview Kharagpur subdivision, s ...
, India, 15 December 1944 * Cox's Bazar, India, 13 February 1945 * Kalaikunda, India, 14 May 1945 – 22 October 1945 *
Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...
, New Jersey, 11 November 1945 – 12 November 1945 * Eglin Air Force Base Auxiliary Airfield#9, Florida, 1 May 1963 * Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, 12 Oct 1964 * Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam, 1 Feb 1966 * Udorn Air Base, Thailand, 15 Dec 1966 * Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Naval Air Base, Thailand, 30 Jun 1968 – 31 Dec 1970


Aircraft

* North American P-51D Mustang, 1944–1945 * North American F-6 Mustang, 1945 * Douglas B-26B/C Invader, 1963–1964 * Douglas A-1E/G/H/J Skyraider, 1964-1970.


Operations

*Combat in CBI Theater, 14 Feb-9 May 1945 *Combat in SEA, 1964-1970


Campaign streamers

* World War II: **Central Burma. * Vietnam: **Vietnam Advisory; **Vietnam Defense; **Vietnam Air; **Vietnam Air Offensive; **Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II; **Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III; **Vietnam Air/Ground; **Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV; **Tet 69/Counteroffensive; **Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969; **Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970; **Sanctuary Counteroffensive; **Southwest Monsoon; **Commando Hunt V.


Decorations

*Distinguished Unit Citation: Bangkok, Thailand, 15 Mar 1945. *Presidential Unit Citations: Vietnam: 1 Jul 1965 – 30 Jun 1966; 1 Jul 1966-7 Mar 1967; 12 Apr-30 Jun 1967; 1 Nov 1968 – 1 May 1969; 1 Oct 1969-30 Apr 1970. *Air Force Outstanding Unit Award With Combat "V" Device: 1-31 Dec 1970. *Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, 1 Apr 1966 – 31 Dec 1970.


References

* Anthony, Victor B. (1973). ''The Air Force in Southeast Asia: Tactics and Techniques of Night Operations 1961-1970''. Office of Air Force History. (2011 reprint). Military Bookshop. ISBNs 1780396570, 978-1780396576. * Bailey, Carl E., Lineage and Honors History of the 602 Special Operations Squadron USAF Official History; Reviewed by A. Timothy Warnock; AF Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2005. * Marrett, George J. (2002). ''Cheating Death: Combat Air Rescues in Vietnam and Laos''. Smithsonian Institution Press. .


Footnotes

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