The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.
The 58th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 58th Special Operations Wing. It is stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) and the United States Army Aviation Museum. Small sections of the post also lie in Coffee, Geneva, and Houston counties. Part of the Dale County section of the base is a census-designated place; its population was 4,636 at the 2010 census.
Since January 1994, the 23d Flying Training Squadron is the United States Air Force’s primary source of helicopter pilots for special operations, combat search and rescue, missile support, and distinguished visitor airlift missions. Its mission is providing Air Force helicopter flight training for all undergraduate pilots proceeding to flying careers in the Air Force’s UH-1N Huey, HH-60G Pave Hawk or CV-22 Osprey fleets. Tactical training includes alternate insertion and extraction (AIEs) but specialized training like hoists and gunnery is saved for type-qualification in post-graduate flight training at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico to smooth their transition in more complicated aircraft and missions. USAF rotary wing students receive their wings when their Fort Rucker pilot training class is completed.
Imeson Field, also known as Jacksonville Imeson Airport, was the airport serving Jacksonville, Florida, from 1927 until its closing in 1968. It was known as Jacksonville Municipal Airport prior to World War II, Jacksonville Army Airfield when the United States Army Air Forces controlled the facility during World War II, and at its closing the airport was Jacksonville - Thomas Cole Imeson Municipal Airport.
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American twin-engine, medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation (NAA).
The Douglas O-43 was a monoplane observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps.
It deployed to Batista Field, Cuba on 28 February 1943, where it conducted antisubmarine operations until 24 April, then moved to Edinburgh Field, Trinidad on 5 August 1943 and was attached to Antilles Air Command. From Trinidad, was moved to Zandrey Field, Surinam between 15 August 1943 and December. The unit also had elements at NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and rotated its crews to and from Florida to its far-flung operating elements about every 10 weeks. One flight of the squadron was temporarily stationed at Caracas Airport, Venezuela. With the Navy taking over the antisubmarine mission in mid-1943, the squadron returned to the United States via Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, where unit personnel were reassigned to other units. It was disbanded on 6 February 1944.
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines.
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies 11 km (6.8 mi) off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. Though geographically part of the South American continent, from a socio-economic standpoint it is often referred to as the southernmost island in the Caribbean. With an area of 4,768 km2 (1,841 sq mi), it is also the fifth largest in the West Indies.
The Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. It was inactivated on 25 August 1946.
Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. Formerly known as Pope Air Force Base, the facility continues to be used by the United States Air Force but is now operated by the U.S. Army as part of Fort Bragg.
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota 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 remains in front line service with various military operators.
The IX Troop Carrier Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. As a component command of the Ninth Air Force, based in the United Kingdom.
Helicopter airlift
The activation of the 23d Helicopter Squadron on 9 July 1956, was the result of the inactivation of the 516th Troop Carrier Group (Assault, Rotary Wing). The 516th had been a victim of an Air Force and Army dispute over control of assault helicopters. The squadron was activated at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, and assigned to Eighteenth Air Force. The squadron was formed by absorbing the personnel, aircraft, and equipment of the 345th Troop Carrier Squadron (Assault, Rotary Wing).
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.
Eighteenth Air Force is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 January 1958, and re-activated on 1 October 2003. 18 AF is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
The squadron moved to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base France, the squadron arrived at the new base between 7 and 15 November 1956, equipped with Piasecki H-21 helicopters. Built for a tactical fighter wing, Phalsbourg had plenty of hangar space and quarters for the 23d Squadron. It could keep all its H-21Bs indoors.
The 23d Helicopter Squadron provided useful general airlift support throughout France. Standard helicopter missions included: Special Airlift Missions, Administrative Support Mission, and Emergency Air Evacuation Missions. It transferred injured U.S. personnel and dependents that required major medical attention to full-service hospitals from remote military sites across Europe. It was assigned to the 322d Air Division at Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France for operational control, mission scheduling, and airlift priorities. The 322d recommended that the 23d Helicopter Squadron be divided into four detachments for greater utilization.
Detachments #1 and #4 remained at Phalsbourg with ten aircraft. Major maintenance was performed by teams dispatched from Phalsbourg, and all H-21B-peculiar spare parts were stocked at Phalsbourg.
Detachment #2 flew four H-21s to RAF Wethersfield, England. These four H-21Bs were equipped with air-sea hoist provisions for rescue flights.
Detachment #3 relocated four H-21s to Wheelus Air Base, Libya in December 1956 to support gunnery range operations at El Uotia and Tarhuna, and to assist the Martin TM-61 Matador missile launches and flight test programs.
After a year of operation, USAFE felt the limitations of helicopter airlift were not worth the costs, and decided to eliminate the 23d Helicopter Squadron from its force structure after fourteen months in Europe. Also during this same time, the United States Army in France was obtaining similar helicopter airlift capabilities, and the mission of the 23d could be transferred to USAREUR.
The squadron was inactivated on 8 January 1958. However, the Detachment at Wheelus was so successful that after the 23d departed France, six of their H-21Bs continued to operate, as part of the 7272d Flying Training Wing. During 1960 the Wheelus helicopters participated in an ongoing long distance rescue mission when they evacuated American and European civilians from the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville), where they were being threatened by rioting native troops.
Vietnam War
U.S. Air Force 0-1E Bird Dog aircraft (USAF Photo).
The 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron was created out of the personnel and equipment of Detachment 3 of the 505th Tactical Control Group Lt. Col. (selectee) Robert L. Johnston. Lt. Col Johnston selected Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base for operations in the Steel Tiger portion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail between Nape Pass and Tchepone in the Laos Panhandle.[note 1] It was the first USAF combat squadron to be stationed at Nakhon Phanom to operate across the Mekong River over Laos. Its operations would be countered by a North Vietnamese increase in number, type, and caliber of antiaircraft weaponry. By 1972, the Ho Chi Minh Trail would be defended by guns ranging from heavy machine guns to 100mm cannon, and both truck-borne and man-portable surface to air missiles.[4][5][6]
Five Forward Air Controller (FAC)s went to Nakhon Phanom in January[clarification needed] to test the idea of working the Steel Tiger portion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and many more came there on temporary duty during the following months. Losses of 23d pilots started in March with Capt. Karl Edward Worst, whose plane disappeared 2 March 1966 in an apparent mid-air collision with a Republic F-105 Thunderchief during an air strike.[citation needed]
The unit and mission were initially called Operation Cricket, which name the area airborne control ship took for a call sign, and the original pilot call sign was "Gumbey". This was changed to "Nail" in mid-1966, and "Nail" remained a call sign until war's end. The 23d also used the call sign "Rustic". The 23d's well-known unit patch featuring Jiminy Cricket with a walkie-talkie and an umbrella was sold to the squadron by Walt Disney for $1 in response to a request from Nail pilot John Taylor.[4]
OV-10 Bronco aircraft firing a white phosphorus smoke rocket
The 23d, like its sister FAC squadrons based in Vietnam, initially flew Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs in 1966 and into 1968, when the last one was retired. All of its O-1's were the F variant, which featured a variable-pitch propeller. In 1967, the unit began receiving Cessna O-2 Skymasters to replace the O-1s. In 1969, the squadron began to receive North American OV-10 Broncos, and flew that aircraft until the end of the war.[citation needed] Over the course of the war, the 23d lost 7 O-1s, 15 O-2s, and 23 OV-10s.[7]
The 23d lost at least 27 pilots during the war, and its pilots received many Air Force combat decorations.[8] Among those decorations is the Air Force Cross awarded to Capt. Philip V. Maywald for extraordinary heroism during a rescue mission over Laos on 21 May 1968. The text of his citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Philip V. Maywald (AFSN: 0-70153), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force while serving as an O-2A Pilot with the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron, 56th Air Commando Wing, in action in Southeast Asia on 21 May 1968. On that date, Captain Maywald braved an intense and deadly barrage of hostile gunfire for over two hours while he controlled the successful rescue of a fellow pilot who had been downed by anti-aircraft fire deep within hostile territory. Despite the great personal risk involved to his own life, Captain Maywald, with undaunted determination, indomitable courage, and professional skill, repeatedly made low passes over the rescue scene in his light unarmored observation aircraft. At times, he flew within fifty feet of the hostile forces to determine their positions and to deliberately draw their fire on his aircraft. Due to his courage, persistence, and professional skill the downed pilot was safely recovered. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Captain Maywald reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.[9]
On 12 April 1975 the 23d supported Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.[10] The 23d was inactivated on 22 September 1975.[1]
Reactivation in the US
OA-10 Thunderbolt of the 23d TASS, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ (USAF photo).
The squadron was reactivated on 30 November 1975 at as part of the 602d Tactical Air Control Wing at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, where it trained OV-10 forward air controllers before moving to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona on 1 July 1980. The 27th Tactical Air Support Squadron, an O-2A sister squadron , was at Davis-Monthan. The 27th was inactivated and the 23d assumed its mission, personnel and equipment, until it was again inactivated on 1 November 1991.[11] The 23d operated 26 Cessna OA-37 Dragonflys. In September 1985, as part of a program to merge Air Force units formed after World War II with units that had seen service during the war, the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron was consolidated with its three predecessor units.[1]
Helicopter pilot training
The squadron was redesignated the 23d Flying Training Flight on 22 December 1993, it was reactivated on 15 January 1994 at Fort Rucker, Alabama as part of the 542d Operations Group at Kirtland Air Force Base, which conducted USAF helicopter training.
Reassigned to the 58th Operations Group on 1 April 1994, it was redesignated as the 23d Flying Training Squadron on 21 December 1999. At Fort Rucker, it is housed in three geographically-separated facilities and a simulator facility off-base, the 23d handles academic, simulator, and flight line training.
The Beechcraft C-12 Huron was added to the 23d's aircraft inventory in 2000. In addition to the helicopter pilot training, the 23d, with Detachment 5, Air Mobility Command Air Operations Squadron, oversees the formal training for the Air Force's C-12 C/D Super King Air 200. Detachment 5 conducts all USAF C-12 flight evaluations, and also assists HQ DIA/Air Operations in worldwide flight evaluations upon request. Detachment 5, in association with HQ Air Mobility Command develops, publishes, and implements curriculum for several courses, including academics, simulator training, flight training for Air Force C-12 initial qualification and initial instructor qualification.
Operations and Decorations
Combat Operations. Antisubmarine patrols off the U.S. coast, Dec 1941 – Dec 1943. Transported personnel and cargo in Europe, 1944–1945. Reconnaissance and forward air control over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Southeast Asia, Apr 1966 – Jan 1973. Tactical air control for the evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia and the SS Mayaguez Incident, Apr and May 1975.
Campaigns. World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater. Vietnam: Vietnam Air; Vietnam Air Offensive; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV; TET 69/Counteroffensive; Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969; Vietnam Winter-Spring, 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Southwest Monsoon; Commando Hunt V; Commando Hunt VI; Commando Hunt VII; Vietnam Ceasefire. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.
Decorations. Presidential Unit Citations (Southeast Asia): 15 Apr-30 Sep 1966; 1 Aug 1968 – 31 Aug 1969; 1 Nov 1968 – 1 May 1969; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1970; 30 Jan-31 Dec 1971; 1 Apr 1972 – 22 Feb 1973. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V": 1 Nov 1969 – 31 May 1970; 23 Feb 1973 – 28 Feb 1974; 24 Jan-2 May 1975. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1978 – 30 Jun 1979; 1 May 1984 – 30 Apr 1986; [15 Jan 1994]-30 Jun 1994; 1 Jul 1994 – 31 Dec 1995; 1 Jul 1996 – 30 Jun 1998; 1 Jul 1998 – 30 Jun 2000; 1 Jul 2001 – 30 Jun 2002; 1 Jul 2002 – 30 Jun 2003; 1 Jul 2003 – 30 Jun 2004; 1 Jul 2004 – 30 Jun 2005; 1 Jul 2006 – 30 Jun 2007; 1 Jul 2007 – 30 Jun 2008. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: [15] Apr 1966-28 Jan 1973; 8 Feb −31 Mar 1971; 1 Apr 1971 – 9 Mar 1972.
Lineage
23d Antisubmarine Squadron
Constituted as the 76th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940
Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated 23d Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 3 March 1943
Disbanded on 6 February 1944
Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with the 23d Troop Carrier Squadron, the 23d Helicopter Squadron and the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron[1]
23d Troop Carrier Squadron
Constituted as the 23d Troop Carrier Squadron on 11 November 1944
Activated on 1 December 1944
Inactivated on 7 September 1946
Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 23d Antisubmarine Squadron, the 23d Helicopter Squadron and the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron[1]
23d Helicopter Squadron
Constituted as the 23d Helicopter Squadron on 24 February 1956
Activated on 9 July 1956
Inactivated on 8 January 1958
Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 23d Antisubmarine Squadron, the 23d Troop Carrier Squadron and the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron as the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron[1]
23d Flying Training Squadron
Constituted as the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron on 8 April 1966 and activated (not organized)
Organized on 15 April 1966
Inactivated on 22 September 1975
Activated on 30 November 1975
Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 23d Antisubmarine Squadron, the 23d Troop Carrier Squadron and the 23d Helicopter Squadron
Inactivated on 1 November 1991
Redesignated 23d Flying Training Flight and activated on 15 January 1994
Redesignated 23d Flying Training Squadron on 21 December 1999[1]
505th Tactical Control Group, 15 April 1966 – 7 December 1966 (attached to Tactical Air Support Group Provisional, 6250th, 1 September 1966; Tactical Air Support Group Provisional, 6253d after 9 September 1966)
Operated from: Langley Field, Virginia, 9–23 July 1943
Edinburgh Field, Trinidad, 5 August 1943 (the ground echelon remained at Drew Field until 15 October 1943 then moved to Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, where it was disbanded on 6 November 1943. A detachment of air echelon operated from Zandery Field, Surinam, 15 August—December 1943)
The 16th Airlift Squadron is one unit of three active duty Boeing C-17 Globemaster III squadrons at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.
The 434th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. If mobilized, the Wing is gained by the Air Mobility Command.
The United States Air Force's 505th Command and Control Wing is organized under the United States Air Force Warfare Center. The wing is dedicated to improving readiness through integrated training, tactics development and operational testing for command and control of air, space and cyberspace. It hosts the Air Force's only Air Operations Center Formal Training Unit at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
The 57th Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
The 840th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Ninth Air Force at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated on 24 December 1969. The division's components provided tactical airlift support worldwide, and after 1965, trained Lockheed C-130 crews and maintenance personnel, primarily for deployment to the Pacific and participation in the Vietnam War.
The 64th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, where it conducted pilot training for twenty-five years before it was inactivated in September 1997.
The 483d Tactical Airlift Wing was a tactical airlift and composite wing assigned to Pacific Air Forces during the Vietnam War. It was the host organization at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base South Vietnam from 1970–1972.
The 356th Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 433d Operations Group, stationed at Kelly Field Annex, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
The 309th Airlift Squadron is part of the 86th Airlift Wing at Chièvres Air Base, Belgium. It operates a single C-37 aircraft providing executive airlift for NATO.
The 310th Airlift Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates C-37 aircraft providing executive airlift for Combatant Commanders.
The 457th Airlift Squadron is part of the 375th Air Mobility Wing and is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It operates C-21 aircraft providing executive airlift.
The 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It conducts air support and air interdiction sorties in "Green Flag (West)" exercises to train USAF fighter pilots and the aerospace power component to the US Army's brigade combat training.
The 32d Flying Training Squadron was last part of the 71st Flying Training Wing based at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operated Beechcraft T-1 Jayhawk aircraft conducting flight training. It was inactivated on 14 September 2012.
The 86th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. It operates Raytheon T-1 Jayhawk aircraft conducting flight training.
The 20th Attack Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It currently flies the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and is assigned to the 432d Wing at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The 19th Weapons Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit, assigned to the USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
The 302d Tactical Electronic Warfare Training Squadron was formed in September 1985 by the consolidation of three units which had served in the Army Air Forces or United States Air Force during World War II and the Cold War.
The 346th Tactical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron that was last assigned to the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Republic of China, where it was inactivated in May 1971.
The 347th Tactical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron that was last assigned to the 516th Tactical Airlift Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas where it was inactivated in June 1972.
Churchill, Jan (1997). Hit My Smoke!: Forward Air Controllers in Southeast Asia. Sunflower University Press, p. 70. ISBNs 0-89745-215-1, 978-0-89745-215-1.
Dunham, George R (1990). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973–1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. p.122. ISBN978-0-16-026455-9.
Hobson, Chris (2001). Vietnam Air Losses: United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961–1973. Midland Publications. ISBN1857801156, 9781857801156.
Whitcomb, Darrel (1999) The Rescue of Bat 21, a factual account of Lt.Col. Iceal Hambleton's rescue from behind enemy lines, the longest, most complex, and costliest search and rescue operation of the Vietnam War. (Whitcomb is a former 23d TASS FAC pilot.)
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