 | This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(December 2017) |
| 19th Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
 19th SquadronC-141B Starlifter | |
| Active | 1941–1948; 1952–1955; 1984–1996 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Motto | Orient Express (1992–1993) |
| Engagements |  World War II (Asia-Pacific Theater)  Korean War[1] |
| Decorations |  Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (2x)  Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 19th Airlift Squadron Emblem(approved 5 June 1953, reinstated 4 October 1993)[1][note 1] |  |
| 1403d Military Airlift Squadron emblem[2](approved 26 June 1986)[3] |  |
The19th Airlift Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the60th Operations Group,Travis Air Force Base, California. The last sortie was flown on 2 August 1996 and the unit inactivated effective 30 September 1996.
The 19th Airlift Squadron was constituted as the 19th Transport Squadron on 22 November 1940. It was activated on 1 January 1941 atHickam Field,Hawaii, the squadron was assigned to Hawaiian (later, Seventh) Air Force, flying theDouglas C-33 (DC-2). During the course ofWorld War II, the squadron would conduct aerial transportation within the Hawaiian Islands and to forward bases in the Pacific. In May 1942, the squadron was moved over to the adjoining John Rogers Airport (nowHonolulu International Airport) due to space issues at Hickam.
The squadron was re-designated the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron on 5 July 1942. That same year, the unit transitioned to theC-53 aircraft. The following year, it converted to theC-57 andC-47. In 1944, the Squadron added theC-45 to its inventory. On 15 August, the 19th became assigned to VI Air Service Area Command and the following year, on 15 December 1945, toAAF, Middle Pacific.
With the end of the war, the 19th continued its intra-theater operations in the Hawaiian Islands. It was reassigned 4-enginedC-54 Skymasters and alsoC-46 Commandos. In 1948 it was transferred to Bergstom AFB inTexas and assigned to Tactical Air Command. However, the squadron deployed toWiesbaden Air Base inGermany in June 1948 in response to the urgent need for C-54 transports due to theBerlin Airlift. There it flew constant missions in theBerlin Air Corridor to airports inWest Berlin and back toWiesbaden. The 19th remained inOccupied Germany until it was inactivated on 26 August 1948 with its aircraft being assigned to other units in Occupied Germany.
It was re-designated as the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 23 May 1952, the squadron was reactivated on 10 June 1952 atBrady AB,Japan. The squadron flew with the C-46 aircraft under the315th Troop Carrier Group. Its mission at Brady was to provide passenger transportation betweenSouth Korea, Japan and other US bases in the Western Pacific. The squadron inactivated on 18 January 1955 due to budget reductions.
The last generation of the squadron was activated as the 1403d Military Airlift Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on 1 August 1984 atYokota Air Base in Japan. The squadron had been attached to 316th Tactical Airlift Group, and then the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing starting on 1 October 1989. Its mission was to provide intra-theater airlift for high-rankingPACAF and civilian officials and small mission–essential equipment, flying C-12 Huron twin-engine prop planes, and in 1985, upgrading to theC-21 Learjet. The squadron was designated the 19th Airlift Squadron on 1 April 1992 and assigned to the 316th Airlift Support Group, before being reassigned on 1 June 1992 to the 374th Operations Groups.
The 19th AS was transferred to the60th Operations Group,Travis AFB,California on 1 October 1993, in a name-only re-designation of the7th Airlift Squadron.
Its VIP aircraft at Yokota were transferred back to the United States. In turn, the 19th took over the C-141B Starlifters and mission of the 7th as part of the re-designation, as part of an Air Force initiative to retain low-numbered units on active duty. With a final flight and inactivation ceremony on 2 Aug 1996, the squadron was inactivated on 30 September 1996 as part of the retirement of theC-141 fleet.[4]
|
|
|
|
|
|
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
