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334th Fighter Squadron | |
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 334th Fighter SquadronF-15E Strike Eagle taking off[note 1] | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1946–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Attack |
| Garrison/HQ | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base |
| Nickname(s) | Eagles |
| Equipment | F-15E Strike Eagle |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations Korean War Vietnam War Gulf War[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Dale Gogan |
| Notable commanders | Lt Col Duane Beeson Colonel Will Whisner Lt Colonel George Davis Lt General Michael C. Short[2] Lt General Norman Seip |
| Insignia | |
| 334th Fighter Squadron emblem(approved 27 September 1950)[1] |  |
The334th Fighter Squadron is aUnited States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the4th Operations Group and stationed atSeymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.
The 334th was constituted on 22 August 1942 as an incorporation of theNo. 71 Squadron RAF, anEagle Squadron of American volunteers in Great Britain'sRoyal Air Force. After the United States entered the war, the squadron was transferred to theU.S. Army Air Forces. It was officially constituted byWar Department letter on 12 August 1942, and was activated at Bushey Hall, England on 12 September 1942.
The "Eagles" fly theMcDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. Its aircraft are identified by the "SJ" tail code and blue fin flash.
Currently, the squadron provides worldwide deployable aircraft and personnel capable of executing combat missions in support of worldwide Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployments to combat areas as part of theGlobal War on Terrorism.
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The 334th, along with the335th and336th Fighter Squadrons, was assigned to theVIII Fighter Command4th Fighter Group, which was the firstUnited States Army Air Forces unit activated in theEuropean Theater duringWorld War II, which was located inEssex, England.
The 334th flew BritishSupermarine Spitfire fighters until the arrival ofRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft in 1943. After about a year the squadron switched toNorth American P-51 Mustangs. During World War II, the 334th had a total of 395 kills against theLuftwaffe; 210 kills in the air and 185 on the ground.
Equipped with theLockheed F-80 Shooting Star, the 334th moved toAndrews Air Force Base in April 1947. In 1949 the 334th moved toLangley Air Force Base, where they were re-equipped with theNorth American F-86 Sabre.
In November 1950, the 334th were sent to the war in Korea. During the war they were credited with 142 kills, and they had six pilots who achievedace status.
The 334th remained in Korea until 8 December 1957. They moved toSeymour Johnson Air Force Base as a unit of the4th Fighter Wing. The 334th flew theNorth American F-100 Super Sabre until 1959, when the squadron transitioned to theRepublic F-105 Thunderchief.
MajorJames Jabara, CaptainManuel J. "Pete" Fernandez, MajorGeorge A. Davis,Medal of Honor recipient, and MajorFrederick "Boots" Blesse; the second, third, fourth and sixth (respectively) leading aces of the Korean War were assigned to the 334th. Futureastronaut CaptainGus Grissom was assigned to the 334th during theKorean War.
In September 1965 the 334th relocated to Holmsted AFB[clarification needed] because the runway at their home base Seymour Johnson AFB was being re-built. In August the 334th TFS moved toMcConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and exchanged their F105Fs for F-105Ds, and flew non-stop toHickam Air Force Base, then on toAnderson Air Force Base, Guam, and on toTakhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. From Takhli combat missions were flown to North Vietnam and Laos. Being on temporary duty, the 334th left their Thuds to be part of the developing355th Tactical Fighter Wing, and in February 1966 returned to Seymour-Johnson. In January 1968 the 334th went to Korea to support operations during thePueblo incident. The 334th then returned to Seymour Johnson.
From February 1968 through June 1969, 4TFW Commander ColonelChuck Yeager flew with the 334th as an 'attached' pilot.
In April 1972, in the midst of a Tactical Air Command ORI, the 334th TFS was deployed to Ubon AB, Thailand after which the squadron was attached to the 25th TFS. The unit began combat operations almost immediately. Soon after the deployment to SEA, the operations officer, Maj Tokanel, lobbied for missions specifically flagged for the 334th TFS. The unit was deployed through Linebacker I and Linebacker II, flying air-to-ground and air-to-air combat missions. The squadron was redeployed back to Seymour Johnson AFB in March 1973.
The 334th flew its firstsorties with theMcDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle on 1 January 1991. Throughout the month the 334th served as thehost unit for multiple units deploying toOperation Desert Shield. Also, 334th aircrews and support personnel deployed toOperation Desert Storm as augmentees. On 18 June 1991, the squadron became operational on the F-15E, and deployed to Saudi Arabia the next day to relieve elements of the 335th Fighter Squadron, providingcombat air patrol and ground alert forces supporting withdrawal of troops from Operation Desert Storm
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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