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| 156th Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
 A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from the 156th Airlift Squadron, 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard, on the ramp of the Charlotte Air National Guard Base | |
| Active | 12 December 1942–Present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  North Carolina |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Airlift/Air Mobility |
| Part of | North Carolina Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Charlotte Air National Guard Base, Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Tail Code | Blue tail stripe "Charlotte" in yellow letters |
| Insignia | |
| 156th Airlift Squadron emblem |  |
The156th Airlift Squadron (156 AS) is a unit of theNorth Carolina Air National Guard145th Airlift Wing. It is assigned toCharlotte Air National Guard Base, North Carolina and is equipped with theBoeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
Organized and trained in the Northeast United States byFirst Air Force. During training was part of the air defense of the northeast, being attached to the New York and Boston Fighter Wings.
Deployed to England aboard theRMS Queen Elizabeth and served in combat as part ofVIII Fighter Command from October 1943 to May 1945, participating in operations that prepared for the invasion of the Continent, and supporting the landings inNormandy and the subsequent Allied drive acrossFrance andGermany. The squadron flewP-47 Thunderbolts until they were replaced byP-51 Mustangs in November 1944.
From October 1943 until January 1944, operated as escort forB-17 Flying Fortress/B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked such objectives as industrial areas, missile sites, airfields, and communications.
Fighters from the 461st engaged primarily in bombing and strafing missions after 3 January 1944, with its targets including U-boat installations, barges, shipyards, aerodromes, hangars, marshalling yards, locomotives, trucks, oil facilities,flak towers, and radar stations. Bombed and strafed in theArnhem, Netherlands area on 17, 18, and 23 September 1944 to neutralize enemy gun emplacements providing support to Allied ground forces duringOperation Market-Garden. In early 1945, the squadron'sP-51 Mustangs clashed with GermanMe 262 jet aircraft. The squadron flew its last combat mission, escorting B-17's dropping propaganda leaflets, on 7 May 1945.
Remained in the United Kingdom during the balance of 1945, most personnel were demobilized and returned to the United States, with aircraft being sent to storage facilities in the UK. The squadron was administratively inactivated atCamp KilmerNew Jersey on 10 November 1945 without personnel or equipment.
The unit designation was transferred to the North Carolina Air National Guard in May 1946, being re-designated as the 156th Fighter Squadron. It was organized atMorris Field, near Charlotte, a formerThird Air Force Army Airfield duringWorld War II. Equipped withF-47D Thunderbolts, it was activated on 15 March 1948 by the NC Air National Guard, its gaining organization beingFourteenth Air Force,Continental Air Command.
The 156th performed normal peacetime training operations, was re-equipped with F-51 Mustangs in 1949. As a result of theKorean War, the squadron was federalized and placed on active duty, 10 October 1950. Assigned toStrategic Air Command, it was assigned to theKentucky ANG123d Fighter-Bomber Wing. After a training period atGodman AFB withF-84E Thunderjets, the wing was deployed toRAF Manston, England where it replaced the12th Fighter-Escort Wing which had been returned to the United States. In England, the unit provided fighter escorts for SAC's rotationalB-50 Superfortress bombardment wings which operated from several USAF-controlled bases in the UK. In July 1952 the squadron returned to the United States and was returned to state control, leaving its aircraft and equipment in England.
Upon return to Charlotte, the 156th returned to operating propeller-driven F-51 Mustangs, operating them until their retirement in 1955, being operationally gained byTactical Air Command. Was transferred toAir Defense Command (ADC) in mid-1955, and re-equipped withF-86A Sabre day interceptors. The squadron was given an air defense mission over North and South Carolina as part of the ADC35th Air Division,Dobbins AFB, Georgia. In July 1957, the squadron was expanded to a group-level, with the establishment of the145th Fighter-Interceptor Group. The 156th was assigned as a subordinate unit to the new group. In 1959 was upgraded to the day/night/all-weatherF-86L Sabre Interceptor.
In February 1961, was reassigned to theMilitary Air Transport ServiceEastern Transport Air Force (EASTAF), atMcGuire AFB, New Jersey. Was re-designated as the 156th Aeromedical Transport Squadron. Equipped withC-119 Flying Boxcars equipped for medical transport, the squadron performed evacuations of transport of critically ill military personnel (and dependents) to military medical facilities for treatment. Re-equipped withC-121 Constellations in 1964, performed passenger transport missions for MATS both domestically and to the Caribbean and Europe for EASTAF. Was transferred to the newMilitary Airlift Command21st Air Force when MATS was reorganized in 1966.
Was transferred back toTactical Air Command control in 1971, being equipped with early-modelC-130B Hercules tactical airlifters, being given a theater airlift and troop carrier mission as part ofNinth Air Force. Celebrated 25 years of service in 1973, winning 1st place in worldwide airlift competition.
In January 1974, transferred toMilitary Airlift Command,Twenty-First Air Force, later that year assisted in rescue of 10 lives of theEastern Air Lines Flight 212 crash at Charlotte on 11 September. In 1985, the units mission was expanded by the addition of theModular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) capability added to the C-130s for aerial firefighting. Other awards won were the 1986 Volant Rodeo competition as world's best airlift crew and plane and 1987 Spaatz Trophy for best flying unit in the Air National Guard.
During the 1991 Persian Gulf Conflict, the squadron's 56th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight was activated and deployed to Saudi Arabia, participating inOperation Desert Storm. The squadron also achieved 150,000 hours of safe flying.
Was reassigned to Air Mobility Command in 1992. and helped evacuate hospital patients in South Florida afterHurricane Andrew in late August. Upgraded to C-130H Hercules in 1993.
Celebrated 50th anniversary in 1998, received an Excellent" on Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), and achieved 176,879 accident free flying hours. AfterHurricane Floyd in 1999, the squadron flew 33,000 cases of food rations in 3 C-130s to flood victims and erected a tent city for 80 people near Wilmington's airport. Additional hurricane relief took place in 2005 when the 196th was the first airlift squadron on site in response toHurricane Katrina Relief support.
In July 2012, four members of the squadron died as their C-130 firefighting plane crashed during firefighting efforts in South Dakota. They were: Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, and Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, both pilots; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, a navigator; and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, a flight engineer.[1]
The squadron began switching to the C-17A Globemaster III aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2017.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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