15th Special Operations Squadron | |
|---|---|
 A 15th Special Operations SquadronMC-130 deploys to Haiti to provide humanitarian and disaster relief | |
| Active | 1942–1943; 1944–1946; 1947–1949; 1968–1970; 1992–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Special Operations |
| Part of | Air Force Special Operations Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Hurlburt Field |
| Nickname | Fightin 1-5 |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Gallant Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat V device Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Tyler Rhyne |
| Notable commanders | Michael E. Conley[1][2] |
| Insignia | |
| 15th Special Operations Squadron emblem[a][3] |  |
| 15th Bombardment Squadron emblem[b][4] |  |
The15th Special Operations Squadron is part of the1st Special Operations Wing atHurlburt Field, Florida. It operatesLockheed MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support ofspecial operations.
Thesquadron was first activated in 1942 as the520th Bombardment Squadron. It engaged inantisubmarine warfare operations as the15th Antisubmarine Squadron off the Atlantic coast of the United States until 1943 when theNavy assumed responsibility for the mission. It was disbanded in the fall of that year.
In 1944, the15th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy was activated as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress unit. It participated in combat operations againstJapan in 1945, receiving aDistinguished Unit Citation. The squadron was inactivated onGuam in 1946. It was again briefly active in theAir Force Reserve from 1947 to 1949.
The15th Special Operations Squadron was activated inVietnam as aLockheed C-130 Hercules gunship squadron. It participated in combat until it was inactivated in 1970, earning aPresidential Unit Citation,Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat V device andRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.
The15th Antisubmarine Squadron and15th Bombardment Squadron were consolidated with the15th Special Operations Squadron in September 1985, but remained inactive until 1992, when the squadron again activated as a special operations C-130 unit.
Global, day andnight, adverse weather capability to insert, extract, and resupply special operations forces by low or high altitudeairdrop or airland operations.[5]
The first predecessor of thesquadron was activated atJacksonville Municipal Airport in late 1942 as the520th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the378th Bombardment Group. The squadron apparently drew itscadre from the18th Observation Squadron, which moved on paper fromJacksonville toBirmingham Army Air Field, Alabama the same day.[c] It was originally equipped with a mixture ofobservation aircraft andmedium bombers. Using theseaircraft, the squadron began flyingantisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic Coast.[6]
AAF Antisubmarine Command soon reorganized, eliminating itsgroups and assigning its squadrons directly to its twowings. As a result, the squadron became the15th Antisubmarine Squadron and was assigned to the26th Antisubmarine Wing. Although assigned to the 25th Wing, the squadron flew most missions in the area north of its station, moving its operations toLangley Field, Virginia in 1943, so it was attached to the25th Antisubmarine Wing until July 1943, when it moved its operations toDrew Field, Florida.[3]
In July 1943, the AAF andNavy reached an agreement to transfer the coastal antisubmarine mission to the Navy. This mission transfer also included an exchange of AAF long-range bombers equipped for antisubmarine warfare for NavyConsolidated B-24 Liberators without such equipment.[7] The squadron continued operations fromBatista Field, Cuba until it was disbanded on 2 November 1943.[3]
The second predecessor of the squadron is the15th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, which was activated as part of the16th Bombardment Group on 1 April 1944 atDalhart Army Air Field, Texas as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress unit.[4] It moved toFairmont Army Air Field, Nebraska for training in August 1944 and received Bell B-29B Superfortresses designed for fast low-level bomb runs. The squadron deployed to thePacific Theater of Operations, where it was stationed atNorthwest Field, Guam underXXI Bomber Command's315th Bombardment Wing. It flew very long range strategic bombardment missions over theJapanese Home Islands concentrating on oil industry targets, particularlyrefineries and coal liquification facilities (26 June – 14 August 1945). No B-29s from the squadron were lost during combat operations overJapan.[8] The squadron was inactivated on Guam 15 April 1946.
The15th Bombardment Squadron was reactivated as areserve unit atHill Field, Utah on 1 August 1947,[3] where it trained under the supervision ofAir Defense Command (ADC)'s 402d AAF Base Unit (later 2344th Air Force Reserve Flying Training Center).[9] Although the squadron was nominally a B-29 unit, it is not clear whether the squadron was fully staffed or equipped with operationalaircraft.[10] In 1948,Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve andAir National Guard units from ADC.[11] The 15th was inactivated when PresidentTruman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[12] as reserve flying operations at Hill ceased.[3][13]
The15th Air Commando Squadron was activated for theVietnam War atNha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam, flying theC-130E (I) Combat Talon as part of the14th Air Commando Wing.[3] Combat Talon was first operational as Detachment 1, 314th Troop Carrier Wing beginning 1 September 1966, as a support unit forMACV-SOG.[14] On 15 March 1968, the detachment was discontinued and replaced by the squadron, which became the15th Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968.[3] InVietnam, the aircraft was used to drop leaflets overNorth Vietnam Army positions, and to insert and resupply special forces and indigenous units into hostile territory throughout Southeast Asia. Combat Talon crews operated unescorted at low altitudes and at night.[15] It sawcombat and performedspecial operations missions until 31 October 1970, when it was inactivated. The unit was consolidated with the 15th Antisubmarine Squadron and the 15th Bombardment Squadron in September 1985.[3]
The 15th was reactivated on 1 October 1992, to operate the MC-130H Combat Talon II as part of the1st Special Operations Wing.[3]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 29 July–6 August 1945[3] | Japan 15th Bombardment Squadron |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 15 March 1968–15 November 1970[d] | 15th Air Commando Squadron (later 15th Special Operations Squadron)[3] |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 21 June 1968–30 June 1969 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
 | Gallant Unit Citation | 6 October 2001–30 May 2003 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
 | Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 July 2007–30 June 2009 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Meritorious Unit Award | 1 October 2009–30 September 2011 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device | 15 March–20 June 1968 | 15th Air Commando Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 July–31 October 1970 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 June 1997–31 May 1999 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 July 2003–30 June 2005 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 September 2006–30 June 2007 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 October 2011–30 September 2013 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 October 2013–30 September 2015 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1992–15 April 1994 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1995–31 May 1997 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1999–30 June 2001 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2001–30 June 2003 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 September 2004–31 August 2006 | 15th Special Operations Squadron[3] |
 | Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm | 15 March 1968–31 October 1970 | 15th Air Commando Squadron (later 15th Special Operations Squadron)[3] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Further reading
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