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| 44th Military Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Arrival ceremony for Lockheed C-141A-10-LM Starlifter(Tail 63-8088) at Travis Air Force Base, CA on 23 April 1965. Known as the "Golden Bear", This plane was the first production C-141 Starlifter to see active service. It was assigned to the 44th Air Transport Squadron, 1501st Air Transport Wing at Travis | |
| Active | 1955-1972 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Strategic Airlift |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 44th Military Airlift Squadron emblem |  |
| Patch with 44th Air Transport Squadron emblem |  |
The44th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the60th Military Airlift Wing ofMilitary Airlift Command atTravis Air Force Base, California.
In 1965, the 44th was the first USAF squadron to receive theLockheed C-141 Starlifter. It was inactivated on 1 March 1972.
The squadron was first organized duringWorld War II in theMediterranean Theater of Operations as a ferrying unit. It was disbanded in September 1943 and replaced by Station 10, North African Wing, Air Transport Command in a general reorganization ofAir Transport Command.
The squadron was reconstituted as the44th Air Transport Squadron in 1953 atGrenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, whenMilitary Air Transport Service (MATS) assumed responsibility for the base fromAir Defense Command. MATS operations at Grenier were short-lived, however and in November 1955 the squadron moved toMcGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey,[1] where it was inactivated.
Reactivated in 1961 atTravis Air Force Base, California[2] as aBoeing C-135 Stratolifter strategic airlift squadron, it operated these aircraft over the Pacific and around the world transport routes under MATS. It became the first organization to use jets while airliftingBob Hope Christmas tours to the Far East in 1963. On 23 April 1965, the squadron received the first operational LockheedC-141 Starlifter, which it operated over MATS and laterMilitary Airlift Command routes on a worldwide basis, 1965–1972. The squadron frequently flew cargo and personnel to United States bases in South Vietnam and Thailand during theVietnam War. It was inactivated in 1972 due to budget restrictions as part of the post-Vietnam drawdown of the USAF.[citation needed]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency