911th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 The 911th Air Refueling Squadron | |
| Active | 1917–1919; 1923–1933; 1935–1946; 1958–2007; 2008 – present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Air Refueling |
| Size | 260 persons[1] |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina |
| Motto | First in Flight |
| Engagements | Pacific Ocean theater of World War II |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 911th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[a][2] |  |
| 911th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[b][3] |  |
| Patch with old 911th Air Refueling Sq emblem |  |
| Patch with 411th Bombardment Squadron emblem[c][4] | _-_Emblem.png) |
| 411th Bombardment Squadron Tail Marking (Pacific) |  |
The911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the305th Operations Group, and is stationed atSeymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. Thesquadron was the Air Force's first active duty squadron under the command of a reserve wing. In October 2016, the 911th, formerly geographically separated from the6th Air Mobility Wing atMacDill Air Force Base, Florida and operated as the active duty associate to the916th Air Refueling Wing, became the first "I-Wing" or Integrated Wing. In July 2020, it was reassigned to the 305th Operations Group at theMcGuire AFB entity ofJoint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force. Its origins date to 15 May 1917, when it was organized atKelly Field, Texas. The21st Aero Squadron served in France as part of the 3d Aviation Instruction Center, American Expeditionary Forces, as a pilot training squadron duringWorld War I.
The squadron was activated as the21st Observation Squadron in 1923, but received few, if any, personnel before being disbanded in 1933. In 1935 a new 21st Observation Squadron was organized atLangley Field, Virginia.[d] In 1939, it moved to Florida and began to flyNeutrality Patrol missions over the adjacent waters.
After theattack on Pearl Harbor it flewantisubmarine patrols in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic Coast. It then became a heavy bomber training unit until 1999. In 1944 it converted toBoeing B-29 Superfortresses and saw combat in the Pacific duringWorld War II, where it was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation for its actions during the strategic bombing campaign against Japan.
It became part ofStrategic Air Command (SAC) during theCold War, maintaining a portion of its strength onalert. It frequently deployed a portion of the unit to support SAC operations, including combat operations in Southeast Asia. Members of the squadron participatedOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom. In 1991 it transferred toAir Combat Command as theUnited States Air Force reassigned and combined units to maintain a single wing on each base. It continued to support contingency operations after transferring toAir Mobility Command until it was inactivated in 2007.
Today, the squadron operates theBoeing KC-46 "Pegasus" aircraft conductingair refueling missions worldwide as an active component of the Air Force's first Integrated Wing, flying the aircraft of the reserve916th Air Refueling Wing.
The 911th Air Refueling Squadron traces its origins to early May 1917 when newly arrived recruits arrived atKelly Field, Texas and were formed into1st Company "B", 1st Regiment, Kelly Field. On 15 May these recruits became the16th Aero Squadron. However, on 13 June it was redesignated as the21st Aero Squadron.[5]
When the first soldiers arrived at Kelly, there were no tents or cots for them so they slept on the ground. When the first tents arrived, the men were assigned locations for them and pitched them. The men received their indoctrination into the Army as soldiers, standing guard duty and other rudimentary duties. The lack of sanitary facilities and of uniforms meant most men worked in the civilian clothing they arrived in. They slept in them without bathing until latrines and washing facilities were constructed. The men dug ditches for water mains and erected wooden buildings for barracks. On 4 August, the squadron was ordered to proceed toScott Field, near Belleville, Illinois, arriving on the 11th. There the squadron worked with the11th Aero Squadron, preparing the field for training. Training was received in various aircraft engines, and the men were classified as mechanics.[5]
In November the squadron received orders for overseas duty. However, an epidemic of sickness put the 21st into quarantine status. It remained quarantined until 21 December when it was cleared by the medical department to move to the Aviation Concentration Center,Garden City, Long Island, arriving on the 23d. It was not long before the squadron was ordered to proceed to theNew York Port of Embarkation atHoboken, New Jersey, where the squadron sailed for France on 4 January 1918, arriving atSaint-Nazaire on the 17th. After a few days at a rest camp, it traveled by train to the Air Service Replacement Concentration Center, located at theSt. Maixent Replacement Barracks, arriving on 23 January. The 21st was classified as a school squadron, and was ordered to proceed to the 3d Aviation Instructional Center (3d AIC) atIssoudun Aerodrome. It arrived at Issoudun on 21 February.[5]
The 3d Aviation Instruction Center was established by the Training Section,American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) to train pursuit (fighter) pilots prior to their assignment to combat on the front. The 21st Aero Squadron (School), was assigned to Issoudun Field #7, whereNieuport 28 aircraft were used for formation flying training. On 18 March, it moved to the main camp, where Fields #1, #2 and #3 were used for initial training in Nieuport 15s and 18s and 21s. When additional squadrons of mechanics arrived, the 21st concentrated at Field #3 and on maintaining the school'sNieuport 21s. The field strength grew until nearly 100 airplanes were in use, withsolo flying,cross-country flying, and basicaerobatics being taught. The squadron handled all of these. The 21st's efficiency was commented on by the post commander when a record was established with 69 launches on one day, with several hundred hours of flying recorded.Training was given to many members of the pursuit squadrons of theFirst Army Air Service as they arrived in France; and beginning in August 1918, to new pilots for the plannedSecond Army Air Service as they began to arrive for training.[5]
At the time of the Armistice on 11 November, the men of the 21st Aero Squadron remained on duty completing the training of the pilots assigned to Field #3. Although it did not enter combat, the unit trained the men who went to the front and gave them the best of training so they might accomplish their work.[5]
The AEF was notoriously slow in returning men to the United States after the end of hostilities, and men who served on the front had priority over those who served in the rear areas. The 21st, therefore, remained at Issoudun until January 1919 when orders were received to proceed to the 1st Air Depot,Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome, France, fordemobilization. From Colombey, the squadron moved to a staging camp under the Services of Supply at Bordeaux, waiting for a date to board a troop ship for transportation home. On 18 March, the squadron boarded a troop ship, arriving in New York on 5 April. From there, the 21st moved toHazelhurst Field, New York where the men were demobilized and returned to civilian life.[5][6] The 21st Aero Squadron itself was demobilized on 14 April.[7]
On 24 March 1923, the 21st Aero Squadron was reconstituted as the21st Observation Squadron of theUnited States Army Air Service. The Army activated the unit as a "Regular Army Inactive" squadron,[7] meaning that although it was a Regular Army unit, it was manned with reserve personnel.[8] It was assigned to the9th Observation Group in theSixth Corps Area. The 21st's designated Active Associate unit was the15th Observation Squadron, atChanute Field, Illinois, which was also its designated mobilization station. In 1927 it was withdrawn from the Sixth Corps Area and reassigned to theFourth Corps Area. Its designated mobilization station during this period wasCarlstrom Field, Florida, a training field. In 1928, it was moved to theEighth Corps Area atDodd Field, Texas, which was also designated as its mobilization station. It was not organized at Dodd and it was disbanded on 1 October 1933.[7]
The21st Observation Squadron (Long Range Amphibian) was activated on 1 March 1935 atBolling Field, District of Columbia and was assigned to the2d Wing. In 1936 it was consolidated with the earlier 21st Observation Squadron.[2] The 21st Observation Squadron flew light reconnaissance aircraft in support of Army maneuvers primarily in northern Virginia. The squadron operated land-based aircraft as well as amphibian seaplanes using thePotomac River for landings and takeoffs. In 1936 it moved toLangley Field, Virginia and was equipped with heavier attack aircraft as well as medium bombers.[2][7]
The squadron was redesignated a long range reconnaissance squadron and received early modelBoeing B-17C/D Flying Fortresses andDouglas B-18 Bolos in 1939. It moved to the36th Street Airport, Miami, Florida, where it was attached to theNavy and began to flyNeutrality Patrol,sea search, andweather reconnaissance missions. It operated from several locations along the Atlantic Coast, flying coastal patrol missions. On 3 September 1941 it was attached to the29th Bombardment Group atMacDill Field, Florida, flyingantisubmarine patrols from various locations in south Florida over theGulf of Mexico and theFlorida Straits along the Atlantic Coast.[2][7]
After theattack on Pearl Harbor the squadron remained in south Florida flyingantisubmarine patrols against any German U-boats approaching the United States coast.[2]
On 1 February 1942, the 21st was finally assigned to the29th Bombardment Group.[e] In June 1942,I Bomber Command took over the antisubmarine mission and the 21st became part ofII Bomber Command. It was redesignated as the411th Bombardment Squadron and moved toGowen Field, Idaho.[2] At Gowen, the squadron was anOperational Training Unit (OTU), first withBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and, after 1943, withConsolidated B-24 Liberators.[9]
The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to providecadres to "satellite groups" prior to their deployment overseas.[10] In 1943, the squadron became a Replacement Training Unit (RTU).[9] The RTU was also an oversized unit. but if focused on training individualpilots oraircrews.[10] However, theArmy Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit,[11] while the groups and squadrons acting as RTUs were disbanded or inactivated.[12] This resulted in the 411th, along with other units at Gowen, being inactivated in April 1944[4] and being replaced by the 212th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy).[13]
The 411th Bombardment Squadron was activated the same day as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress squadron atPratt Army Air Field, Kansas. However, a little over a month later, it was inactivated again[4] as the Army Air Forces began to reorganize its very heavy bomber groups from four squadron units to three squadron units.[14]
The squadron was activated again on 1 June 1944[4] as part of the new502d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), which was being organized atDavis-Monthan Field, Arizona. It began training with B-29s atDalhart Army Air Field, Texas.[15] In September, the air echelon deployed toOrlando Army Air Base in Florida for a concentrated course on very heavy bombardment tactics, while the ground echelon preceded it to its new training base atGrand Island Army Air Field, Nebraska where the squadron prepared for overseas deployment.[16]
After completing training the squadron deployed to the central Pacific and became part ofXXI Bomber Command atNorthwest Field (Guam) for operational missions. The mission of the squadron was the strategic bombardment of theJapanese Home Islands. It entered combat on 30 June 1945 with a bombing raid against enemy installations onRota. It bombedTruk in early July.[15] It flew its first mission against the Japanese home islands on 15 July 1945 against theoil refinery atKudamatsu[17] and afterwards operated principally against the enemy's petroleum industry. The squadron earned aDistinguished Unit Citation for August 1945 attacks on thecoal liquefaction plant atUbe, atank farm atAmagasaki and theNippon Oil refinery atTsuchizaki.[15]
After thesurrender of Japan the squadron dropped food and supplies to Alliedprisoners of war in Japan and later flew inshow of force missions.[15] It was inactivated on Guam 15 April 1946.[4]
The911th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy was organized on 1 December 1958 atSeymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The squadron was equipped with first generationBoeing KC-135A Stratotankers as part of the4241st Strategic Wing, a dispersedStrategic Air Command (SAC)Cold War wing formed to spread SAC'sBoeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for theSoviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.[18] The wing was equipped with the B-52G.[2] Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minutealert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962.[19] The squadron flew worldwide training missions with the KC-135s.[2] During 1959 it participated in tests to determine the compatibility of the KC-135 with the refueling systems of theNorth American F-100 Super Sabre,McDonnell F-101 Voodoo,Lockheed F-104 Starfighter,Republic F-105 Thunderchief andDouglas B-66 Destroyer aircraft.[20]
In early 1960, the 4241st wing deployed its operational squadrons during the reconstruction of the Seymour Johnson runway and main taxiway. During this time the 911th operated fromGoose Air Base in Labrador, Canada.[21] That summer, the squadron supported the deployment ofNineteenth Air Force from Seymour Johnson toClark Air Base, Philippines in Exercise Mobile Yoke.[22] In 1961 a crew from the squadron was named the top refueling crew in SAC during the annual combat competition.[23]
The squadron transferred to the68th Bombardment Wing in April 1963 when SAC replaced its Major Command controlled MAJCON strategic wings with wings carrying the honors ofWorld War II organizations.[24] The squadron periodically deployed to support theEielson andSpanish Tanker Task Forces.[25]
Beginning on 1 May 1972, the 911th deployed toAndersen Air Force Base, Guam and was attached to the Strategic Wing, Provisional, 72. Its mission was to support B-52 long-range air strikes overSoutheast Asia with air refueling. It remained at Andersen supporting that mission until withdrawn in July 1973, returning to Seymour Johnson.[2]
On 19 September 1985 the 911th was consolidated with the 411th Bombardment Squadron, giving the squadron a lineage and history dating to May 1917. The same year, the squadron traded in its KC-135As and receivedMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders.[2] Peacetime training missions continued until October 1989 when it supported tactical air operations as part ofOperation Just Cause, the United States invasion of Panama. During the1991 Gulf War, aircraft and crews from the squadron deployed toLajes The Azores;Rota andZaragoza and were attached to the 1709th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional).[26] It operated from 31 December 1990 until March 1991 from its forward deployed base, then returned to Seymour Johnson.[2]
On 22 April 1991, the squadron was transferred to the4th Operations Group ofTactical Air Command (TAC) at Seymour Johnson, becoming part of the composite4th Wing when the Air Force began to organize composite wings, which called for one wing on a base, was implemented there.[26] With the inactivation of SAC and TAC in June 1992,Air Combat Command began to transfer its air refueling assets toAir Mobility Command and the 911th was reassigned to the319th Operations Group atGrand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota as the fourth tanker squadron of the319th Air Refueling Wing, which became a "super tanker wing."[27] The squadron's KC-10s were left behind and transferred to the newly activated711th Air Refueling Squadron[28] and the 911th converted to the KC-135R Stratotanker.[2]
With the 319th, the squadron deployed KC-135Rs and crews to support tanker activities in OperationDeny Flight, the United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina;Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations action to remove the military junta and restore the elected president ofHaiti; and Operation Constant Vigil fromHoward Air Force Base in Panama. In 1996, the squadron was awarded the Spaatz Trophy for being the best air refueling squadron in Air Mobility Command during 1995.[29] In 1997 members of the squadron deployed toIncirlik Air Base, Turkey to supportOperation Northern Watch the Southwest Asia Task Force operation to monitor and control airspace in northern Iraq. From June through August 2000 the squadron moved its operations toMacDill Air Force Base, Florida while the runways at Grand Forks were being repaired.[30]
After 11 September 2001 attacks, the 911th contributed personnel and aircraft to the319th Air Expeditionary Group. It was deployed to a makeshift tent city somewhere in the arid desert of Southwest Asia. From the start of air operations over Afghanistan 7 October to 2 November 2001 the 319th had flown over 150 sorties and more than 1050 hours; pumping over 1.4 million US gallons (5,300 m3) of gas into more than 450 planes. The squadron remained in a partially deployed state, supportingOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom throughout the 2000s. Implementing the recommendations of the2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the 911th was inactivated on 30 June 2007.[2][31]
The 911th Air Refueling Squadron was reactivated on 12 April 2008 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as a geographically separated unit, the second KC-135 squadron of the6th Air Mobility Wing atMacDill Air Force Base, Florida. With its return to its long-time base at Seymour Johnson, the squadron became an "Active Associate" unit, partnering with theAir Force Reserve Command's77th Air Refueling Squadron of the916th Air Refueling Wing. The 911th was the first tanker active associate unit to be formed[1] and this reversed the roles of the units during the 1980s when the 916th wing (then a group) was an affiliate of the 911th.[28] The 77th received an additional eight airplanes for it to operate with the 911th. The 77th shared its KC-135R/T aircraft with the 911th Air Refueling Squadron and personnel operating between the two squadrons.[1][2] The squadron won its second Spaatz Trophy[h] as an associate unit.[32] In July 2020, the squadron was withdrawn from its associate status with the now-redesignated6th Air Refueling Wing, transitioned to theKC-46A Pegasus, and was assigned to the305th Operations Group atMcGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey while remaining a geographically separated unit status at Seymour Johnson AFB, flying Air Force Reserve KC-46s assigned to the 916 ARW.[2]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 6 July 1945 – 13 July 1945 Japan | 411th Bombardment Squadron[4] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1965 – 30 June 1966 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1985 – 30 June 1987 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 26 April 1989 – 1 April 1991 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 23 April 1991 – 31 May 1993 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1993 – 30 June 1995 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1994 – 31 October 1994 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1995 – 30 June 1997 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2002 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2004 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2006 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2006 – 30 June 2007 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 12 April 2008 – 30 June 2009 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2009 – 31 July 2009 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 August 2009 – 30 June 2010 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 2013 – 30 June 2014 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 2016 – 31 July 2017 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2017 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Theater of Operations | 23 January 1918 – 1919 | 21st Aero Squadron[4] |
 | Antisubmarine | January 1942-25 June 1942 | 21st Reconnaissance Squadron (later 411th Bombardment Squadron)[4] |
.png) | American Theater without inscription | 7 December 1941 – 7 April 1945 | 21st Reconnaissance Squadron (later 411th Bombardment Squadron)[4] |
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 12 May 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 411th Bombardment Squadron[4] |
| Eastern Mandates | 30 June 1945 – 1945 | 411th Bombardment Squadron[4] |
| Western Pacific | 12 May 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 411th Bombardment Squadron[4] |
 | Defense of Saudi Arabia | 2 August 1990 – 16 January 1991 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2][j] |
| Liberation and Defense of Kuwait | 17 January 1991 – 11 April 1991 | 911th Air Refueling Squadron[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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