14th Airlift Squadron [14th AS]

The 14th Airlift Squadron "the Pelicans" is a unit of the 437th Airlift Wing and is based at Charleston AFB, SC.

Used in the employment of worldwide, direct-delivery JCS airlift requirements, The 14th Airlift Squadron provides combat-ready C-17A Globemaster III aircrews for worldwide, direct-delivery airlift supporting rapid global mobility efforts of the Air Force during global contingencies. 14th AS crews maintain air refueling, tactical ingress/egress, low-level airdrop and air land skills at a razor sharp edge providing the war fighting CINCs the ability to project and sustain combat forces directly from the CONUS into short, austere airfields and theater drop zones. In addition, the squadron is tasked with providing emergency nuclear airlift, aeromedical evacuation and humanitarian relief missions.

The 14th AS began flying the C-17 in 1995 after flying the C-141B since 1967. Other aircraft flown by the 14th through the years are the C-124, C-54, C-47, C-39 and C-33. Its roots go back to 1940, when the unit was activated as the 14th Transport Squadron. The 14th flew airborne assaults in Europe during WW II and took part in the Berlin Airlift several years later. It provided aerial transportation during the Korean War and the Vietnam Conflict.

In the years following Vietnam, the 14th AS was involved in Operations Urgent Fury, Just Cause, Desert Shield/Storm, Fiery Vigil, Provide Hope, Provide Comfort, Provide Relief/Restore Hope, Southern Watch, Uphold Democracy, Support Hope and Joint Endeavor. Recent operations such as Joint Endeavor provided a challenge for the 14th AS, said Maj. William Changose, 14th AS operations officer. Members deployed to the Bosnian region in the dead of winter where support at destination locations was often minimal. Phoenix Tusk, a deployment to Africa as part of a United States-African relief effort, in November 1997, was no easier.

The unit's skills were tested and proven in numerous global contingencies and natural disasters in 1999. The squadron flawlessly performed combat supply, hurricane evacuation, humanitarian support, medical resupply, emergency aeromedical evacuation and FEMA disaster relief missions.