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9th Airlift Squadron [9th AS]

The 9th Airlift Squadron has a history dating back to World War II.

Originally constituted as the 9th Transport Squadron on Jan. 1, 1938, and activated on Dec. 1, 1940, the unit was assigned to the 63rd Transport Group at Patterson Field, OH, performing replacement training in the C-34, C-33, and C-39 aircraft.

During World War II, the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron transported cargo and personnel for the Mobile Air Depot in the United States and the Caribbean. It was designated the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron on May 1, 1942. It also trained with paratroopers before moving to Camp Williams, WI, on May 24, 1942. The unit practiced glider towing in Arkansas, California, and New Mexico while flying the C-50 aircraft.

The 9th Troop Carrier Squadron moved to Hickam Field, Hawaii, early in 1944 and became part of a joint Navy/Army Air Corps transport group. Flying the C-46 and C-47 aircraft, the squadron was assigned the mission of carrying cargo, mail and passengers, as well as air evacuation of wounded. It continued to fly spraying missions and transport routes after the war from the islands of Saipan and Guam. The unit was deactivated on October 15, 1946, and was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve on June 27, 1949.

The unit was again inactivated at Altus AFB, OK, in 1951, and reactivated on March 19, 1953, to fly C-124s from Donaldson AFB, SC. It participated in maneuvers, exercises and the airlift of personnel and cargo to many points throughout the world, helped evacuate Hungarian refugees, supported the construction of the eastern mission test range, and the Distant Early Warning Line sites in the Arctic.

The 9th Troop Carrier Squadron was discontinued and inactivated in January 1963 with the closing of Donaldson AFB. The squadron was reactivated on November 13, 1964, and redesignated the 9th Military Airlift Squadron (MAS) on January 8, 1966 at Dover AFB, DE. The squadron flew a broad spectrum of missions, which included support of Presidential trips to Southeast Asia and scientific expeditions in the Antarctic. The unit flew the C-124 aircraft from 1965 to 1966 and the C-141 from 1966 to 1968.

It was inactivated again in 1968, only to be reactivated on April 8, 1971. In July 1971, the squadron began receiving the C-5 Galaxy, and now whereas 36 of the world's largest aircraft, with the 3rd Airlift Squadron and the 512th Associate Reserve Wing. Since receiving the C-5, the squadron has actively supported nearly every major airlift operation throughout the world as well as countless high-level-interest Army and Air Force exercises.

The 9th AS received the coveted MacKay Trophy from the Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, for the most meritorious flight of the year 1977. This special- assignment airlift mission flew non-stop from Chicago to Moscow, airlifting a 40-ton superconducting magnet with 45 tons of related equipment. The 5,900 mile flight was an aeronautical first in that it was the first time in the history of aviation that an aircraft with so heavy a payload had flown so far, non-stop. In 1979, a 9th AS crew was co-recipient with a 3rd Airlift Squadron crew of the MacKay Trophy for exceptional competence, determination, and total dedication exhibited during the Zaire Airlift Operation I in May 1978, making the 9th AS the first and only unit to win this coveted award in consecutive years.

The 9th Airlift Squadron supported U.S. efforts to rescue civilians off the island of Grenada and flew the first C-5 mission to Panama supporting Operation Just Cause. The 9th AS crews flew more missions in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, ensuring the success of the largest airlift operation in history. In response to increasing hostilities, a 9th AS crew was one of the first C-5 missions delivering desperately needed M-1 tanks and personnel to Mogadishu, Somalia; a 20 hour quadruple air-refueling mission support effort during Operation Restore Hope.

The 9th Airlift Squadron flew the first C-5 mission to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, supporting efforts to restore the country's democracy. On November 20, 1994, a 9th AS crew flew 20 hours non-stop from Kazakhstan in the former Soviet Union to Dover, delivering over 600 kilograms of unprotected weapons grade uranium; a tremendous success which helped the United Nations reduce the nuclear threat around the world. This mission was repeated on April 21, 1998, when the 9th AS evacuated more weapons grade uranium from Tiblisi, Georgia, to safety in Europe.