The squadron was activated on 8 December 1962 at
Tan Son Nhut Air Base,
South Vietnam as part of the
315th Troop Carrier Group, Assault, replacing the 6493rd Aerial Port Squadron (provisional). The 6493rd included 135 permanently assigned personnel, 15 others on temporary assignment and 61 Vietnamese and Thai nationals for unskilled tasks. Most were located at Tan Son Nhut and
Bangkok's
Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base. In May 1963 the squadron established detachments at
Qui Nhon Airfield (Detachment 6) and
Cần Thơ Base Camp (Detachment 7). In June a detachment moved to
Bien Hoa Air Base (Detachment 5) from Thailand. In October
Military Air Transport Service air terminal detachments at Tan Son Nhut and Dong Muang were merged into the 8th Aerial Port Squadron. In December 1963 Detachment 4 was formed at
Nha Trang Air Base. In December 1964 a detachment was established at
Vung Tau Air Base. In April 1965 the 6th Aerial Port Squadron was established at Don Muang to replace 8th Squadron detachment there. On 1 December 1965 the 14th Aerial Port Squadron was established at
Cam Ranh Air Base and the 15th Aerial Port Squadron was established at
Danang Air Base, together with the 8th they had 35 detachments across South Vietnam. In September 1966 the squadron received the National Defense Transportation Award for its outstanding service while operating "under combat conditions, in a hostile environment, coupled with shortages of material and personnel." In early 1968 an aerial port mobility team drawn from the 8th and 15th Aerial Port Squadrons served at
Khe Sanh Combat Base during the
Battle of Khe Sanh. On 1 February 1971 a combat control team from the squadron was deployed to the reopened
Dong Ha Combat Base to provide communications and traffic control services in support of
Operation Lam Son 719. Two six-man aerial port mobility teams were later moved to the reopened Khe Sanh Combat Base where they handled cargo in support of the operation. The start of the
Easter Offensive in late March 1972 found the aerial port system severely depleted by
Vietnamization and hard-pressed to meet the demands for transport of South Vietnamese forces north. Cargo handling rose from 18,000 tons in March to 47,000 tons in April and 51,000 tons in March. The squadron attributed a rising accident rate to personnel fatigue.
Assignments •
315th Troop Carrier Group, 8 December 1962 – 8 March 1966 • 2nd Aerial Port Group, 15 October 1966 - 1973 ==References==