Ferrying The first predecessor of the
squadron, the
12th Air Corps Ferrying Squadron, was activated on 8 April 1942 at
Logan Field, Massachusetts, but moved the following month to
New Castle Army Air Base, Delaware. While stationed in the Northeast, the squadron was primarily involved with delivering aircraft to the
European Theater of Operations. In early 1943, the squadron moved to
Love Field, Texas, and concentrated on ferrying aircraft from manufacturers to operational and training units. At the end of March 1944,
Air Transport Command (ATC) reorganized its units in the United States under the Base Unit system, and the 12th was disbanded and with all other ATC units at Love Field was reorganized into the 555th AAF Base Unit. It was reconstituted and consolidated with the other predecessor units in September 1985.
Liaison tactics development The squadron's second predecessor is the
162nd Liaison Squadron, which was activated at
Aiken Army Air Field, South Carolina on 15 May 1944. Like most liaison squadrons, it was equipped with the
Stinson L-5 Sentinel. The squadron developed tactics and tested equipment for liaison units in the
Army Air Forces. In particular, during 1945, it tested the suitability of Sikorsky helicopters for the liaison mission. In December 1945, it moved to
Brooks Field, Texas, where it operated with the
69th Reconnaissance Group through July. The squadron inactivated on 3 October 1946 and was consolidated with the other predecessor units in September 1985. when the
1st Aeromedical Transport Group, which was stationed at
Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, replaced the
1706th Air Transport Group. The
group was responsible for
aeromedical evacuation missions throughout the United States. The 12th Squadron was equipped with
Convair C-131 Samaritans and was primarily responsible for evacuation missions in the northeastern United States. In June 1964,
Military Air Transport Service (MATS) reorganized its medical evacuation squadrons under the
1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing, stationed at
Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. In 1965, mission responsibility expanded to included Newfoundland and Labrador. When Military Airlift Command (MAC) replaced MATS in January 1966, the
375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing replaced the 1405th Wing and the squadron became the
12th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron. It continued its mission until inactivating in June 1969 as the more capable
Douglas C-9 Nightingale permitted consolidation of the medical evacuation mission in the United States into one location, Scott Air Force Base. The three squadrons were consolidated into one in September, 1975 retaining the 12th Airlift designation, but have remained inactive. ==Lineage==