World War II The
squadron goes back to the days of
World War II when it was activated at
Pope Field, North Carolina, in March 1942, as the
3rd Air Corps Ferrying Squadron. Two months later, the 3rd moved to India, where it was stationed at
Chabua Airfield, Upper Assam, India. It was part of the
India-China Wing of
Air Transport Command and carried supplies and equipment back and forth across
The Hump. The squadron was disbanded in late 1943.
Strategic airlift 42–65402, 3rd ATS, early 1950s During the
Korean War, the 3rd was reconstituted at
Brookley Air Force Base, Alabama as the
3rd Air Transport Squadron, and began flying regularly scheduled airlift missions in its eight
Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs to the Arctic, Caribbean, and South America. In June 1958, the squadron moved to
Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina, where it continued to fly C-124s until August 1965, when it transitioned into jets with the arrival of the first
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. Redesignated the 3rd Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966. The 3rd Airlift Squadron was awarded the prestigious General Joseph Smith Trophy for 2009 when they were judged to be the best airlift squadron in Air Mobility Command. September 2017, saw the 3rd AS deploy to
Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands to deliver much needed humanitarian supplies to the islands following the devastating
Hurricanes Irma and
Maria. September 2019, the squadron took part in Mobility Guardian 2019. Exercise Mobility Guardian is
Air Mobility Command's premier, large-scale mobility exercise that took place that year at
Fairchild Air Force Base,
Washington. ==Lineage==