• Constituted as the
53d Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942 : Activated on 1 June 1942 : Redesignated
53d Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945 • Activated on 30 September 1946 : Redesignated
53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 July 1948 : Redesignated
53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 15 August 1948 : Redesignated
53d Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Discontinued and inactivated on 8 July 1966 • Activated on 8 January 1972 : Redesignated
53d Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992 : Inactivated on 30 April 1993 • Activated on 1 October 1993 : Inactivated on 11 January 2008 • Activated on 15 May 2008 : Inactivated 30 September 2016
Assignments •
61st Transport Group (later 61st Troop Carrier Group), 1 June 1942 – 31 July 1945 • 61st Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1946 (attached to Airlift Task Force, Provisional, August 1958 – February 1959, February–July 1960, and 5 January 1961 – April 1962) •
63d Troop Carrier Group, 8 October 1959 •
63d Troop Carrier Wing (later 63d Military Airlift Wing), 18 January 1963 – 8 July 1966 • 63d Military Airlift Wing, 8 January 1972 • 63d Military Airlift Group, 1 October 1978 • 63d Military Airlift Wing, 1 July 1980 • 63d Operations Group, 1 January 1992 – 30 April 1993 •
314th Operations Group, 1 October 1993 – 11 January 2008 •
463d Airlift Group, 15 May 2008 – 1 October 2008 •
19th Operations Group, 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2016
Stations •
Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 23 October 1942 •
Lubbock Army Air Field, Texas, 15 November 1942 •
Pope Field, North Carolina, 26 Feb-30 Apr 1943 •
Lourmel Airfield, Algeria, 15 May 1943 •
Kairouan Airfield, Tunisia, 21 June 1943 •
Licata Airfield, Sicily, 3 September 1943 •
Sciacca Airfield, Sicily, 6 Oct 1943 – 12 Feb 1944 •
RAF Barkston Heath (AAF-483), England, 18 February 1944 •
Abbeville/Drucat Airfield (B-92), France, 13 Mar-19 May 1945 • Waller Field, Trinidad, 29 May-31 Jul 1945 •
Orly Field, France, 30 September 1946 •
AAF Station Eschborn, Germany, 14 December 1946 •
AAF Station Frankfurt, Germany, 8 August 1947 •
Tempelhof Air Base, Germany, 20 January 1948 •
Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 22 April 1948 – 21 July 1950 •
McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 26 July–12 December 1950 •
Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 13 December 1950 •
Johnson Air Base, Japan, 13 September–18 November 1952 •
Larson Air Force Base, Washington, 21 November 1952 •
Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, 21 August 1954 (deployed at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, August 1958 – February 1959, February–July 1960, and 5 January 1961 – April 1962) •
Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia, 1 April 1963 – 8 July 1966 •
Norton Air Force Base, California, 8 January 1972 – 30 April 1993 •
Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 1 October 1993 – 11 January 2008 • Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 15 May 2008 – 30 September 2016
Aircraft • Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1942–1945) •
Curtiss C-46 Commando (1946–1948) •
Douglas C-54 Skymaster (1948–1952) •
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II (1952–1966) •
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter (1972–1993) •
Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1993–2016) ==References==