World War II The
squadron was first activated on 1 July 1943 at
Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico as the
756th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the
459th Bombardment Group. The squadron trained with
Consolidated B-24 Liberators under
Second Air Force until October, when it moved to
Westover Field, Massachusetts. The squadron flew long-range convoy escort missions over area between the Newfoundland Banks and Long Island Sound in November and December 1943 while
Giulia Airfield, its station in Italy, was being constructed. In January 1944, the squadron began its overseas movement. In July 1948,
Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and
Air National Guard units from ADC. President
Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force. In June 1949 ConAC reorganized its reserve units under the
wing base organization system, The 756th became a corollary squadron, moving on paper to
Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas, where it became a corollary of
Strategic Air Command's
301st Bombardment Wing. In the fall of 1949, the 301st Wing moved to
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and the 756th moved with it. Along with all other reserve corollary units, the squadron was
mobilized for the
Korean War. Once the squadron was mobilized in May 1951 SAC reassigned its personnel to other units and the unit inactivated it two weeks later.
Reactivation in reserves The squadron was reactivated in the reserve at
Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland in May 1954 as the
756th Troop Carrier Squadron and began training with
Curtiss C-46 Commandos. Meanwhile, The
Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift. About 150
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in 1957 the unit began conversion to the Flying Boxcar. At Andrews, the squadron trained with the 2259th Air Reserve Flying Center, but in 1958, the center was inactivated and some of its personnel were absorbed by the squadron. In place of active duty support for reserve units, ConAC adopted the
Air Reserve Technician Program, in which a cadre of the unit consisted of full time personnel who were simultaneously civilian employees of the Air Force and held rank as members of the reserves. Another reorganization affected the unit in April 1959, when reserve units adopted the dual deputy organization. Under this plan, the 459th Troop Carrier Group was inactivated and the squadron reported directly to the
459th Troop Carrier Wing. At that time, the squadron was assigned to the
909th Troop Carrier Group, The squadron flew C-130 missions transporting military equipment to the Caribbean, evacuating wounded and students, and reinforcing
marines with
army forces, until the island was turned over to a peace keeping force of Caribbean countries. The squadron returned to the strategic airlift mission in 1986, trading in its Hercules aircraft for
Lockheed C-141 Starlifters. In late 1989, the squadron participated in
Operation Just Cause, the removal of
Manuel Noriega as ruler of Panama. This was the largest air operation by the USAF since the
Vietnam War. Squadron C-141s were part of the task force that staged elements of
XVIII Airborne Corps from
Pope Air Force Base to
Charleston Air Force Base, then airlanded them in Panama. The squadron provided aircrews and planes to support
Operation Desert Storm and
Operations Northern and
Southern Watch. The squadron was redesignated in 2003 as an
air refueling squadron and equipped with
Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers. Squadron crews and planes have provided air refueling support for
Operation Noble Eagle,
Operation Enduring Freedom and
Operation Iraqi Freedom. ==Lineage==