8th Special Operations Squadron

The primary mission of the squadron is insertion, extraction, and resupply of unconventional warfare forces and equipment into hostile or enemy-controlled territory using airland or airdrop procedures. ==History==

The 8th Special Operations Squadron can trace its history to 21 June 1917 when the 8th Aero Squadron was organized at Kelly Field, Texas. The squadron has an unbroken history of over 95 years of service to the United States. World War I The 8th Aero Squadron was drawn from enlisted personnel of the 2d Company I, Provisional Aviation Camp, Camp Kelly, Texas. After a short period of training at Kelly, the squadron boarded a train and moved to Selfridge Field, Michigan, on 5 July. Together with the 9th Aero Squadron, the 8th helped to construct the new flying field. For three and one-half months, the 8th Aero Squadron was engaged in training. Flight cadets, aviation mechanics, fitters and riggers learned their basic skills. At Selfridge, the flight cadets completed primary aviation flight training, including soloing on Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" trainers. Intra-War period Upon its arrival at Kelly Field, the squadron was reorganized to a peacetime strength manning of two flights. At Kelly, the 8th, along with the 12th, 13th and 90th Aero Squadrons were formed into the Army Surveillance Group on 1 July 1919. The group was re-designated the 3d Attack Group on 2 July 1921. Mexican Border patrol : see also: United States Army Border Air Patrol The mission of the Army Surveillance Group was to carry out observation overflights along the Mexican Border. During this period, Mexico was enduring a period of revolution and unrest, which led to border violations and the deaths of American citizens. New personnel for the squadron were transferred from Rockwell Field, California, and the squadron was equipped with new surplus Dayton-Wright DH-4 aircraft. After being manned and equipped, the squadron was then divided into two flights: one at Kelly Field and "A" Flight being sent to McAllen, Texas, along the Rio Grande in South Texas. In March 1950, the 3d Wing moved to Johnson Air Base On 30 June, President Harry S. Truman ordered ground troops into action at Osan. As the first American soldiers of Task Force Smith encountered the enemy, overhead were the 8th Bombardment Squadron's B-26 attack bombers. From Yokota they hit the North Korean forces with napalm, high explosives, rockets and incendiaries. In July, the squadron personnel and equipment were moved to Iwakuni Air Base to be closer to the Korean peninsula. From Iwakuni, The 8th Squadron flew its B-26 missions against the North. Between 27 June and 31 July, the 3d Bombardment Group destroyed 42 tanks, 163 vehicles, 39 locomotives, 65 bridges, 14 supply dumps and killed or wounded nearly 5,000 enemy troops. The 3d Bombardment Group flew 676 day and night sorties that included interdiction, low-level attack, close air support and night intruder. The achievement earned the 3rd Bombardment Group its third Distinguished Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. According to the initial plan, 20 B-57Bs of the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons were to be stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base. This would mark the first deployment of jet combat aircraft to Vietnam. However, this was technically a violation of the Geneva Protocols which forbade the introduction of jet combat aircraft to Vietnam, so the squadrons were assigned to the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark and carried out rotational deployments to South Vietnam on a temporary basis. The deployments began and the first B-57s arrived in the first week of August 1964. A-37 Counter-Insurgency Operations The 8th moved to Bien Hoa Air Base, where it redesignated as the 8th Attack Squadron and absorbed the Cessna A-37B Dragonfly of the 310th and 311th Attack Squadrons and given a counter-insurgency (COIN) mission. The squadron moved, without personnel or equipment, to the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base. On 1 July 1973, the unit was redesignated as the 8th Fighter Squadron but remained an unmanned and unequipped unit. The reason it was not simply inactivated is that the unit was the second oldest squadron in the Air Force was historically significant. It remained assigned without personnel or aircraft until March 1974. In 2010, the squadron deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment, its crews flew 875 combat sorties, 642 direct assault sorties, infiltrated 4069 special operations force assaulters, transported 284 terrorists and high-value targets and delivered over 87,000 pounds of supplies to allied forces. ==Lineage==

• Organized as the 8th Aero Squadron on 21 June 1917 : Redesignated 8th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 31 July 1918 : Redesignated 8th Aero Squadron on 3 May 1919 : Redesignated 8th Squadron (Surveillance) c. June 1921 : Redesignated 8th Squadron (Attack) c. November 1921 : Redesignated 8th Attack Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 15 December 1939 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 28 September 1942 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 25 May 1943 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Light c. April 1944 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder on 25 June 1951 : Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical on 1 October 1955 : Redesignated 8th Attack Squadron on 18 November 1969 : Redesignated 8th Special Operations Squadron on 30 September 1970 : Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1973 : Redesignated 8th Special Operations Squadron on 1 March 1974. Assignments • Headquarters, Camp Kelly, 21 June 1917 • Headquarters, Selfridge Aviation Field, 8 July 1917 • Aviation Concentration Center, 28 October 1917 • Headquarters American Rest Camp, 8 December 1917 • Headquarters American Air Service Camp, 1 May 1918 • Air Service Replacement Concentration Center, 20 July 1918 • I Corps Observation Training Center, 30 July 1918 • IV Corps Observation Group, 31 August 1918 (attached to 1st Division), 8–14 September 1918 • VI Corps Observation Group, 23 October 1918 • Advanced Section Services of Supply, 5 February-21 Apr 1919 • Post Headquarters, Mitchell Field, 3 May 1919 • Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 25 May 1919 • Army Surveillance Group (later 1st Surveillance Group, 3d Group (Attack), 3d Attack Group, 3d Bombardment Group) 1 July 1919 (attached to 3d Bombardment Wing after 13 August 1956) • 3d Bombardment Wing, 25 October 1957 (attached to 41st Air Division after 1 September 1963) • 41st Air Division, 8 January 1964 (attached to 405th Fighter Wing after 9 April 1964 • Thirteenth Air Force, 24 April 1964 (attached to 405th Fighter Wing, 24 April-17 November 1964; further attached to 34th Tactical Group, 5 August-3 November 1964) • 405th Fighter Wing, 18 November 1964 (attached to 33d Tactical Group 18 June 1965; 2d Air Division, 28 June-7 July 1965; 6252d Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 July-15 August 1965, 16 October-16 December 1965 and 15 February-7 April 1966; 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 8–18 April 1966, 15 June-15 August 1966, 12 October-12 December 1966, 11 February-12 April 1967, 7 June-2 August 1967, and 26 September-21 November 1967) • 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 January 1968 (attached to 405th Fighter Wing until 17 January 1968) • 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 November 1969 • 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 30 September 1970 (attached to 315th Tactical Airlift Wing after 16 July 1971) • 315th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 July 1971 • 377th Air Base Group (later 377th Air Base Wing), 15 January 1972 (attached to 6251st Air Base Squadron, 1–14 September 1972, Detachment 2, 377th Air Base Wing, 15–30 September 1972) • 405th Fighter Wing, 1 October 1972 • 1st Special Operations Wing (later 834th Tactical Composite Wing, 1st Special Operations Wing), 1 March 1974 • 1st Special Operations Group (later 16th Operations Group, 1st Special Operations Group), 22 September 1992 – present. ;; Intra-War Period • Mitchel Field, New York, 3 May 1919 • Kelly Field, Texas, 25 May 1919 : Flight at McAllen Field, Texas, after 25 July 1919 • McAllen Field, Texas, 13 August 1919 : Flight operated from Laredo Field, Texas, 15 August 1919 – 3 August 1920 : Flight operated from Pope Field, North Carolina, after 13 August 1920 : Detachment of flight operated from Laredo Field, Texas, after 3 August 1920 • Kelly Field, Texas, 2 July 1921 : Flight at Pope Field, North Carolina until 26 November 1921 • Fort Crockett, Texas, 30 June 1926 • Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 27 February 1935 • Savannah Air Base, Georgia, 8 October 1940 – 19 January 1942 ;; United States Air Force • Johnson Air Base, Japan, 14 March 1950 • Iwakuni Air Base, Japan, 1 July 1950 • Kunsan Air Base (K-8), South Korea, 18 August 1951 • Johnson Air Base, Japan, 5 October 1954 • Yokota Air Base, Japan, 17 November 1960 (deployed to Clark Air Base, Philippines after 9 April 1964) • Clark Air Base, Philippines, 24 April 1964 : Deployed to: :: Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, 5 August–3 November 1964; Tan Son Nhut Airport, South Vietnam, 18–28 June 1965; Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, 28 June–15 August 1965, 16 October–16 December 1965, 15 February–18 April 1966, and 15 June–15 August 1966; Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam, 12 October–12 December 1966, 11 February–12 April 1967, 7 June–2 August 1967 and 26 September–22 November 1967) • Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam, 17 January 1968 • Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, 15 November 1969 • Clark Air Base, Philippines, 1 October 1972 – 1 March 1974 • Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 9 (Hurlburt Field), Florida, 1 March 1974 • Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 3 (Duke Field), Florida, 18 February 2000 • Hurlburt Field, Florida, 31 August 2006 – present Aircraft • Curtiss JN-4, 1917 • Dayton-Wright DH-4, 1918–1919; 1919–1934 • Boeing GA-1, 1923 • Douglas O-2, 1926–1928 • Curtiss A-3 Falcon, 1928–1934 • Thomas-Morse O-19, 1932–1936 • Curtiss A-8 Shrike, 1933–1936 • Curtiss A-12 Shrike, 1934–1936 • Northrop A-17 Nomad, 1936–1940 • Curtiss A-18 Shrike, 1937–1941 • Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1939–1941 • Douglas A-24 Banshee, 1941–1942 • Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1941, 1942–1945 • North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1945 • Douglas B-26 Invader, 1945–1956 • Martin B-57B Canberra, 1956–1968 • Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, 1968–1972 • Lockheed AC-130H Spectre Gunship, 1975–1976 • Lockheed MC-130E Combat Talon, 1974–2006 • Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey, 2007 – present Operations • World War I • World War II • Korean War • Vietnam War • Operation Eagle Claw • Operation Urgent Fury • Operation Just Cause • Operation Desert Shield • Operation Desert Storm • Operation Provide Promise • Operation Deny Flight • Operation Assured Response • Operation Southern Watch • Operation Enduring Freedom • Operation Iraqi Freedom ==See also==