44th Military Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last was assigned to the 60th Military Airlift Wing, Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
, stationed at Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
, California. It was inactivated on 1 March 1972.
History
Organized in 1955 at McGuire AFB, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
when assets on inactivated 1600th Air Transport Group
1600th Air Transport Group
The 1600th Air Transport Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Atlantic Division, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts...
were moved to McGuire from Westover AFB, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, however never fully manned or equipped. Inactivated a few days after activation.
Reactivated in 1961 at Travis AFB, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as a C-135B Stratolifter strategic airlift squadron. Operated C-135s over Pacific and around the world transport routes under Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
. Became the first organization to use jets while airlifting Bob Hope Christmas tours to the Far East in 1963. On 23 April 1965, squadron received the first operational Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
, which it operated over MATS and later Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
routes on a worldwide basis, 1965-1972. Frequently flew cargo and personnel to United States bases in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Inactivated in 1972 due to budget restrictions as part of the post-Vietnam drawdown of the USAF.
Lineage
- Established as 44th Air Transport Squadron on 1 Nov 1955
- Activated on 9 Nov 1955
- Inactivated on 14 Nov 1955
- Reactivated as: 44th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy, on 1 Nov 1961
- Redesignated: 44th Military Airlift Squadron, Heavy on 8 Jan 1966
- Inactivated on 1 March 1972
Assignments
- 1611th Air Transport Wing1611th Air Transport WingThe 1611th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey...
, 9-14 Nov 1955 - 1501st Air Transport Wing1501st Air Transport WingThe 1501st Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, being inactivated on 8 January 1966.The 1501st ATW was a heavy cargo transport wing of the Military Air Transport Service , formed on 1 June 1948...
, 1 Nov 1961-8 Jan 1966 - 60th Military Airlift Wing, 8 Jan 1966-1 Mar 1972
Stations
- McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 9-14 Nov 1965
- Travis AFB, California, 1 Nov 1961-1 Mar 1972