22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron

On 16 June 1950, the 22d Air Refueling Squadron was activated at March Air Force Base, California, flying the Boeing KC-97 Aircraft. The squadron relocated to McChord AFB, WA on 15 June 1960 where it later upgraded to the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. The squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1962. The Squadron was reactivated at March on 1 July 1963, flying the KC-135 and EC-135 aircraft.

In 1962, SAC established an airborne command post at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, nicknamed Looking Glass, to ensure continuity of command and control of SAC forces in the event of a nuclear attack. Looking Glass was soon augmented by auxiliary aircraft stationed with the headquarters of SAC's three Numbered Air Forces. The 22d received Boeing EC-135C aircraft to operate SAC's Western Auxiliary Command Post's airborne element for Fifteenth Air Force. The 22d continued to operate PACCS aircraft until 1 April 1970, when SAC reorganized its airborne command post aircraft and withdrew them from vulnerable bases near the coasts like Westover and assigned them to the 2d, 3d, and 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadrons, stationed at bases closer to the heartland of North America.[3]

It was deployed to Andersen AB, Guam whereupon it supported the Vietnam War until mid-1973. The squadron was inactivated on 1 December 1989.

On 19 Sep 1985 the 22d Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 22d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), a unit that was last active 2 Nov 1945. This action was directed by Department of the Air Force Letter DAF/MPM 662q Attachment 1 (Active Units), 19 Sep 1985. The Consolidated Unit retained the designation of 22d Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy.

Activated on 1 October 1992 at Mountain Home AFB, ID, it was assigned seven KC-135R model aircraft as part of the Air Force's first Composite Air Intervention Wing. The squadron was consecutively awarded the 366th Wing's Silver Bolt Award for foreign object damage prevention during fiscal year 1997-1 and 1997–2, as well ACC's Best Tanker Award for 1993. The squadron garnered the 366th Wing's only "Outstanding" rating during the July 1995 ORI and its deployed maintenance won the ACC IG Superior Performance Team Award during the 366th Wing's 1997 AEF and first ever combat zone ORI. The 22d ARS was the only squadron in the 366th Wing to display nose art on the entire fleet (nose art developed by crew chief, SSgt Tony Eubanks). It was also awarded the Outstanding Unit Award, 1 June 1998 through 31 May 1999. The squadron was inactivated in 2002.

The unit was converted to provisional status in 2003, and assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate as needed to support combat operations under the purview of AFCENT, in combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism in Afghanistan.

• 7th Bombardment Group, 20 October 1939 (attached to 17th Bombardment Group for training, 26 April – 28 May 1942)
• 341st Bombardment Group, 15 September 1942 – 2 November 1945
• 22d Bombardment Group, 16 June 1950 (attached to 22d Bombardment Wing after 10 February 1951)
• 22d Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952
• 92d Bombardment Wing (later 92d Strategic Aerospace Wing), 15 June 1960 – 1 July 1962
• Strategic Air Command, 21 February 1963 (not organized)
• 22d Bombardment (later, 22d Air Refueling) Wing, 1 July 1963 – 1 December 1989
• 366th Wing, 1 October 1992 – 30 August 2002
• Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 22 January 2003
• Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 19 March 2003[4]

376th Expeditionary Operations Group 22 January 2003 - c. 2014

• Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1939–1940
• Northrop A-17, 1939–1940
• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1940–1942
• North American B-25 Mitchell; 1942–1945
• Douglas A-26 Invader, 1945
• Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, 1952–1960
• Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1960–1962; 1963–1967; 1967–1989; 1992–2002, 2003–Present
• Boeing EC-135, 1963–1970[4]

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Endicott, Judy G. (1998). Active Air Force Wings as of 1 October 1995 and USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ASIN B000113MB2. Retrieved 2 July 2014.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

• Watkins, Robert A. (2017). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II. Vol. VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-5273-7.