816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
Military unit / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was a provisional United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar. It was last engaged in combat operations in Southwest Asia.
816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1942–1945; 1953–1956; 2006–2022 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Airlift |
Part of | Air Mobility Command |
Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations Korean War Afghanistan Campaign[citation needed] Iraq Campaign[citation needed] |
Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
Insignia | |
816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron emblem[lower-alpha 2][1] | |
Unofficial 816th Troop Carrier Squadron patch (Korean War era)[lower-alpha 3] |
During World War II as the 816th Bombardment Squadron, it was one of the last B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber squadrons deployed to Southern Italy as part of the Fifteenth Air Force's 483d Bombardment Group in March 1944. The squadron earned two Distinguished Unit Citations in combat over Germany. After the war, it helped transport American soldiers returning to the United States until it was inactivated in Italy.
The squadron was activated as the 816th Troop Carrier Squadron in 1953 in Japan, when it replaced a reserve unit that had been activated for the Korean War. It airlifted troops and materiel in the Pacific until inactivating in 1956.