9th Air Refueling Squadron

9th Air Refueling Squadron
9th Air Refueling Squadron
	Official crest of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron
Active	January 19, 1942 – December 4, 1945; August 1, 1951 – December 15, 1965; December 12, 1969 – January 27, 1982; August 1, 1982 –
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Size	over 140 combat-ready personnel
Part of	Air Mobility Command; Eighteenth Air Force; 60th Air Mobility Wing; 60th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Travis Air Force Base
Motto(s)	"UNIVERSAL"
Equipment	(12x) KC-10A Extender
Commanders
Current Commander	Lieutenant Colonel Matt Lloyd
Current Operations Officer	Lieutenant Colonel Glen Goss
Acting First Sergeant	SMSgt Tim Nelson
Current Squadron Superintendent	SMSgt Tim Nelson
Notable; commanders	General Arthur J. Lichte ; Lieutenant General Paul Selva ; Brigadier General Michelle D. Johnson

The 9th Air Refueling Squadron (9th ARS) was initially activated in 1951, although its history can be traced back to the 9th Photographic Squadron of World War II. The 9th ARS has had many deployments to worldwide locations, and is still performing a global mission (some to remote forward operating location), during wartime, humanitarian operations, and exercises.

History

The 9th Photographic Squadron performed combat photo reconnaissance in the China-Burma-India Theater from December 1, 1942 through April 14, 1945. Then the unit transferred their mission to worldwide air refueling, and with a name change to the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, received KB-29 tanker aircraft. They then began refueling operations from August 1951 to December 1965, January 1970 to January 1982, and from August 1982 through today, including support during the rescue of US nationals from Grenada in 1983, support for deployments to Southwest Asia from 1990 to 1991, and humanitarian airlift missions to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope during 1992–1993. Following the events of 9/11 supported Operation Noble Eagle. Starting in October 2001 and continuing present day deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Starting in March 2003 and continuing present day deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Operations

The 9th ARS has a proud legacy of participation in Air Force Operations such as:

Desert Strike
Phoenix Scorpion I
Phoenix Scorpion II
Phoenix Scorpion III
Phoenix Scorpion IV
CentrazBat
Phoenix Banner (presidential support)
[[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Allied Force]]
Desert Fox
Urgent Fury
Operation Noble Eagle
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom

Lineage and honors

Constituted as 9th Photographic Squadron on January 19, 1942. Activated on February 1, 1942. Redesignated as 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on June 9, 1942; 9th Photographic Squadron (Light) on February 6, 1943; 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on November 13, 1943. Inactivated on December 4, 1945.

Consolidated with the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium (which was constituted on July 24, 1951), and activated on August 1, 1951. Discontinued, and inactivated, on December 15, 1965.

Redesignated 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on December 12, 1969. Activated on January 1, 1970. Inactivated on January 27, 1982.

Activated on August 1, 1982. Redesignated 9th Air Refueling Squadron on September 1, 1991.

Campaign streamers

This unit earned the following organizational campaign streamers:

World War II: New Guinea; Central Pacific; India-Burma; Central Burma; China Defensive.

Decorations

This unit earned the following organizational decorations:

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (4): January 1, 1957 – January 31, 1958; August 1, 1982 – June 30, 1983; July 1, 1987 – June 30, 1989; July 1, 1989 – June 30, 1991.

Awards

General Carl A. Spaatz Trophy 2002
SMSgt Al Evans Trophy 2003, 2006

Emblem

On a Blue disc edged with a narrow Blue border fimbriated Red, a Red elliptical globe, rimmed and grid lined White. Issuing from the rim in sinister and arced to form the figure 9, a spiralling White contrail terminating below a Red and White ascending flight symbol. MOTTO: UNIVERSAL. (Approved on July 19, 1971)

New replacement emblem approved on December 2, 1954.

Assignments

First Air Force, February 1, 1942
Tenth Air Force, March 29, 1942 (flight attached to Fourteenth Air Force, March 10, 1943 – July 12, 1943)
Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, October 30, 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Provisional], October 30, 1943 – January 17, 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, January 17, 1944 – March 6, 1944)
Tenth Air Force, March 7, 1944
8th Photographic (later, 8th Reconnaissance) Group, April 25, 1944
Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. October 1945 – December 4, 1945.

9th Bombardment Group, August 1, 1951 (attached to 43d Bombardment Wing, August 1, 1951 – September 3, 1951
36th Air Division, September 4, 1951 – January 14, 1952
303d Bombardment Wing, January 15, 1952 – )
9th Bombardment (later, 9th Strategic Aerospace) Wing, June 16, 1952 – December 15, 1965 (remained attached to 303d Bombardment Wing, to April 30, 1953; attached to 5th Air Division, April 18, 1955 – July 16, 1955; SAC Liaison Team, May 2, 1956 – July 1, 1956).

456th Strategic Aerospace (later, 456th Bombardment) Wing, January 1, 1970
17th Bombardment Wing, September 30, 1975
100th Air Refueling Wing, September 30, 1976 – January 27, 1982.

22d Bombardment (later, 22d Air Refueling) Wing, August 1, 1982
22d Operations Group, September 1, 1991
722d Operations Group, January 1, 1994
60th Operations Group, September 1, 1994 – .

Stations

Mitchel Field (later, Mitchel Air Force Base), New York, February 1, 1942
Bradley Field (later, Bradley International Airport), Connecticut, March 10, 1942
Felts Field (later, Felts Field Airport), Washington, April 16, 1942 – May 18, 1942
Karachi, India, July 24, 1942 (flight at Kunming, Yunnan province, China, November 1942 – July 12, 1943, with detachment thereof operating from Kweilin, China, c. February 1943 – July 2, 1943)
Chakulia, India, November 30, 1942 (detachment operated from Dinjan, India, March 18, 1943 – July 1943)
Pandaveswar, India, January 3, 1943 (detachment operated from Dinjan, India, c. September 1943 – May 20, 1944)
Barrackpore, India, October 29, 1943 (detachment operated from Tingkawk Sakan, Burma (later, Myanmar), August 16, 1944 – November 30, 1944, and from Myitkyina, Burma, November 27, 1944 – c.December 5, 1944; another detachment operated from Chittagong, India, c. October 9, 1944 – December 21, 1944)
Myitkyina, Burma, c. December 5, 1944
Piardoba, India, c. May 1, 1945
Malir, India, c. October 1945–c.November 14, 1945
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, December 3, 1945 – December 4, 1945

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, August 1, 1951
Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, May 1, 1953 – December 15, 1965 (deployed at Benguerir AB, French Morocco, April 18, 1955 – July 16, 1955; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, May 2, 1956 – July 1, 1956)

Beale Air Force Base, California, January 1, 1970 – January 27, 1982

March Air Force Base (later, March Air Reserve Base), California, August 1, 1982
Travis Air Force Base, California, September 1, 1994 –

Aerospace vehicles

In addition to F-4 Lightning, 1942–1944; and F–5 Lightning, 1943–1945; included B-25 Mitchell, 1943–1945.

KB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1954; KC-97G Stratotanker, September 15, 1954 – 1965.

KC-135Q Stratotanker, 1970–1982.

KC-10A Extender, 1982–.

Commanders

1. Lt Col Russell F. Ireland..................August 1, 1951 – October 11, 1951
2. Maj Jack N. Fancher.......................October 11, 1951 – November 2, 1951
3. Lt Col John B. Stokes......................November 2, 1951 – May 1, 1953
4. Maj C.C. Gifford..............................May 1, 1953 – September 1, 1963
5. Maj Edward H. Dvorak.....................September 1, 1953 – March 19, 1954
6. Lt Col Max W. Rogers...................March 19, 1954 – September 1, 1958
7. Lt Col William B. Becklund.............September 1, 1958 – April 27, 1959
8. Lt Col Donald S. Seeley................April 27, 1959 – September 30, 1960
9. Lt Col William B. Becklund...........September 30, 1960 – July 31, 1962
10. Lt Col Roy J. Sousley Jr...............July 31, 1962 – September 30, 1964
11. Lt Col Carl E. Rice.....................September 30, 1964 – December 15, 1965
INACTIVE........................................December 15, 1965 – December 12, 1969
12. Lt Col Clarence W. Thomas..........December 12, 1969 – January 4, 1971
13. Lt Col Richard D. Jenkins..............January 4, 1971 – April 1, 1971
14. Lt Col Allan J. Surridge.................April 1, 1971 – August 15, 1971
15. Lt Col William C. Walker............August 15, 1971 – October 9, 1971
16. Lt Col Louis C. Wagner................October 9, 1971 – June 6, 1972
17. Lt Col James G. Dunham..............June 6, 1972 – March 3, 1973
18. Lt Col Joe H. Snow......................March 3, 1973 – February 1, 1974
19. Lt Col Douglas A. Jewett..............February 1, 1974 – September 1, 1976
20. Lt Col William R. Borkowski.........September 1, 1976 – September 20, 1977
21. Lt Col Melvin U. Edens............ ..September 20, 1977 – October 6, 1978
22. Lt Col Curtis R. Archer Jr..............October 6, 1978 – November 30, 1979
23. Lt Col Larry D. Sykes.................November 30, 1979 – March 13, 1981
24. Lt Col Charles P. Rushforth III.....March 13, 1981 – January 27, 1982
INACTIVE.........................................January 27, 1982 – August 1, 1982
25. Lt Col Donald E. Brice.................August 1, 1982 – November 19, 1982
26. Lt Col Joseph M. Hudson............November 19, 1982 – August 12, 1984
27. Lt Col Stephen L. Toles..............August 12, 1984 – June 26, 1986
28. Lt Col Arthur J. Lichte.................June 26, 1986 – July 1, 1988
29. Lt Col Thomas Dooley...................July 1, 1988 – March 23, 1990
30. Lt Col James N. Christian...........March 23, 1990 – March 28, 1991
31. Lt Col Leo A. Brownyard.............March 28, 1991 – May 27, 1992
32. Lt Col Bernard H. Fullenkamp.....May 27, 1992 – June 2, 1993
33. Lt Col Ronald D. Jones.................June 2, 1993 – September 1, 1994
34. Lt Col Paul J. Selva......................September 1, 1994 – April 25, 1995
35. Lt Col Daniel A. Hale...................June 25, 1995 – June 18, 1996
36. Lt Col Michelle D. Johnson..........June 18, 1996 – July 10, 1998
37. Lt Col Richard Traster...................July 10, 1998 – July 11, 1999
38. Lt Col Martin J. Wojtysiak............July 11, 1999 – June 21, 2000
39. Lt Col Mark Simon......................June 21, 2000 – June 21, 2001
40. Lt Col Bruce A. VanSkiver...........June 21, 2001 – June 30, 2003
41. Lt Col Marshall T. Morrison..........June 30, 2003 – June 16, 2005
42. Lt Col Kurt W. Meidel.................June 16, 2005 – June 7, 2007
43. Lt Col Matthew J. Lloyd................June 7, 2007 – Present

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