79th Air Refueling Squadron

79th Air Refueling Squadron
79th Air Refueling Squadron Patch
Active	1 April 1943 - 15 November 1945 11 April 1948 - 16 April 1951 18 May 1955 - 15 May 1958 14 May 1966 - 1 October 1978 1 September 1982 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Aerial refueling
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command 4th Air Force 349th Air Mobility Wing 349th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Travis Air Force Base
Engagements	Operation Overlord Operation Dragoon Operation Market Garden Operation Varsity
Decorations	DUC AFOUA RVGC w/ Palm

The 79th Air Refueling Squadron (79 ARS) is a unit part of the USAF, belonging to the 349th Operations Group at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates the KC-10 Extender aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions as the reserve associate to the 60th Air Mobility Wing.

History

The 79th transported cargo and troops in the European Theater of Operations and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II, dropped relief supplies to Bastogne and took part in airborne assaults on Normandy, southern France, the Netherlands, and Germany in 1944 and 1945. It performed worldwide airlift operations from, 1966–1971, including missions to Southeast Asia. The squadron also flew airborne early warning and control missions in the air defense of the United States from, 1971-1978. Since 1982 it has trained for and flown worldwide air refueling and strategic airlift missions, including contingency and humanitarian relief operations.

Lineage

• Constituted as 79 Troop Carrier Squadron on 23 Mar 1943

Activated on 1 Apr 1943

Inactivated on 15 Nov 1945

• Activated in the Reserve on 11 Apr 1948

Re-designated as: 79 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 27 Jun 1949

Ordered to active service on 1 Apr 1951

Inactivated on 16 Apr 1951

• Activated in the Reserve on 18 May 1955

Inactivated on 15 May 1958

• Re-designated as: 79 Military Airlift Squadron, and activated in the Reserve, on 14 Mar 1966

Organized on 1 Apr 1966

Re-designated as: 79 Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron on 30 Jun 1971

Inactivated on 1 Oct 1978

• Re-designated as: 79 Air Refueling Squadron (Heavy) (Associate) on 21 Jun 1982

Activated in the Reserve on 1 Sep 1982

Re-designated as: 79 Air Refueling Squadron (Associate) on 1 Feb 1992

Re-designated as: 79 Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Oct 1994.

Aircraft

• C-47 Skytrain (1943–1945, 1948–1951)
• T-7 Navigator (1948–1951)
• T-11 Kansan (1948–1951)
• C-46 Commando (1955–1958)
• C-119 Flying Boxcar (1957–1958)

• C-124 Globemaster II (1966–1971)
• C-121 Constellation (1971–1973, 1976–1978)
• EC-121 Warning Star (1971–1978)
• KC-10 Extender (1982–Present)

References

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

• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5

• AFHRA 79th Air Refueling Squadron History