168th Air Refueling Squadron

168th Air Refueling Squadron
File:168th Air Refueling Squadron emblem.jpg 168th Air Refueling Squadron Emblem
Active	since 1942
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Squadron
Role	Air Refueling
Part of	Air National Guard/Pacific Air Forces
Garrison/HQ	Eielson Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Chena
Commanders
Current commander	Lt. Colonel Robert Mackelprang

The 168th Air Refueling Squadron (168 ARS) is a unit of the [168th Air Refueling Wing]] located at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

History

Lineage

• Constituted 437th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 19 Jun 1942

Activated on 26 Jun 1942

Redesignated 437th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 3 Feb 1945

Inactivated on 4 Jan 1946

• Redesignated 168th Bombardment Squadron (Light), and allotted to Illinois Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946.

Extended federal recognition on 19 Oct 1947

Re-designated: 168th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 Jan 1953

Re-designated: 168th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 Jul 1955

Inactivated on 31 May 1958

• Redesignated 168th Air Refuling Squadron on 1 Oct 1986.

Assignments

• 319th Bombardment Group, 26 Jun 1942
• VII Bomber Command, 18 Dec 1945-4 Jan 1946
• 126th Bombardment Group (Light), 19 Oct 1947
• 126th Composite Group, Nov 1950
• 126th Bombardment Group (Light), Feb 1951
• 126th Fighter Bomber Group, 1 Jan 1953
• 126th Fighter Interceptor Group, 1 Jul 1955-31 May 1958
• Alaska Air National Guard, 1 Oct 1986
• 168th Air Refueling Group, 23 Oct 1990-Present

Stations

• Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 26 June 1942
• Harding Army Air Field, Louisiana, 8–27 August 1942
• RAF Shipdham (USAAF Station 115), England, 12 September 1942
• RAF Horsham St Faith (USAAF Station 123), England, c. 4 October 1942
• Saint-Leu Airfield, Algeria, c. 11 November 1942
• Oran Tafaraoui Airport, Algeria, 18 November 1942
• Maison Blanche Airport, Algeria, 24 November 1942
• Telergma Airfield, Algeria, c. 12 December 1942
• Oujda Airfield, French Morocco, 3 March 1943
• Rabat-Salé Airport, French Morocco, 25 April 1943
• Sedrata Airfield, Algeria, 1 June 1943
• Djedeida Airfield, Tunisia, 26 June 1943

• Decimomannu Airfield, Sardinia, c. 1 November 1943
• Serragia Airfield, Corsica, c. 21 September 1944–1 January 1945
• Bradley Field, Connecticut, 25 January 1945
• Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, c. 28 February–27 April 1945
• Kadena Airfield, Okinawa, c. 2 July 1945
• Machinato-Naha Airfield, Okinawa, 21 July–21 November 1945
• Fort Lawton, Washington, 17–18 December 1945
• Orchard Place Airport (Later O’Hare IAP), Illinois, 19 Oct 1947-31 May 1958

Operated from: Langley AFB, Virginia, Jul 1951

Operated from: Bordeaux-Merignac AB, France, Oct-Nov 1951

Operated from: Laon-Couvron AB, France, May 1952-1 Jan 1953

• Eilson AFB, Alaska, 1 Oct 1986-Present.

References

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

External links

• 168th Air Refueling Wing (official site)
• Eielson Air Force Base
• Alaska Air National Guard