Lineage

Constituted 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated: 8th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942; 8th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 Aug 1943; 8th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 6 Nov 1944; 8th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 8 Jan 1946; 8th Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled, on 1 May 1948; 8th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 10 Aug 1948; 8th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 Feb 1950; 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 Jul 1958; 8th Fighter Squadron on 1 Nov 1991.

Assignments

49th Pursuit (later 49th Fighter; 49th Fighter-Bomber) Group, 15 Jan 1941 (attached to 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 15 Apr?15 Oct 1957); 49th Fighter-Bomber (later, 49th Tactical Fighter; 49th Fighter) Wing, 10 Dec 1957 (attached to 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, c. 12 Sep?c. 11 Oct 1970 and 10 Sep?6 Oct 1971; 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, 3 Mar?5 Apr 1973 and 5 Sep?6 Oct 1975; 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, 21 Sep?20 Oct 1976 and 22 Aug?22 Sep 1977); 49th Operations Group, 15 Nov 1991?.

Stations

Selfridge Field, MI, 15 Jan 1941; Morrison Field, FL, c. 23 May 1941?4 Jan 1942; Melbourne, Australia, 2 Feb 1942; Canberra, Australia, 16 Feb 1942; Darwin, Australia, 17 Apr 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, 25 Sep 1942; Dobodura, New Guinea, 15 Apr 1943; Tsili Tsili, New Guinea, 30 Aug 1943; Gusap, New Guinea, c. 29 Oct 1943; Hollandia, New Guinea, 3 May 1944; Biak, 23 Jun 1944; Tacloban, Leyte, 25 Oct 1944; San Jose, Mindoro, 2 Jan 1945; Lingayen, Luzon, 27 Feb 1945; Okinawa, 17 Aug 1945; Atsugi, Japan, 15 Sep 1945; Chitose AB, Japan, c. 20 Feb 1946; Misawa AB, Japan, 2 Apr 1948; Ashiya AB, Japan, 30 Jun 1950; Itazuke AB, Japan, 8 Jul 1950; Taegu AB, South Korea, 29 Sep 1950; Kunsan AB, South Korea, 1 Apr 1953; Misawa AB, Japan, 4 Nov 1953?10 Dec 1957; Etain/Rouvres AB, France, 10 Dec 1957; Spangdahlem AB, Germany, 25 Aug 1959?15 Jul 1968; Holloman AFB, NM, 15 Jul 1968? (deployed at Ramstein AB, Germany, c. 12 Sep?c. 11 Oct 1970 and 10 Sep?6 Oct 1971; Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, 12 May?4 Oct 1972; Hahn AB, Germany, 3 Mar?5 Apr 1973 and 5 Sep?6 Oct 1975; Ramstein AB, Germany, 21 Sep?20 Oct 1976 and 22 Aug?22 Sep 1977).

Aircraft

P?35, 1941; P?40, 1942?1944; P?47, 1943?1944; P?38, 1944?1946; P?51, 1946?1949, 1950; F?80, 1948?1951; F?84, 1951?1957; F?100, 1957?1962; F?105, 1962?1967; F?4, 1967?1978; F?15, 1978?1992; AT?38, 1992?.

Operations

Combat in Southwest Pacific, c. 20 Apr 1942?4 Aug 1945. Combat in Korea, 2 Jul 1950?27 Jul 1953. Combat in Southeast Asia, c. 12 May?2 Oct 1972. Portions of the squadron deployed to Southwest Asia to fly combat air patrol, 19 Sep?19 Dec 1991.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: East Indies; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; New Guinea; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN

Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Vietnam: Vietnam Ceasefire.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Australia, [c. 20 Apr]?25 Aug 1942; Papua,

[c. 30 Sep] 1942?23 Jan 1943; New Guinea, 14 May 1943; Philippine Islands, 27 Oct?7 Dec 1944; Korea, [2 Jul]?25 Nov 1950; Korea, 9 Jul?27 Nov 1951. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device: 5 May?6 Oct 1972. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Mar 1964?28 Feb 1966; 1 Mar 1966?30 Jun 1967; 1 Jan 1971?15 Apr 1972. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (WWII). Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations: [2 Jul] 1950?7 Feb 1951; 8 Feb 1951?31 Mar 1953. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 9 May?4 Oct 1972.

Emblem

On an Air Force Golden Yellow disc within a narrow Black border, a Black sheep, his eye White, standing on a Red lightning flash fesswise, abased, the lightning pointing to dexter. MOTTO: THE BLACK SHEEP. Approved on 12 May 1960 (K 11830); replaced emblem approved on 7 Jan 1952 (43183 A.C.).