Lineage

Constituted 8th Photographic Squadron on 19 Jan 1942. Activated 1 Feb 1942. Redesignated: 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 9 Jun 1942; 8th Photographic Squadron (Light) on 6 Feb 1943; 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 13 Nov 1943; 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic, on 10 Aug 1948; 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo?Jet, on 1 Aug 1949. Inactivated on 25 Feb 1951. Redesignated 8th Flying Training Squadron on 14 Apr 1972. Activated on 1 Nov 1972.

Assignments

IV Air Support Command, 1 Feb 1942; Fifth Air Force, 29 Mar 1942 (attached to Allied Air Forces, Apr?Sep 1942); V Bomber Command, 5 Sep 1942; 6th Photographic (later, 6th Reconnaissance) Group, 13 Nov 1943 (attached to V Bomber Command after c. 10 Dec 1945); V Bomber Command, 27 Apr 1946; 314th Composite Wing, 31 May 1946; 71st Reconnaissance (later, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance) Group, 28 Feb 1947 (attached to 314th Composite Wing to Nov 1947); Fifth Air Force, 1 Apr 1949; 543d Tactical Support Group, 26 Sep 1950?25 Feb 1951. 71st Flying Training Wing, 1 Nov 1972; 71st Operations Group, 15 Dec 1991?.

Stations

March Field, CA, 1 Feb?14 Mar 1942 (two flights at March Field, CA, to 16 Jun 1942); Melbourne, Australia, 7 Apr 1942; Brisbane, Australia, 24 Apr 1942; Townsville, Australia, 2 May 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, 9 Sep 1942; Nadzab, New Guinea, 16 Mar 1944 (operated from Biak after c. 11 Aug 1944); Biak, 10 Sep?20 Oct 1944; Dulag, Leyte, 4 Nov 1944 (air echelon at Clark Field, Luzon, 19 May?12 Aug 1945); Okinawa, 21 Jul 1945; Chofu, Japan, 28 Sep 1945; Irumagawa, Japan, 25 Jan 1946; Yokota AB, Japan, 25 Mar 1949 (detachment operated from Itazuke AB, Japan, from 29 Jun 1950); Itazuke AB, Japan, 9 Jul 1950; Taegu AB, South Korea, 2 Oct 1950; Komaki AB, Japan (operated from Taegu AB, South Korea), 26 Jan?25 Feb 1951. Vance AFB, OK, 1 Nov 1972?.

Aircraft

In addition to P?38/F?4, 1942?1944, and P?38/F?5, 1943?1946, included B?17, 1942?1943, B?26, 1943?1944, and F?6, 1946; P?51 and P?61, 1946; F?15 (later, RF?61), 1947?1949; RF?80, 1949?1951. T?37, 1972?.

Operations

Combat in Southwest Pacific and Western Pacific, 16 Apr 1942?25 Aug 1945. Not operational, Apr 1946?Jul 1947. Combat in Korea, 29 Jun 1950?24 Feb 1951. Undergraduate pilot training for USAF, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and selected foreign allies, 1 Nov 1972?.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: East Indies; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; Guadalcanal; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive; Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua, 23 Jul 1942?23 Jan 1943; Philippine Islands, 18?[20] Sep 1944; Philippine Islands, [26] Nov?15 Dec 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jan?31 Dec 1975; 1 Jan 1977?30 Apr 1978; 1 May 1982?30 Apr 1984; 1 Apr 1986?31 Mar 1988; 1 Apr 1988?31 Mar 1990. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (WWII). Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 10?[24] Feb 1951.

Emblem

Celeste, on a mount issuing two palm trees in dexter Vert, and below a cloud Argent surmounted in sinister by a lightning flash palewise Azure, a caricature of a native American proper, attired with a feather palewise from hair of the third tipped Gules above a chevron reversed of the fourth and a loin cloth of the like bordered White and Red; pendant from a neck strap, a camera Sable and Argent and grasping in sinister hand, a tomahawk proper with his dexter hand resting on the number eight pool ball proper overall in base. Approved c. Jun 1990 (DFSC 91?03020) and slightly modified on 13 Apr 1995; replaced emblems approved on 8 Aug 1984 and 2 Jan 1973 (KE 51211).