Lineage

Constituted 9th Photographic Squadron on 19 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Feb 1942. Redesignated: 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 9 Jun 1942; 9th Photographic Squadron (Light) on 6 Feb 1943; 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 13 Nov 1943. Inactivated on 4 Dec 1945. Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, which was constituted on 24 Jul 1951. Activated on 1 Aug 1951. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Dec 1965. Redesignated 9th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 12 Dec 1969. Activated on 1 Jan 1970. Inactivated on 27 Jan 1982. Activated on 1 Aug 1982. Redesignated 9th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Sep 1991.

Assignments

First Air Force, 1 Feb 1942; Tenth Air Force, 29 Mar 1942 (flight attached to Fourteenth Air Force, 10 Mar?12 Jul 1943); Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, 30 Oct 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Provisional], 30 Oct 1943?17 Jan 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 Jan?6 Mar 1944); Tenth Air Force, 7 Mar 1944; 8th Photographic (later, 8th Reconnaissance) Group, 25 Apr 1944; Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. Oct?4 Dec 1945. 9th Bombardment Group, 1 Aug 1951 (attached to 43d Bombardment Wing, 1 Aug?3 Sep 1951; 36th Air Division, 4 Sep 1951?14 Jan 1952; 303d Bombardment Wing, 15 Jan 1952?); 9th Bombardment (later, 9th Strategic Aerospace) Wing, 16 Jun 1952?15 Dec 1965 (remained attached to 303d Bombardment Wing, to 30 Apr 1953; attached to 5th Air Division, 18 Apr?16 Jul 1955; SAC Liaison Team, 2 May?1 Jul 1956). 456th Strategic Aerospace (later, 456th Bombardment) Wing, 1 Jan 1970; 17th Bombardment Wing, 30 Sep 1975; 100th Air Refueling Wing, 30 Sep 1976?27 Jan 1982. 22d Bombardment (later, 22d Air Refueling) Wing, 1 Aug 1982; 22d Operations Group, 1 Sep 1991; 722d Operations Group, 1 Jan 1994; 60th Operations Group, 1 Sep 1994?.

Stations

Mitchel Field, NY, 1 Feb 1942; Bradley Field, CT, 10 Mar 1942; Felts Field, WA, 16 Apr?18 May 1942; Karachi, India, 24 Jul 1942 (flight at Kunming, China, Nov 1942?12 Jul 1943, with detachment thereof operating from Kweilin, China, c. Feb?12 Jul 1943); Chakulia, India, 30 Nov 1942 (detachment operated from Dinjan, India, 18 Mar?Jul 1943); Pandaveswar, India, 3 Jan 1943 (detachment operated from Dinjan, India, c. Sep 1943?20 May 1944); Barrackpore, India, 29 Oct 1943 (detachment operated from Tingkawk Sakan, Burma, 16 Aug?30 Nov 1944, and from Myitkyina, Burma, 27 Nov?c. 5 Dec 1944; another detachment operated from Chittagong, India, c. 9 Oct?21 Dec 1944); Myitkyina, Burma, c. 5 Dec 1944; Piardoba, India, c. 1 May 1945; Malir, India, c. Oct?c. 14 Nov 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 3?4 Dec 1945. Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1 Aug 1951; Mountain Home AFB, ID, 1 May 1953?15 Dec 1965 (deployed at Benguerir AB, French Morocco, 18 Apr?16 Jul 1955; Elmendorf AFB, AK, 2 May?1 Jul 1956). Beale AFB, CA, 1 Jan 1970?27 Jan 1982. March AFB, CA, 1 Aug 1982; Travis AFB, CA, 1 Sep 1994?.

Aircraft

In addition to F?4, 1942?1944, and F?5, 1943?1945, included B?25, 1943?1945. KB?29, 1951?1954; KC?97, 1954?1965. KC?135, 1970?1982. KC?10, 1982?.

Operations

Combat photo reconnaissance in CBI Theater, 1 Dec 1942?14 Apr 1945. Worldwide air refueling, Aug 1951?Dec 1965, Jan 1970?Jan 1982, and Aug 1982?, including support during the rescue of US nationals in Grenada in 1983, support for deployments to Southwest Asia, 1990?1991, and humanitarian airlift missions to Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope, 1992?1993.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

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

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jan 1957?31 Jan 1958; 1 Aug 1982?30 Jun 1983; 1 Jul 1987?30 Jun 1989; 1 Jul 1989?30 Jun 1991.

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 19 Jul 1971 (KE 42628); replaced emblem approved on 2 Dec 1954 (K 8810).