Lineage

Constituted 39th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 28 Mar 1944. Activated on 1 Apr 1944. Inactivated on 18 Oct 1948. Redesignated 39th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 20 Dec 1950. Activated on 2 Jan 1951. Redesignated 39th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 16 Jun 1952. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Sep 1963. Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 9th Air Commando Squadron (Psychological Operations), which was constituted, and activated, on 9 Jan 1967. Organized on 25 Jan 1967. Redesignated 9th Special Operations Squadron on 1 Aug 1968. Inactivated on 29 Feb 1972. Activated on 1 Mar 1988.

Assignments

6th Bombardment Group, 1 Apr 1944?18 Oct 1948. 6th Bombardment Group, 2 Jan 1951; 6th Bombardment (later, 6th Strategic Aerospace) Wing, 16 Jun 1952?15 Sep 1963. Pacific Air Forces, 9 Jan 1967; 14th Air Commando (later, 14th Special Operations) Wing, 25 Jan 1967; 315th Tactical Airlift Wing, 30 Sep 1971?29 Feb 1972. 39th Special Operations Wing, 1 Mar 1988; 1st Special Operations Wing, 18 Apr 1989; 1st Special Operations (later, 16th Operations) Group, 22 Sep 1992?.

Stations

Dalhart AAFld, TX, 1 Apr 1944; Grand Island AAFld, NE, 26 May?18 Nov 1944; North Field, Tinian, 28 Dec 1944; Clark Field, Luzon, 13 Mar 1946; Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1 Jun 1947?18 Oct 1948. Walker AFB, NM, 2 Jan 1951?15 Sep 1963. Pleiku AB, South Vietnam, 25 Jan 1967; Nha Trang AB, South Vietnam, 1 Sep 1967; Tuy Hoa AB, South Vietnam, 5 Sep 1969; Phan Rang AB, South Vietnam, 15 Aug 1970?29 Feb 1972. Eglin AFB, FL, 1 Mar 1988?.

Aircraft

B?17, 1944; B?29, 1944?1947. B?29, 1951?1952; B?36, 1952?1957; B?52, 1957?1963. C?47, 1967?1972; U?10, 1967; O?2, 1967?1972. HC?130, 1988?.

Operations

Combat in Western Pacific, 27 Jan?14 Aug 1945. No personnel assigned, 25 Apr 1947?18 Oct 1948. While retaining combat capability, trained B?52 crews for Strategic Air Command 15 Jul 1959?Sep 1963. Combat in Southeast Asia, Mar 1967?Jan 1972. Trained for special operations, refueling and resupply missions using modified C?130 aircraft, 1988?. Combat in Panama, 20 Dec 1989?14 Jan 1990 and Southwest Asia, 16 Jan?5 Apr 1991.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific; Air Offensive, Japan. Vietnam: Vietnam Air Offensive; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III; Vietnam Air/Ground; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV; TET 69/Counteroffensive; Vietnam Summer-Fall, 1969; Vietnam Winter-Spring, 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Southwest Monsoon; Commando Hunt V; Commando Hunt VI; Commando Hunt VII. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. Panama, 1989?1990.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Tokyo, Japan, 25 May 1945; Japanese Empire, 9?19 Jul 1945. Presidential Unit Citations: Vietnam, 1?7 Mar 1967; Vietnam, 21 Jun 1968?30 Jun 1969. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" device: 16 Jun 1967?20 Jun 1968; 1 Jul 1970?30 Jun 1971. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 May 1960?31 May 1962; 1 May 1988?30 Apr 1990; 16 Apr 1992?15 Apr 1994. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Crosses with Palm: [Mar] 1967?1 Aug 1968; 16 Jun 1967?[9 Jan] 1972; 1 Jan?30 Aug 1968; 5 Oct 1971?[9] Jan 1972.

Emblem

On an Ultramarine Azure disc bordered with Air Force Or, an Argent snow owl clutches a Gules commando knife. An Argent crescent moon on the sinister side of the disc is in the background. MOTTO: NIGHT WINGS. Approved on 7 Jul 1988 (DFSC 88?08490); replaced emblems approved on 7 Mar 1969 (KE 34397) and 11 Apr 1961 (K 12339).