Lineage

Constituted 53d Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942. Activated on 1 Jun 1942. Redesignated 53d Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942. Inactivated on 31 Jul 1945. Activated on 30 Sep 1946. Redesignated: 53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 1 Jul 1948; 53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 15 Aug 1948; 53d Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 8 Jul 1966. Activated on 8 Jan 1972. Redesignated 53d Airlift Squadron on 1 Jan 1992. Inactivated on 30 Apr 1993. Activated on 1 Oct 1993.

Assignments

61st Transport (later, 61st Troop Carrier) Group, 1 Jun 1942-31 Jul 1945. 61st Troop Carrier Group, 30 Sep 1946 (attached to the Airlift Task Force, Provisional, Aug 1958-Feb 1959, Feb-Jul 1960, and 5 Jan 1961-Apr 1962); 63d Troop Carrier Group, 8 Oct 1959; 63d Troop Carrier (later, 63d Military Airlift) Wing, 18 Jan 1963-8 Jul 1966. 63d Military Airlift Wing, 8 Jan 1972; 63d Military Airlift Group, 1 Oct 1978; 63d Military Airlift Wing, 1 Jul 1980; 63d Operations Group, 1 Jan 1992-30 Apr 1993. 314th Operations Group, 1 Oct 1993-.

Stations

Pope Field, NC, 1 Jun 1942-3 May 1943; Lourmel, Algeria, 15 May 1943; Kairouan, Tunisia, Jun 1943; Licata, Sicily, 6 Aug 1943; Sciacca, Sicily, 6 Oct 1943-12 Feb 1944; Barkston, England, 18 Feb 1944; Abbeville, France, 13 Mar-18 May 1945; Waller Field, Trinidad, 29 May-31 Jul 1945. Orly Field, France, 30 Sep 1946; Eschborn AB, Germany, 14 Dec 1946; Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 8 Aug 1947; Templehof AB, Germany, 20 Jan 1948; Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 22 Apr 1948-21 Jul 1950; McChord AFB, WA, 26 Jul-12 Dec 1950; Ashiya AB, Japan, 13 Dec 1950; Johnson AB, Japan, 13 Sep-18 Nov 1952; Larson AFB, WA, 21 Nov 1952; Donaldson AFB, SC, 21 Aug 1954 (deployed at Rhein-Main AB, Germany, Aug 1958-Feb 1959, Feb-Jul 1960, and 5 Jan 1961-Apr 1962); Hunter AFB, GA, 1 Apr 1963-8 Jul 1966. Norton AFB, CA, 8 Jan 1972-30 Apr 1993. Little Rock AFB, AR, 1 Oct 1993-.

Aircraft

C-47, 1942-1945. C-47, 1946-1948; C-54, 1948-1952; C-124, 1952-1966. C-141, 1972-1993.

Operations

World War II: Included airborne assaults on Sicily, Normandy, Holland, and Germany; aerial transportation in MTO and ETO. Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949. Korean War: Aerial transportation from US to Japan, Aug-Dec 1950, and between Japan and Korea, 13 Dec 1950-Nov 1952. Airlift, 1953-1966, including resupply to the Antarctic, (Project Deep Freeze), 1957-1958, and missions to Southeast Asia during the conflict in Vietnam. Worldwide airlift, 1972-1993, into Grenada, 23 Oct-9 Nov 1983, during the invasion of Panama, 20 Dec 1989, and to Southwest Asia, Aug 1990-Jun 1991.

Honors

Service Streamers. World War II American Theater.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe. Korea: CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. Panama, 1989-1990.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Sicily, 11 Jul 1943; France, [6-7] Jun 1944; Korea, 13 Dec 1950-21 Apr 1951. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1957-10 Dec 1962; 1 Jun 1978-31 May 1980; 1 Jan-31 Dec 1983; 1 Jan- 31 Dec 1987; 1 Jan 1990-30 Apr 1991. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 1 Jul 1951-18 Nov 1952. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-[8 Jul 1966].

Emblem

Azure the Jack of Spades playing card bendwise sinister surmounting another card bendwise proper, all within a diminished bordure Or. MOTTO: PRIMUS ***** PLURIMI-First with the Most. Approved on 10 Sep 1953 (47560 A.C.) and slightly modified on 9 Dec 1994.