Lineage

Constituted 17th Transport Squadron on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 11 Dec 1940. Redesignated 17th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942. Inactivated on 31 Jul 1945. Activated on 19 May 1947. Inactivated on 10 Sep 1948. Redesignated 17th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 3 Jul 1952. Activated on 14 Jul 1952. Inactivated on 21 Jul 1954. Activated on 24 Oct 1960. Organized on 8 Feb 1961. Redesignated: 17th Troop Carrier Squadron on 8 Dec 1965; 17th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 Sep 1967; 517th Airlift Squadron on 1 Apr 1992.

Assignments

64th Transport (later, 64th Troop Carrier) Group, 11 Dec 1940?31 Jul 1945. 64th Troop Carrier Group, 19 May 1947?10 Sep 1948. 64th Troop Carrier Group, 14 Jul 1952?21 Jul 1954. Tactical Air Command, 24 Oct 1960; 64th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 Feb 1961; 516th Troop Carrier Wing, 1 Jan 1963; 5040th Air Base Wing, 15 Jun 1964; 21st Composite Wing, 8 Jul 1966; Twenty-Second Air Force, 31 Mar 1975; 616th Military Airlift Group, 1 Nov 1975; 3d Operations Group, 1 Apr 1992?.

Stations

McClellan Field, CA, 11 Jul 1940; Hamilton Field, CA, 11 Jul 1941; Westover Field, MA, 13 Jun?31 Jul 1942; Ramsbury, England, 18 Aug 1942; Greenham Common Airdrome, England, 26 Sep 1942; Blida, Algeria, 27 Nov 1942 (air echelon operated from Nouvion, Algeria, 6?27 Jun 1943 and Kairouan, Tunisia, 27 Jun?26 Jul 1943); Kairouan, Tunisia, 29 Jun 1943; El Djem, Tunisia, 26 Jul 1943; Milo/Trapani Airdrome, Sicily, 1 Sep 1943; Comiso, Sicily, 4 Sep 1943 (air echelon operated from Lalmia, India, 7 Apr?9 Jun 1944); Ciampino, Italy, 8 Jul 1944 (operated from Istres, France, 8 Sep?

11 Nov 1944); Rosignano Airfield, Italy, 10 Jan?23 May 1945; Waller Field, Trinidad, 4 Jun?31 Jul 1945. Langley Field, VA, 19 May 1947?10 Sep 1948. Donaldson AFB, SC, 14 Jul 1952?21 Jul 1954. Dyess AFB, TX, 8 Feb 1961; Elmendorf AFB, AK, 15 Jun 1964?.

Aircraft

C?47, 1941?1945. None, 1947?1948. C?82, 1952?1953; C?119, 1953?1954.

C?130, 1961?; C?124, 1970?1971; C?12, 1992?.

Operations

World War II: Included airborne assaults on Sicily and Southern France; support for partisans in Northern Italy, Jan?May 1945; aerial transportation in MTO, and briefly in CBI. Unmanned, 1947?1948. Resupplied Distant Early Warning (DEW) line sites in Northern Canada and radar sites in Greenland, 1964?1975. Parts of the squadron deployed to South Vietnam, 1967?1968 to provide tactical airlift. Provided C?130 aircraft and crews for Pacific airlift to Southwest Asia, Aug?Nov 1990.

Honors

Service Streamers. World War II American Theater.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Algeria-French Morocco; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Southern France; North Apennines; Po Valley, India-Burma.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citation: CBI Theater, 7 Apr?15 Jun 1944. Air Force

Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device: 2 May 1967?1 Jan 1968. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1962?15 Jun 1964; 16 Jun 1964?31 May 1966; 8 Jul 1966?1 May 1967; 2 Jan?31 Dec 1968; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1969; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1970; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1971; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1972; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1974; 1 Jan?30 Mar 1975; 1 Jan?31 Dec 1979; 1 Jun 1986?31 May 1987; 1 Jun 1987?31 May 1989. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Sep 1966?1 Jan 1968.

Emblem

A White disc charged with a Red silhouetted stylized "fire bird" in profile flight. MOTTO: VERSATILE, CAPABLE. Approved on 29 Mar 1962 (K 13056); modified in 19 Aug 1970.