Lineage

Constituted as 728 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Redesignated 728 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 Aug 1943. Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945. Redesignated 728 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 11 Mar 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 19 Apr 1947. Redesignated 728 Bombardment Squadron, Light on 27 Jun 1949. Ordered to active duty on 10 Aug 1950. Redesignated 728 Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder on 25 Jun 1951. Relieved from active duty, and inactivated, on 10 May 1952. Redesignated 728 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 6 Jun 1952. Activated in the Reserve on 13 Jun 1952. Redesignated: 728 Bombardment Squadron, Tactical on 22 May 1955; 728 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 Jul 1957; 728 Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 1 Dec 1965; 728 Military Airlift Squadron on 1 Jan 1966; 728 Military Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 1 Jan 1972; 728 Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 1 Feb 1992; 728 Airlift Squadron on 1 Oct 1994.

Assignments

452 Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945. 452 Bombardment Group, 19 Apr 1947-10 May 1952. 452 Tactical Reconnaissance (later, 452 Bombardment; 452 Troop Carrier) Group, 13 Jun 1952; 452 Troop Carrier Wing, 14 Apr 1959; 942 Troop Carrier (later, 942 Air Transport; 942 Military Airlift) Group, 17 Jan 1963; 944 Military Airlift Group, 1 Jan 1972; 445 Military Airlift Wing, 1 Jul 1973; 446 Military Airlift (later, 446 Airlift) Wing, 1 Jan 1992; 446 Operations Group, 1 Aug 1992-.

Stations

Geiger Field, WA, 1 Jun 1943; Rapid City AAB, SD, 9 Jul 1943; Pendleton Field, OR, 10 Oct 1943; Walla Walla AAFld, WA, 6 Nov-23 Dec 1943; Deopham Green, England, c. 11 Jan 1944-c. 5 Aug 1945; Sioux Falls AAFld, SD, 14-28 Aug 1945. Long Beach AAFld (later, Long Beach Muni Aprt), CA, 19 Apr 1947; George AFB, CA, 10 Aug-26 Oct 1950; Itazuke AB, Japan, 8 Nov 1950; Miho AB, Japan, 10 Dec 1950; Pusan-East AB, South Korea, 23 May 1951-10 May 1952. Long Beach Muni Aprt, CA, 13 Jun 1952; March AFB, CA, 14 Oct 1960; Norton AFB, CA, 1 Jan 1972; McChord AFB, WA, 1 Jan 1992-.

Commanders

None (unmanned), 1 Jun-8 Jul 1943; Maj Robert E. Kaufman, 9 Jul 1943; Maj George J. Oxrider, by Sep 1943; Maj Talmadge D. Reed, by Apr 1944; Maj Edward A. Steedman, Oct 1944; Maj Carl M. Thomajan, 11 Nov 1944; Maj Charles W. Lunan, 27 Dec 1944-c. 24 Jun 1945; unkn, Jul-28 Aug 1945. Unkn, 19 Apr 1947-Jun 1948; Lt Col Arthur R. Reaume, by Jul 1948-unkn; Lt Col Claude J. Norton, by Sep 1950; Maj Gene L. Maddocks, 9 Apr 1951; Maj Isaac T. Van Patten III, 1 Jul 1951; Lt Col John W. Hiney, c. 1 Dec 1951; Maj St. Clair Thompson Jr., c. 8 Mar-10 May 1952. Lt Col Merle E. Larson, 13 Jun 1952; Maj George M. Becker, by Jun 1960; Maj James L. Menard, by Aug 1962-Jan 1963; unkn, Feb 1963-Apr 1964; Col George D. Hoffman, May 1964; Col Charles J. Harmon, Jun 1971; Col Evan E. Clements, 1 Jan 1972; Col James M. Rizor, Oct 1973; Col William L. Worthington, 24 Jul 1977; Lt Col Errol R. French, 29 Aug 1979; Lt Col William E. Hensley, 7 Jun 1980; Lt Col Emmet D. Murphy, 1 Jul 1982; Col Lewis Aaronson, 14 May 1983; Col James C. Wecker, 29 Oct 1985; Lt Col Thomas W. Vinson, 1 Nov 1989; Lt Col John W. Barton, 1 Aug 1991; Lt Col Keeton D. Zachary, 13 Nov 1993; Lt Col Harold L. Mitchell, 9 Sep 1995; Lt Col David A. Richards, 21 Sep 1997-.

Aircraft

B-17, 1943-1945. Unkn, 1947-1948; T-6, 1948-1950; T-7, 1948-1950; T-11, 1948-1950; B-26, 1949-1952. T-6, 1952-1954; F-51, 1953-1954; T-33, 1954-1955; F-80, 1954-1955; B-26, 1955-1957; C-46, 1957-1958; C-119, 1958-1965; C-124, 1965-1971; C-141, 1972-.

Operations

Combat in ETO, 5 Feb 1944-Apr 1945. Combat in Korea, 12 Nov 1950-9 May 1952. Flying training in the Reserve for fighter missions, 1952-1955, tactical bombardment operations, 1955-1957, and tactical airlift missions, 1957-1965. Worldwide airlift missions, especially across the Pacific, beginning 1965. Transported ex-prisoners of war and refugees from the Far East to the United States in 1973 and 1975 at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. Took part in operations to liberate Kuwait in 1991.

Service Streamers

None.

Campaign Streamers

World War II: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater. Korean War: CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers

None.

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citations: Germany, 7 Apr 1945; Korea, 9 Jul-27 Nov 1951; Korea, 28 Nov 1951-30 Apr 1952. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Sep 1985-31 Aug 1987; 1 Jan-31 Jul 1992. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: [31] Oct 1950-27 Oct 1951. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Jan 1967-28 Jan 1973.

Emblem

Approved on 12 Dec 1984.

Lineage, Assignments, Components, Stations, and Honors through 8 Feb 2001.

Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through 30 Sep 1998.