53rd Airlift Squadron

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53rd Airlift Squadron History and Lineage  

Constituted as 53 Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942. Activated on 1 Jun 1942. Redesignated 53 Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942. Inactivated on 31 Jul 1945. Activated on 30 Sep 1946. Redesignated: 53 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 1 Jul 1948; 53 Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 15 Aug 1948; 53 Military Airlift Squadron on 8 Jan 1966. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 8 Jul 1966. Activated on 8 Jan 1972. Redesignated 53 Airlift Squadron on 1 Jan 1992. Inactivated on 30 Apr 1993. Activated on 1 Oct 1993. Inactivated on 11 Jan 2008. Activated on 15 May 2008. 

Additional History:

Blackjacks at War: WWII & The 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron

by Steven C. Franklin, Major, USAF

View via the WWW @:  http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/RepBlackjacks.htm

Assignments: 61 Transport (later, 61 Troop Carrier) Group, 1 Jun 1942-31 Jul 1945. 61 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); 63 Troop Carrier Group, 8 Oct 1959; 63 Troop Carrier (later, 63rd Military Airlift) Wing, 18 Jan 1963-8 Jul 1966. 63 Military Airlift Wing, 8 Jan 1972; 63 Military Airlift Group, 1 Oct 1978; 63 Military Airlift Wing, 1 Jul 1980; 63 Operations Group, 1 Jan 1992-30 Apr 1993. 314 Operations Group, 1 Oct 1993-11 Jan 2008. 463 Airlift Group, 15 May 2008; 19 Operations Group, 1 Oct 2008 -

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 1993-11 Jan 2008. Little Rock AFB, AR, 15 May 2008-

Commanders: 2 Lt Glen A. Myers, 1 Jun 1942; Capt Richard P. Carr, 2 Jul 1942; Capt S. W. Tobiason, 22 Oct 1942; Capt Howard M. Betts, 10 Jan 1943; Maj Charles L. Haruff, 24 Oct 1944; 1 Lt Harry W. Know Jr., 1-31 Jul 1945. Maj Ralph P. Gentry, 5 Sep 1947-unkn; Maj Albert H. Schneider, c. 1 Aug 1948; Maj William B. Colson, 9 Aug 1949; Lt Col Andrew E. McDavid, 3 Oct 1949; Maj Arthur L. Ethridge Jr., c. 1 Aug 1951; Lt Col Andrew E. McDavid, Oct 1951-unkn; Lt Col John A. Briggs, c. Feb 1952-unkn; Lt Col Ernest W. Burton, unkn-unkn; Lt Col Robert E. Harrington, unkn-Oct 1952; Maj Frank E. Tarasko, Oct 1952; Lt Col Norman R. Crosson, 1955; Maj Dan L. Collie, 1956; Maj Dixon J. Arnold, 1957; Maj Lawrence F. Uebel, 1958; Maj James S. Liptak, Apr 1959; Lt Col Sidney G. Smith, Mar 1960; Lt Col William E. Kunz, Jun-c. 20 Dec 1960; Lt Col Donald L. Brooks, Dec 1960-unkn; Lt Col Sidney G. Smith, 23 Jan 1961; Lt Col Donald L. Brooks, 3 Apr 1961; Lt Col David B. Smith, 20 Jul 1961; Lt Col William T. Johnson, 12 Mar 1962; Lt Col Carlton W. Winchester Jr., 17 Jun 1962-unkn; Lt Col Sidney G. Smith, Jun 1962; Lt Col W. Daniels, Jan 1963; Lt Col Sidney G. Smith, Apr 1963; Lt Col James S. Liptak, 1964; Lt Col Charlton W. Winchester Jr., 1964; Lt Col James S. Liptak, 1965; Lt Col Charlton W. Winchester Jr., 17 Feb 1965; Lt Col Gerald Linscheid, 1965-1966. Lt Col George B. Powers, 8 Jan 1972; Lt Col Frederick L. Breitinger, 27 Jun 1973; Lt Col Allan R. Christensen, 9 Apr 1975; Lt Col William J. Roth Jr., 2 Jul 1976; Lt Col Donald G. Lawson, 1 Nov 1976; Lt Col Herbert K. Bevelhymer, 26 Mar 1979; Lt Col James L. Cole, Unkn; Lt Col Albert W. Estes, 17 Aug 1981; Lt Col Allen A. Pichon, 26 Jul 1982; Lt Col Robert D. German, 21 Feb 1984; Lt Col Leonard C. Lyle Jr., 20 Jun 1986; Lt Col Arthur S. Irwin, 1 Jul 1987; Lt Col Robert M. Zeluff, 1 Mar 1989; Lt Col Gary L. Pudwill, 16 Nov 1990; Lt Col William H. Mills, 17 Jun 1991-30 Apr 1993. Lt Col Keith A. Feigh, 1 Oct 1993; Lt Col Leslie L. Chapman, 25 Aug 1994; Lt Col John A. Tappan, 29 May 1996; Lt Col Dale D. Wyant, 29 May 1997; Lt Col John C. Sleight, 20 Nov 1998; Lt Col Carl E. McDaniel Jr., 27 Jul 2000; Lt Col Jeffrey Hoffer, 10 Nov 2001; Lt Col Brian E. O'Connor, 15 Nov 2002; Lt Col Paul M. Kucharek, 27 May 2004; Lt Col Thomas C. Gilster, 2 Jun 2006-11 Jan 2008. Lt Col Sean S. Bordenave, 16 May 2008; Lt Col Ken W. Kopp, 21 May 2011; Lt Col Brian K. Watkins, 20 Dec 2011; Lt Col James W. Wall, 11 Oct 2013-

Aircraft: C-47, 1942-1945. C-47, 1946-1948; C-54, 1948-1952; C-124, 1952-1966. C-141, 1972-1993. C-130, 1993-2008.

Operations: World War II: Included airborne assaults on Sicily, Normandy, Holland, and Germany; aerial transportation in Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (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. Conducted C-130 aircrew training for active duty USAF, Air Force Reserve (USAFR), Air National Guard (ANG), US Navy, US Marine Corps and selected allied nations, 1993-2008.

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; 1 Jul 1993-30 Jun 1995; 1 Jul 1995-31 Mar 1997; 1 Jul 1997-30 Jun 1999; 1 Jul 1999-30 Jun 2001; 1 Jul 2001-30 Jun 2003; 1 Jul 2003-30 Jun 2004; 1 Jul 2005-30 Jun 2006; 1 Jul 2006-30 Jun 2007. 

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].