Lineage. Constituted as 62 Troop Carrier Squadron on 27 Nov 1942. Activated on 5 Dec 1942. Inactivated on 27 Aug 1946. Redesignated as 62 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 20 Sep 1949. Activated on 17 Oct 1949. Redesignated as: 62 Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 Mar 1966; 62 Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 May 1967; 62 Airlift Squadron on 1 Dec 1991.
Assignments. 315 Troop Carrier Group (attached to 89 Troop Carrier Group), 5 Dec 1942; 314 Troop Carrier Group, 15 Mar 1943; Third Air Force, Aug-27 Aug 1946. 314 Troop Carrier Group, 17 Oct 1949; 314 Troop Carrier Wing, 8 Oct 1957 (attached to 322 Air Division, 6 Jun-Aug 1961; Det 3, 315 Air Division, 19 May-29 Jul 1962 and 5 Aug-Oct 1964; 315 Air Division, Mar-May 1965); 839 Air Division, 1 Dec 1965 (attached to Troop Carrier Wing Provisional, 4413, 1 Dec 1965-30 Jun 1966); 64 Troop Carrier (later, 64 Tactical Airlift) Wing, 1 Jul 1966 (attached to 513 Tactical Airlift Wing, 15 Dec 1967-8 Apr 1968, 29 Jun-2 Oct 1968, 16 Nov 1969-11 Jan 1970, and 3 Jul-30 Aug 1970; 322 Tactical Airlift Wing, 10 Apr-12 Jun 1971); 314 Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 May 1971; 34 Tactical Airlift Training Group, 1 Nov 1978; 314 Operations Group, 1 Dec 1991-.
Stations. Sedalia AAFld, MO, 5 Dec 1942; Del Valle, TX, 12 Dec 1942; Pope Field, NC, 12 Jan 1943; Lawson Field, GA, 25 Feb-3 May 1943; Berguent, French Morocco, 29 May 1943; Kairouan, Tunisia, 24 Jun 1943; Castelvetrano, Sicily, 3 Sep 1943-15 Feb 1944; Saltby, England, 24 Feb 1944; Poix, France, Mar 1945; Villacoublay, France, 15 Oct 1945-15 Feb 1946; Bolling Field, DC, 15 Feb 1946; Greenville AAB, SC, Aug-27 Aug 1946. Smyrna AFB, TN, 17 Oct 1949-27 Aug 1950; Ashiya, Japan, 4 Sep 1950-15 Nov 1954; Sewart AFB, TN, 15 Nov 1954 (deployed at Evreux AB, France, 6 Jun-Aug 1961; Clark AB, Philippines, 19 May-29 Jul 1962, 5 Aug-Oct 1964, and Mar-May 1965; RAF Mildenhall, England, 15 Dec 1967-c. 28 Mar 1968, 1 Jul-2 Oct 1968, and 16 Nov 1969-11 Jan 1970); Little Rock AFB, AR, 9 Mar 1970- (deployed at RAF Mildenhall, England, 3 Jul-30 Aug 1970; Rhein-Main AB, Germany, 2 Apr-31 May 1971).
Commanders. Capt J. L. Parker, 12 Dec 1942; Maj Harvey A. Berger, 14 Jan 1943; Capt John M. Gibson, 7 Mar 1943; Capt Arthur E. Tappan, 26 Mar 1943; Maj Oral W. Lee, 25 Sep 1944; Capt Sidney Weitzman, 24 Aug 1945; Capt Jack E. Downhill, 24 Sep 1945-unkn. Maj Harold L. Sommers, 17 Oct 1949; Lt Col Royal S. Thompson, 25 May 1950; Maj Louis P. Lindsay, by Nov 1951; unkn, 1952-1957; Maj Joseph Manship, by Dec 1957; Lt Col H. A. Schmoldt, 15 Jun 1958; Lt Col Perry H. Penn, 21 Jan 1960; Lt Col Joseph H. Griffith Jr., 25 Jan 1961; Lt Col Robert J. Marks, 20 Oct 1961; Lt Col Marvin E. Fouche, 1 Mar 1965; Lt Col James L. Muller, 13 Jun 1966; Lt Col Donald N. Armstrong, 7 May 1968; Lt Col Eugene Frye, 1 Mar 1969; Lt Col Carl E. Stone, 18 Feb 1970; Lt Col Donald R. March, 1 Aug 1971; Lt Col Edward M. Holley, 28 Nov 1972; Lt Col Robert B. Christensen, 29 Nov 1974; Lt Col James M. Padgett, 17 May 1976; Lt Col Bernard J. Clark, 28 Feb 1978; Lt Col Frances X. McCabe, 27 Nov 1978; Lt Col Leonard A. Butler, 8 Oct 1980; Lt Col Thomas E. Lafferty, 24 Jul 1981; Lt Col Richard E. Frank, 1 Jun 1982; Lt Col Frank M. Herndon, 16 Jan 1984; Lt Col William R. Caldwell, 12 Feb 1986; Lt Col Robert H. Baskett, 16 Oct 1987; Lt Col Paul J. Fletcher, 1 Jun 1989; Lt Col Ronald J. Scott Jr., 1 Jul 1991; Lt Col Richard P. Braid, 15 Jan 1993; Lt Col Michael A. Underwood, 26 May 1994; Lt Col Alexander Arnista, 21 Nov 1995; Lt Col Mark O. Schissler, 22 Apr 1997; Lt Col Jon A. Matz, 2 Jul 1998; Lt Col Damon K. Booth, 1 Aug 2000; Lt Col Mark Ellis, 10 May 2002; Lt Col Donald F. Kimminau, 6 Jun 2003; Lt Col Scott E. Decker, 8 Jul 2005; Lt Col Aaron D. Maynard, 25 May 2007; Lt Col Charles E. Brown Jr., 21 May 2009-.
Aircraft. Principally C-47, 1943-1946. C-82, 1949-1950; C-119, 1950-1957; C-130, 1956-.
Operations. Airborne assaults on Sicily, Normandy, Holland, and Germany, as well as aerial transportation in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO), during World War II. Included airborne assaults on Sukchon/Sunchon, and Munsan-ni, as well as aerial transportation between Japan and Korea, during the Korean War. Airlift from the Philippines into Vietnam, Mar-May 1965. Flew combat missions in South Vietnam, 1966-1967. Conducted crewmember training for USAF and other military services; supported airlift missions, 1980-. Supported Operations Desert Storm/Desert Shield, 1990-1991; and Operation Southern Watch, 1996-1997.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea, Summer 1953. Vietnam: Vietnam Defensive.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Sicily, 11 Jul 1943; France, [6-7] Jun 1944; Korea, 28 Nov-10 Dec 1950. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 6 May 1953-10 Sep 1954; 11 Jan-14 Feb 1955; 1 Jan 1960-31 Dec 1961; 1 Sep 1962-15 Apr 1963; 1 Dec 1965-30 Jun 1967; 1 Jun 1969-31 May 1971; 1 Jan 1975-30 Jun 1976; 1 Jun 1985-31 May 1986; 1 Jul 1991-30 Jun 1993; 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; 1 Jul 2008-30 Jun 2009. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, 1 Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953.
Lineage, Assignments, Stations, and Honors through Oct 2010.
Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through Oct 2010.
Supersedes published information contained in: Judy G. Endicott (ed.), USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (Washington: USGPO, 1999).
Emblem. Approved on 26 Oct 1993; latest rendering, 15 Feb 2019.
Prepared by Patsy Robertson.
Reviewed by Daniel Haulman.