36th Fighter Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 36th Fighter Squadron


caption= 36th Fighter Squadron Patch
dates= 12 June 1917 - 7 April 1919
2 October 1930 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch=United States Air Force
type= Fighter
role=
size=
command_structure= Pacific Air Forces
7th Air Force
51st Fighter Wing
51st Operations Group
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders= Quentin Roosevelt
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 36th Fighter Squadron (36 FS) is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.

Mission

Conduct air interdiction, close air support and counter-air missions in both day and night conditions. [http://www.osan.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7592 36 FS Fact Sheet] ]

History

During its 90-year history, the 36 FS has flown 21 different types of aircraft, received 22 unit citations and accumulated 24 service and campaign streamers.

The unit came into existence when a group of aviation pioneers, eager to prove the value of air power in World War I, formed the 36th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas, in June 1917. First Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, was one of the squadron's first commanders, assuming command later that year. While the new squadron did not see combat as a unit when it moved to France, several of its members did while flying for other squadrons.

After World War I, the 36th was inactivated, only to be resurrected in October 1930 at Selfridge Field, Michigan, to train pilots and develop new air tactics. In 1932, the 36th relocated to Langley Field, Virginia, as part of the 8th Pursuit Group. While assigned to the 8th, the 36th flew airmail for the U.S. Postal Service, flying in all types of weather without instruments. During World War II, the squadron flew P-40 Warhawk, P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt, and P-38 Lightning fighters in a number of Pacific Theater campaigns. These included the defense of New Guinea and the battle for the Philippines. They moved to Fukuska, Japan at the end of the war.

When the communist forces attacked the Republic of Korea in June 1950, the 36th found itself in the fight from the beginning of the conflict. Flying F-80 Shooting Stars, the squadron attacked advancing North Korean tanks, trucks, artillery, and troops. The unit later converted back to the piston-engined F-51 Mustang, considered more suitable for operations in Korea. The 36th ended the war equipped with F-86 Sabres, flying bombing and strafing missions against enemy air fields. The 36th returned to Japan after the Korean War, operating out of Itazuke Air Base for the next 10 years.

During the Vietnam War, the 36th flew combat missions into Southeast Asia from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. 36th pilots flew F-105 Thunderchiefs, escorting rescue aircraft and suppressing anti-aircraft fire. The squadron was re-equipped with F-4 Phantom II fighters in December 1967 and stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, with regular deployments to Kunsan Air Base beginning in March 1971. The 36th moved to Kunsan in May 1971, establishing a forward operating location at Osan Air Base. The squadron permanently moved to Osan and was assigned to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical) in September 1974.

The 36th ushered in the era of the "Viper" on 10 August 1988, when squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Al Spitzer landed the first F-16 Fighting Falcon at Osan. The squadron's combat capabilities were transformed in 1993 when the squadron converted to the Block 40 Low Altitude Navigational and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) F-16C/D. The addition of LANTIRN gave the Fiends the current ability to fly at low levels and deliver precision guided munitions during nighttime conditions. Upgrades to the Block 40 in recent years have included GBU-31 JDAM capability for all weather precision engagement.

=Operations [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0036fs.html AFHRA 36 FS Page] ] =

*World War I
*World War II
*Korean War
*Vietnam War

=Lineage=

*36th Aero Squadron (1917 - 1923)
*36th Pursuit Squadron (1923 - 1939)
*36th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) (1939 - 1941)
*36th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (1941 - 1942)
*36th Fighter Squadron (1942 - 1944)
*36th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine (1944 - 1946)
*36th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1946 - 1950)
*36th Fighter Squadron, Jet (1950)
*36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1950 - 1958)
*36th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1958 - 1992)
*36th Fighter Squadron (1992 - Present)

=Assignments=

*Third Aviation Instruction Center (1917 - 1918)
*French Aerial Gunnery School (1918)
*American Aerial Gunnery School (1918 - 1919)
*2d Bombardment Wing (1930 - 1931)
*8th Tactical Fighter Wing (1931, 1932 - 1964)
*18th Pursuit Group (1931 - 1932)
*41st Air Division (1954 - 1965)
**Attached: 2d Air Division (9 August - 5 October 1964, 6 March - 4 May 1965)
*6441st Tactical Fighter Wing (1965 - 1966)
**Attached: 2d Air Division (26 August - 28 October 1965)
*41st Air Division (1966 - 1968)
*347th Tactical Fighter Wing (1968 - 1971)
*3d Tactical Fighter Wing (1971 - 1974)
*8th Fighter Wing (1974)
*51st Fighter Wing (1974 - Present)

=Bases stationed=

*Camp Kelly, Texas (1917)
*Étampes, France (1917)
*Issoudun, France (1917 - 1918)
*Cazaux, France (1918)
*Saint-Jean-de-Monts, France (1918 - 1919)
*Saint-Nazaire, France (1919)
*Garden City, New York (1919)
*Selfridge Field, Michigan (1930 - 1932)
*Langley Field, Virginia (1932 - 1940)
*Mitchel Field, New York (1940 - 1942)
*Brisbane, Australia (1942)
*Lowood, Australia (1942)
*Townsville, Australia (1942)
*Port Moresby, New Guinea (1942)
*Milne Bay, New Guinea (1942 - 1943)
*Mareeba, Australia (1943)
*Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943)
*Nadzab, New Guinea (1943 - 1944)
*Finschhafen, New Guinea (1944)
*Owi, Schouten Islands (1944)
*Morotai (1944)
*Dulag, Leyte (1944)
*San Jose, Occidental Mindoro (1944 - 1945)
*Ie Shima (1945)
*Fukuoka, Japan (1945 - 1946)
*Ashiya Air Base, Japan (1946)
*Itazuke Air Base, Japan (1946 - 1947)
*Ashiya Air Base, Japan (1947 - 1949)
*Itazuke Air Base, Japan (1949 - 1950)
*Tsuiki Air Base, Japan (1950)
*Suwon Air Base, South Korea (1950)
*Kimpo Air Base, South Korea (1950)
*Pyongyang, North Korea (1950)
*Seoul Air Base, South Korea (1950)
*Itazuke Air Base, Japan (1950 - 1951)
*Kimpo Air Base, South Korea (1951)
*Suwon Air Base, South Korea (1951 - 1954)
*Itazuke Air Base, Japan (1954 - 1964)
*Yokota Air Base, Japan (1964 - 19671
**Deployed: Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (9 August - 5 October 1964)
**Deployed: Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (6 March - 4 May, 26 August - 28 October 1965)
*Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (1971)
*Osan Air Base, South Korea (1971 - Present)

=Aircraft Operated=

*O-2 (1930 - 1932)
*P-1 Hawk (1930 - 1932)
*P-6 Hawk (1930 - 1932, 1932 - 1935, 1936 - 1937)
*P-16 (1932 - 1935)
*P-12 (1932 - 1936)
*O-27 (1932 - 1935)
*PB-2 (1937 - 1939)
*P-36 Hawk (1939 - 1940)
*YP-37 (1938 - 1940)
*A-17 Nomad (1938 - 1940)
*P-40 Warhawk (1940 - 1941)
*P-39 Airacobra (1941 - 1943)
*P-400 Airacobra I (1942 - 1943)
*P-47 Thunderbolt (1943 - 1944)
*P-38 Lightning (1944 - 1946)
*P-51 Mustang (1946 - 1950)
*F-80 Shooting Star (1949 - 1953)
*F-86 Sabre (1953 - 1957)
*F-100 Super Sabre (1957 - 1963)
*F-105 Thunderchief (1963 - 1966)
*F-4 Phantom II (1967 - 1989)
*F-16 Fighting Falcon (1988 - Present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0036fs.html USAF 36th Fighter Squadron History]
* [http://www.osan.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7592 36th Fighter Squadron Fact Sheet]

ee also