336th Fighter Squadron

The 336th Fighter Squadron (336 FS) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 4th Operations Group and stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.

The 336th was constituted on 22 August 1942 as an incorporation of the Royal Air Force 133 Squadron into the United States Army Air Forces' VIII Fighter Command. 133 Squadron was one of three RAF Eagle Squadrons composed of American volunteer pilots who enlisted in the RAF and fought in World War II prior to the United States entry into the war.

Overview
The "Rocketeers" fly the McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle. It was the first operational F-15E squadron in the Air Force. Its aircraft are identified by the "SJ" tail code and yellow fin flash.

Currently the squadron provides worldwide deployable aircraft and personnel capable of executing combat missions in support of worldwide Aerospace Expeditionary Force deployments to combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism.

History
On 23 September 1942 the 4 FG moved to its initial airfield at RAF Debden; however, the 336 FS moved to a satellite field at RAF Great Sampford. They conducted operations from there until rejoining the group at Debden on 30 October 1942.

Fighter aircraft escorted first bombing raid over Berlin, March 1944. On 21 June 1944, escorted bombers in the first shuttle bombing mission from England to Russia. Received Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for destroying enemy aircraft and attacking air bases in France, 5 March – 24 April 1944.

In 1946 trained in jet aircraft; participated in air shows around the US; began night flying in late 1947. Combat in Korea, December 1950-July 1953. Received second and third DUCs for combat in Korean War, 22 April – 8 July 1951 and 9 July – 27 November 1951.

Deployed to Florida in October 1962 during Cuban missile crisis.

From January–June 1968, deployed to Korea; tasked with operations associated with USS Pueblo incident. Combat in Southeast Asia, April–September 1972 and March 1973.

During the 1980s, trained in combat readiness in order to maintain worldwide commitment and air-to-air mission capability. Deployed to Europe under dual-based mission concept in support of NATO objectives, 1978-1985.

Participated in initial attack on Iraq, 17 January 1991. During the action, 335th squadron F-15E Strike Eagle tail # 89-0487 destroyed an airborne Iraqi MI-24 helicopter by dropping a laser-guided GBU-10 bomb on it. http://archive.is/20121212202545/http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123286330 During 1990-1994, shared quarterly rotation duties to Southwest Asia with 334 and 335 FS.

Since 1991, trained as combat ready fighter squadron prepared for rapid world wide deployment of fighter aircraft to accomplish air-to-ground, air-to-air, strategic attack and deep interdiction missions.

Deployed to combat areas in Middle East as part of Global War on Terrorism, 2001–present.

On 18 July 2009, F-15E tail #90-0231 from the 336th Fighter Squadron crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing the two-man crew, Captain Mark R. McDowell and Thomas J. Gramith. The US military reported that the jet was not downed by enemy action.

2013 Sequestration
Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan.

Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called “basic mission capable” for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013. This affected the 336th Fighter Squadron with a stand-down grounding from 9 April-30 September 2013.

Lineage

 * Constituted 336th Fighter Squadron on 22 August 1942
 * Activated on 12 September 1942
 * Redesignated 336th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 20 August 1943
 * Inactivated on 10 November 1945


 * Activated on 9 September 1946
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelledon 23 April 1947
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 14 June 1948
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 January 1950
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 8 March 1955
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter-Day Squadron on 25 April 1956
 * Redesignated: 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
 * Redesignated: 336th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991
 * Designated as: 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and placed in provisional status when deployed to United States Air Forces Central as part of the Global War on Terrorism after 11 September 2001.

Assignments

 * 4th Fighter Group, 12 September 1942 – 10 November 1945
 * 4th Fighter (later, 4th Fighter-Interceptor; 4th Fighter-Bomber; 4th Fighter-Day) Group, 9 September 1946
 * Attached to: 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 19 November 1954
 * Attached to: 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 7 August 1956
 * Attached to: 313th Air Division, 1 February – 8 December 1957


 * 4th Fighter-Day (later, 4th Tactical Fighter; 4th) Wing, 8 December 1957
 * Attached to: 65th Air Division, 12 August 1963 – 7 January 1964
 * Attached to: Seventeenth Air Force, 25 May – 30 August 1965
 * Attached to: 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 12 April – 30 September 1972 and 9 March – 7 September 1973
 * Attached to: 314th Air Division, 22 March – 17 April 1977
 * Attached to: 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 September – 13 October 1978, 31 August – 1 October 1979, 26 August – 26 September 1980, 5 September – 3 October 1983, and 26 August – 26 September 1985
 * Attached to: 4th Tactical Fighter Wing [Deployed], 9 August – 20 December 1990
 * Attached to: 4th Tactical Fighter Wing Provisional, 20 December 1990-c. 13 March 1991


 * 4th Operations Group, 22 April 1991–present

Stations

 * RAF Bushey Hall (AAF-341), England, 12 September 1942
 * RAF Debden (AAF-356), England, 29 September 1942
 * RAF Steeple Morden (AAF-122), England, c. 23 July – 4 November 1945
 * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 9–10 November 1945
 * Selfridge Field, Michigan, 9 September 1946
 * Andrews Field (later, AFB), Maryland, 26 March 1947
 * Langley AFB, Virginia, 2 May 1949
 * Dover AFB, Delaware, 13 August – 11 November 1950
 * Johnson AB, Japan, 13 December 1950
 * Taegu AB, (K-2) South Korea, 15 March 1951
 * Suwon AB, (K-13) South Korea, c. 6 April 1951
 * Johnson AB, Japan, 27 June 1951
 * Kimpo AB, (K-14) South Korea, 20 September 1951
 * Misawa AB, Japan, 19 November 1954
 * Kadena AB, Okinawa, 7 August 1956


 * Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 8 December 1957–present
 * Deployed to: McCoy AFB, Florida, 21 October – 29 November 1962
 * Deployed to: Moron AB, Spain, 12 August 1963 – 7 January 1964
 * Deployed to: Incirlik AB, Turkey, 25 May – 30 August 1965
 * Deployed to: Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, 12 April – 30 September 1972 and 9 March – 7 September 1973
 * Deployed to: Suwon AB, South Korea, 25 March – 17 April 1977
 * Deployed to: Ramstein AB, West Germany, 11 September – 13 October 1978, 31 August – 1 October 1979, 26 August – 26 September 1980, 5 September – 3 October 1983, and 26 August – 26 September 1985
 * Deployed to: Seeb International Airport, Oman, 9 August – 18 December 1990
 * Deployed to: Al Karj AB, Saudi Arabia, 18 December 1990-c. 13 March 1991
 * Deployed to: Undisclosed locations in Central and Southwest Asia, 2001--present

Aircraft

 * Spitfire Vb (Sep 42 - 1 April 1943)
 * P-47 Thunderbolt
 * P-47C (10 March 1943 - February 44)
 * P-47D (Jun 43 - February 44)
 * P-51 Mustang
 * P-51B (25 February 1944 - war's end)
 * P-51D (Jun 44 - war's end)
 * P-51K (Dec 44 - war's end)


 * F-80 Shooting Star
 * F-86 Saber
 * F-100 Super Saber
 * F-105 Thunderchief
 * F-4D Phantom
 * F-4E Phantom
 * F-15E Strike Eagle

Notable squadron members

 * Vermont Garrison
 * Don Gentile
 * John Godfrey