22d Airlift Squadron

The 22d Airlift Squadron (22d AS) is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates C-5 Galaxy aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.

Mission
Provide services and support, which promote quality of life and project global power through combat-proven airlift and airdrop.

History
22d operations during World War II include paratroop drops at Nadzab, New Guinea, in September 1942 as well as aerial transportation in the Pacific Theater.

The 22d also participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and aerial transportation in Far East during the Korean War. It flew extensive support missions to, and intra-theater combat support missions in Vietnam, 4 August 1964-2 April 1969. It flew frequent missions to Southeast Asia from March 1972-April 1975 including Operation Baby Lift in 1975. The 22d supported operations in Grenada, 25 October 1983 – 7 November 1983, Panama on 20 December 1989, and on-going operations in Southwest Asia since August 1990. The squadron also supported Operation Provide Comfort for Kurdish refugees, supported the evacuation of military personnel and their dependents from the Philippines through Operation Fiery Vigil in 1991. It played a major role in the relief effort for the famine-plagued country of Somalia during Operation Provide Relief and Restore Hope in 1992 and 1993, and provided airlift support to Balkans peacekeeping missions beginning in 1995 with Operation Joint Endeavor, and continuing under Operations Joint Guardian and Joint Forge.

Lineage

 * 22d Transport Squadron (1942)
 * 22d Troop Carrier Squadron (1942–1948)
 * 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1948–1966)
 * 22d Military Airlift Squadron (1966–1991)
 * 22d Airlift Squadron (1991–Present)

Assignments

 * 374th Troop Carrier Group (1942–1946, 1946–1958)
 * Attached: 317th Troop Carrier Group (19 September – 16 November 1948)
 * 1503rd Air Transport Wing (1958–1966)
 * 65th Military Airlift Wing (1966–1969)
 * 60th Air Mobility Wing (1972–Present)

Stations

 * Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Australia (1942)
 * RAAF Base Garbutt (Townsville), Australia (1942–1943)
 * Wards Airfield (5 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943)
 * RAAF Base Garbutt (Townsville), Australia (1943–1944)
 * Finschafen Airfield (Dreger Field), New Guinea (1944–1945)
 * Nielson Field, Luzon, Philippines (1945–1946)
 * Nichols Field, Luzon, Philippines (1946–1947)
 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines (1947–1948)
 * Deployed to: Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany (18 September - 16 November 1948)


 * Tachikawa Air Base, Japan (1948–1969)
 * Travis Air Force Base, California (1972–Present)

Aircraft

 * C-39 (1942)
 * C-49 (1942)
 * C-53 Skytrooper (1942)
 * C-56 Lodestar (1942)
 * C-60 Lodestar II (1942)
 * B-17 Flying Fortress (1942)
 * B-18 Bolo (1942)
 * C-47 Skytrain (1942–1945)
 * C-46 Commando (1945–1946, 1946–1949)
 * C-54 Skymaster (1946–1948, 1949–1952)
 * C-124 Globemaster II (1952–1957, 1959–1969)
 * C-5 Galaxy (1972 – Present)

Operations

 * World War II
 * Korean War
 * Operation Urgent Fury
 * Operation Just Cause
 * Operation Desert Storm
 * Operation Southern Watch
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom
 * Operation Enduring Freedom


 * Operation Fiery Vigil
 * Operation Provide Relief
 * Operation Restore Hope
 * Operation Joint Endeavor
 * Operation Joint Guardian
 * Operation Joint Forge
 * Operation Provide Comfort